(it has to stay inside now due to my living situation.) I potted it in May, and it took off! As with any other species you collect, be sure not to disturb the root zone during the first year, to allow the tender new roots time to harden off. I have done flat-tops, and that is a suitable style for trees without much taper. Can I or you cancel whatever is there now and start over? Then make a cut on each side of the tree about 6-8” from the trunk, then plunge the saw blade (I always use a 12” pruning blade) underneath the trunk to sever the taproot. The bonsai could die in a matter of weeks, especially if it is a young plant. If you have a porch or balcony, place your trees outside there. Growth habit: Bald cypress is one of the more vigorous species grown as bonsai. If you repot the tree beforehand, then roots won’t be able to come out and thicken. In winter, when the leaves have fallen, the … Do you have recommendations for someone completely new to bonsai (and the terminology)? If you like the idea of having bonsai trees as an indoor decoration but don’t know anything about these great looking miniature trees, then the Bald Cypress bonsai tree is probably the one you need to get first! by Zach Smith | Nov 17, 2014 | Bald Cypress, Care, Potting, Soil, Watering | 29 comments, The National Champion Bald Cypress – at Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge. On healthy specimens this can be addressed by simply defoliating the tree in early to mid-July. Use a watering can to simulate rain and water from above the tree … Start using it when spring starts, once every fortnight and then stop progressively as the cold season approaches. To be sure, there’s a paucity of branches. If you want a nice, healthy, robust mini tree, then some wet soil is what this bonsai tree wants, especially during the summer months. What can I do with it? Once it’s time to pot the tree initially, first wash off all the native soil. Now, looking at this specimen you might be wondering how it’s going to look like anything. It takes about 3 years to start seeing knees if your tree is young. As with almost all temperate zone species, they cannot be grown indoors. At that time, depending on its size, you could do some selecting and wiring of branches. Another minor annoyance is the foliage becomes shaggy toward the end of summer. My iPhone Face recognition keeps getting rejected and I don’t know what email and password I used. i’ve bent one of the longer branches down to about a 40 degree angle from the main stem, and secured it. Growing A Bald Cypress Bonsai. Root growth: very vigorous. Here’s a tree I collected in Winter 2014, in training for a mere three months when the photo to your right was taken: Leaf size reduction: bald cypress fronds and their needles reduce in size from roughly 4-6” and 3/8-3/4” to about half that size. It’s virtually impossible to answer your question. Mary, i just sent an email, i’ll ask here, too: i’m in the process of training a 3-yr-old bald cypress bare-root sapling. By year two, your tree can be potted into a bonsai container provided you’re satisfied with the development of the branching of your tree and the newly developing apex, and no longer need vigorous recovery growth. If your three BC are the same size, it’s going to be tough to make a believable forest because you’ll have trouble creating an illusion of depth in the planting. You are successfully subscribed, no need to do anything else. Either plant in the ground or an oversize nursery container. I’ll try to help as best I can. Pot in prepared soil. I’m always happy to answer any questions you have. Send me a photo, Colin, and I’ll be glad to give you my opinion on a style. Be prepared to wait many years if growing from seed, and even then it’s not guaranteed. Outside is the place to be. It is well- known for growing “knees”, which are in fact roots coming out of the soil and bending due to the lack of space. Then re-cut the roots closer to the trunk in anticipation of the eventual bonsai container. Put it in the ground or a much larger pot and leave it alone for four or five years. You should aim for a minimum trunk basal thickness of 1.5-2″ before trying to style the tree. Thank you for helping me. I live a mere 17 miles from it. For the beginner, an inexpensive specimen from a regular nursery bought on sale is a good way to become accustomed to the growing habits of the species before moving on to larger, better quality trees. Bald Cypress is native to North and Central America, while the former is found in the Mediterranean Region. This makes collecting them with a cordless reciprocating saw a simple task, provided you can find specimens in very shallow water. Thank you for the info, the taper on the tree is not so good like a 6 to 4-5 im thinking i should have kept looking for a better tapper got giddy about the base.