Species Study - Taxodium distichum

[ghildt]

Awesome progression! How many years was it from collection to the thumbs up photo?

Collected with less to 1cm thick in Oct-2008

First photo in 2009 summer (December)
3 other photos = Today.


Unfortunately, 14 long years.

In 2016 a watering mistake almost killed the tree (I was out 3 days in the summer, and I thought the tree has just been watered, but no).

In this link, my post about this tree in a spanish forum: Evolucion de un Taxodium distichum (Someday will translate this. But not yet )

 

[Zelrod]

You have a nice base and movement in the thumbs up trunk.

 

[Cajunrider]

Here are some candidates for a killer BC bonsai. All around 12-15 ft tall with 16-20” base. I will get permission to get one next year. I would not risk digging any of them now.
View attachment 432720
View attachment 432721
View attachment 432722

I was so wrong about the base of those trees. When I finally waded into the water and took my big tape measurement with me, I discovered that the bases were 40” to 48”. My friend asked me if I still wanted to dig those, my answer was “Hell to the Naw naw naw!”

 

[Cajunrider]

Interesting thread on BC

Depth of flooding of Bald Cypress affects buttressing??

Has anyone experimented with the actual depth of flooding of bald cypress and its effect on buttressing? The last place I lived had 17 cypress trees....... 3 on land and the rest right at the edge of Bayou Lafourche at varying depths. The trees on land got MUCH bigger but with average...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Cajunrider]

With the many BCs I have collected, I will be looking for pots very soon. In general, what type of pots are most suitable for BCs? I have BCs in sizes from 4" to 9" trunk with height from 20" to 48". With my limited funding, I am thinking Mica pots. Are there other suitable choices?
Furthermore, what shape and depth of pots are most suitable for developing BCs. I have seen BCs in beautiful shallow pots but those are developed BCs.
So far I am most attracted to the Yixing unglazed oval pot with depth around 4". I don't think I can get my developing BC healthy in pots with depth less that 4".

 

[Joe Dupre']

With the many BCs I have collected, I will be looking for pots very soon. In general, what type of pots are most suitable for BCs? I have BCs in sizes from 4" to 9" trunk with height from 20" to 48". With my limited funding, I am thinking Mica pots. Are there other suitable choices?
Furthermore, what shape and depth of pots are most suitable for developing BCs. I have seen BCs in beautiful shallow pots but those are developed BCs.
So far I am most attracted to the Yixing unglazed oval pot with depth around 4". I don't think I can get my developing BC healthy in pots with depth less that 4".

4" depth is plenty good enough. The Yixing unglazed oval is a great choice. I'd go as big as you can aesthetically get away with. My experience with BC leads me to believe that if you go with bit too small pot and high percentage of inorganic media, the tree goes into its " small leaf, slow, mature growth" cycle. If your tree is at that point, that's a win. If it needs more and better branching, it's probably best to keep it in a big tub with plenty of organic media.

 

[Cajunrider]

4" depth is plenty good enough. The Yixing unglazed oval is a great choice. I'd go as big as you can aesthetically get away with. My experience with BC leads me to believe that if you go with bit too small pot and high percentage of inorganic media, the tree goes into its " small leaf, slow, mature growth" cycle. If your tree is at that point, that's a win. If it needs more and better branching, it's probably best to keep it in a big tub with plenty of organic media.

Right now they are almost all in 21"x15"x7" bus tubs or large 20" round pots with plenty of organic. I hope to transition about a dozen into the mature growth cycle in 2024.

 

[Maiden69]

I plan on using mica pots once I start to move them into pots. Just to get the feel of how they behave, and start the root restriction that should enable you to nicely ramify them. There is a lot changing in the US bonsai when it comes into BCs. When I started all I saw and heard was unglazed containers, but now you have Mirai and Mach5 pushing for glazed pots. The most recent from Sergio was a recommendation while judging an event.

With the size of the BC's, a pot purchase will be a considerable one unless you opt for a cheaper one like the ceramics from Wigerts, and even those at the size you will need will be a decent amount of money.

 

[Cajunrider]

The tap roots of BC can be fierce. These are at least 2/3rd the size of the trunks. If collected at the wrong time of the year, they may not survive.

 

[Cajunrider]

The tap roots of BC can be fierce. These are at least 2/3rd the size of the trunks. If collected at the wrong time of the year, they may not survive.
View attachment 475114
View attachment 475115
View attachment 475116

These trees were in between bigger trees that I did not want to disturb their roots. Good thing these trees weren't too far from the road. 200 ft of 30,000 lbs rated load UHMW rope and my Tacoma pulled them right out. The trick was slow and super steady pull to allow the roots time to slide out of the mud.

 

[August44]

These trees were in between bigger trees that I did not want to disturb their roots. Good thing these trees weren't too far from the road. 200 ft of 30,000 lbs rated load UHMW rope and my Tacoma pulled them right out. The trick was slow and super steady pull to allow the roots time to slide out of the mud.

Hard to tell by pictures...how big are those trees?

 

[Cajunrider]

Hard to tell by pictures...how big are those trees?

Those are smaller BCs. The trunk is about 4"-5" right above the buttress flare. Any bigger and I would have to find a way to cut the tap root or get the tractor to pull. It was already difficult with those little ones. For these, the trees are about 10 ft high and the tap roots were about 5-6 ft long.

 

[Cajunrider]

A very interesting thread on BC development.

Bilbo's Bald Cypress

Winter update, not much happening.... i have 2 design idea's im playing around with in my head. I still need to work on the deadwood. Im very pleased with the trunk spit at the base.

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Kanorin]

Just a thought - when the time is right, you might be able to trade one of your collected trees for a nice pot...I bet you'll find some takers!

 

[Cajunrider]

All the discussion about apical dominance in other threads made me think a lot about my BCs. I am going to try aggressive pruning on the top branches of my non-flat top BCs and force the growth on branching down low for this 2023 early growing season. I will report my progress

 

[Joe Dupre']

All the discussion about apical dominance in other threads made me think a lot about my BCs. I am going to try aggressive pruning on the top branches of my non-flat top BCs and force the growth on branching down low for this 2023 early growing season. I will report my progress

That's what I do. "Aggressive pruning" amounts to almost every other day down here. I tend to prune most of the apex away until I get the bottom branches the size I want. You can just about grow a whole apex in one growing season. I only let the apex grow wild if I need better taper or size. It's kind of a balancing act.

 

[Captkingdom]

Total noob here, so forgive a basic question, please.
The root fluting apparent on great BC seems to indicate a vertical sap flow. Is this true, or can it distribute horizontally as well?
As I am researching them in preparation for acquiring one from CJR, I am wondering how sensitive they are to carving cutting off flow, as juniper's can be, IE one branch or sector feeds one root.
I anticipate wanting to carve to exaggerate taper

 

[Cajunrider]

Total noob here, so forgive a basic question, please.
The root fluting apparent on great BC seems to indicate a vertical sap flow. Is this true, or can it distribute horizontally as well?
As I am researching them in preparation for acquiring one from CJR, I am wondering how sensitive they are to carving cutting off flow, as juniper's can be, IE one branch or sector feeds one root.
I anticipate wanting to carve to exaggerate taper

Check the Youtube videos by @BillsBayou and @johng

 

[Cajunrider]

Collected at the right time when night time temperature warm up consistently above 40 F after winter dormancy then potted in potting soil and kept very wet (watered twice daily), my BCs grow up to 10” long shoots up top and 1/2” long roots in the ground after 8 weeks.

 

[Cajunrider]

Those trunks were too straight so I give them a little bend.
View attachment 465815
View attachment 465816

Bendi grew some leaves.