Bald Cypress Bonsai – How to Plant and Care
The bald cypress is of great benefit to the wettest areas of the southeastern United States. This rugged tree thrives in moving or stagnant water and can actually stabilize the banks of rivers and streams. It also loves sunshine and thrives in the heat.
A bald cypress Bonsai tree will also thrive in full sun as long as you can keep the roots wet. Don’t worry about overwatering; these trees can survive flooding and even a little salt in the wild.
Plenty of Sunlight
Make sure your bald cypress Bonsai gets as much sun as you can give it. Place it outside in warm weather so it can soak up full sunlight, both morning and afternoon. If there’s a risk of frost, bring it in overnight; while bald cypress in the wild can tolerate some freezing, your Bonsai won’t survive a frost.
Plenty of sun and a only a moderate amount of heat may be a challenge, depending on your location and your sunniest windows. Getting in the habit of setting your bald cypress Bonsai out to greet the morning sun, as long as it’s not to chilly, may be the best way to meet sunlight requirements.
If your sunniest window is directly over your busiest air conditioner vent, do your best to protect the pot and water basin that houses your bald cypress Bonsai. Hot green needles and cold wet feet may be tough on your bald cypress and can even shock the plant. Put a hood over that AC vent to direct air away from your plants.
Adequate Moisture
Keep it watered but protect it from chill. Room temperature water may be the best choice in winter. If you’re going to set your bald cypress Bonsai outside in full sun on a warm day, consider putting the root pot in a small basin of water. Wet feet are not a problem for the bald cypress, whether full-size in nature or as a Bonsai in your home.
Extra moisture may be helpful in helping your bald cypress Bonsai build knees, or root formations that ring the trunk of your tree. As you add moisture, make sure you are not stinting on fertilizer.
Effective Fertilizer
Start preparing your bald cypress Bonsai for growing season with a slow-release fertilizer. If you set it outside and keep it wet but notice a yellowing of the canopy, it may be best to add supplemental fertilizer during this warm and sunny time.
Taper back your fertilizer treatment as winter approaches. Taper back your fertilizer treatment as winter approaches. As sunlight exposure drops, bald cypress trees in the wild drop their needles and go dormant. This not only allows them to soak up plenty of water, but keeps them from suffering harm during a cold snap. You can try to keep your bald cypress Bonsai from going completely dormant in winter, but you should expect a loss of vibrancy in the green needles, some browning and some needle drop.
Consider putting a cloth down under your bald cypress Bonsai when you bring it in for winter. Bald cypress needles contain tannins, which are bitter and generally keep wildlife from feeding off of these trees in their native swamps. The dropped needles from your bald cypress Bonsai are generally not considered to be toxic, but your pet may be unhappy if they try to ingest dropped needles and get a harsh dose of tannins.
Seasonal Care
Summer sun will help your bald cypress Bonsai thrive! Locate a sunny spot where it can sit and soak up all the light. If you can’t be home to water it, consider submerging the pot into a bucket of water and leaving the plant to soak up sun and suck up water at the same time.
While the bald cypress in nature thrives during some extremely hot temperatures, do your best to move your bald cypress in if it’s going to get over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The limited potting soil and small root network simply mean that an overheated bald cypress Bonsai is going to suffer in extreme heat.
In winter, keep it warm and as well lit as possible. The needles may brown; they may also drop off. This is a natural part of the dormancy cycle. Now may be a good time to consider some pruning of lower branches.
Targeted Shaping
The ideal shape for a bald cypress Bonsai is tall and formal. For best results, it’s a good idea to pinch back growth that will produce a scraggly tree. As you pinch back growth that breaks up the line of the tree, the rest of your bald cypress Bonsai will thicken up and produce a lusher growth.
As your plant ages, you can also coax it to produce bald cypress knees by not repotting it. These knees are actually roots that come to the surface; in the wild, they’re common on older trees that have extremely wet feet. As the roots rise, they grow tough and scaly, creating a ridge around the base of the tree over time.
Careful Monitoring
While your bald cypress Bonsai is pretty tough, like their siblings in the wild, they will need monitoring. Unlike a tree that comes from forebears in the Amazon rainforest, the bald cypress Bonsai may actually suffer from too much drainage. Keeping it wet to the point of sogginess will not harm it, though your fertilize practice will also need to be diligent.
Potting Soil
Don’t go for a soil that will drain well. You actually need something heavier that will cling to the roots and hold water close to them, especially if you want to shape cypress knees over time.
A mushroom compost may be the best choice. While you want water to cling to the roots of your bald cypress Bonsai, you don’t want this water to become stagnant. Do your best to keep the water switched out on a regular basis.
Of course, fungi will thrive in wet mushroom compost. Your bald cypress Bonsai has natural resistance to the fungi that thrive in heavy soil. Keeping the water changed out regularly will lessen the risk of any hazardous fungal overgrowth.
Keeping a bald cypress Bonsai is a wonderful way to enjoy the full cycle of nature from your living space. Don’t distress yourself if the needles drop from your tree, but do keep the plant fertilized and watered. Everything needs to rest. As the sunlight intensity and exposure changes, your tree may go dormant. It will come back.