Raising bald cypress as a bonsai

Location and substrate

If possible, keep your bald cypress outdoors all year round because the tree needs a lot of sun and air. In addition, this bonsai is quite hardy, but should be covered with a light winter protection (e. B. Leaves, brushwood) and placed in a sheltered place. A moist, loamy soil that stores water well is suitable as a substrate. As a resident of the Everglades, the bald cypress does not mind waterlogging, on the contrary: the best place is a spot right next to or even in the water, for example in the garden pond.

Watering and fertilizing

Bald cypress trees should always be kept moist and not allowed to dry out. The substrate should best be mossed or mulched to prevent it from drying out. Therefore, the bonsai should always be watered abundantly and placed in a shallow bowl with water in summer. When watering, use rainwater that is as low in lime as possible and shower the whole plant over it. Otherwise, the tree is supplied with an organic liquid bonsai fertilizer during the growing season.

Cutting and wire / shaping

For the typical bonsai shape, branches, twigs and shoots should be cut about every six to eight weeks between May and September. The desired growth habit is achieved by using aluminum wire, although you should be very careful with the bald cypress. The branches are actually quite brittle and therefore cannot be worked too heavily. Remove the wire by mid-May at the latest, otherwise unsightly marks will appear on the branches and twigs due to the increasing thickness.

Repot

The bald cypress grows quite slowly and therefore only needs to be repotted about every three years. The roots should definitely be pruned in order to maintain the balance between crown and root growth. The ideal planter is around two thirds as big as the tree is in its circumference. The right time for repotting is spring, and you can still move the tree in September.