Swamp cypress in water.

[Asus101]

Postby Hector Johnson on Today, 22:28
Swamp Cypress do very well in water. As I recall, Steve Rawkins keeps his in water for 4-6 months of the year.
They're called "Swamp" Cypress for a reason.

While this is correct you cant have them sitting in water through out the year.
i have found good results to have them in water up going a good inch up the trunk during winter, then come spring add some fertilizer to the water and allow it to fall over time. During summer, I have had only the first few mm in water.

I have done it for two seasons now and since I got the tree which was about the thickness of a pencil, its now about 3 inches.

But its good to see that although I was knocked back the first time I brought this up, it was back up later then believed...

[Asus101]

BONSAI CULTIVATION NOTES

POSITION Full sun. Fully hardy to -10°C.

WATERING Swamp Cypress should be kept moist at all times as they are thirsty trees. Although Swamp Cypress are able to adapt to wet, swampy soils it is not necessary or beneficial to stand them permanently in water.

FEEDING Swamp Cypress are very vigorous growers and require regular feeding every one or two weeks with a balanced feed.

REPOTTING Repotting should be carried out annually in Spring as new buds extend. Use a soil that is able to retain water but is still fast draining.

PRUNING Pinch out new shoots throughout the growing season to keep in shape. Hard pruning can be carried out in late Winter; this commonly results in prolific budding from the trunk.

WIRING Care should be taken when wiring, as these trees are fast growing and wires will damage the bark if not removed quickly enough. If possible use guy wires to pull down the branches.

PROPAGATION Cuttings at most times of the year and air layering in late Spring.

PESTS AND DISEASES Trouble free

STYLING Formal and informal upright forms, slanting and literati, twin-trunk and group forms in all sizes

you can read more on them from the source:
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Taxodium.html

Oh unlike its stated there are actually three species of taxodium.

[Asus101]

http://www.bonsai-wbff.org/nabf/newslet ... rticle.htm
We see very little flat top'ed Swamp cypress here in aus. Here is an article to a very very nice one.

[Hector Johnson]

Message Deleted

[Asus101]

There are two species, as I recall. Taxodium distichum and T. mucronatum. The third that is often listed is T. ascendens, which appears to have been reclassified as a cultivar of T. distichum, T. distichum var. imbricarium. It's a tangled story, with almost thirty classifications, reclassifications an identifications in the taxonomical history. Latest consensus is two, with T. mucronatum still under threat of being folded back into T. distichum, from what I last read, a year or so ago.

Yes Harry at bonsai4me states

The Taxodium genus consists of only two species, Taxodium distichum/ The Swamp Cypress and Taxodium ascendens/ The Pond Cypress

For the sake of care, I would say there are three, as all three varieties need completely different care.
There are constant changes to plant classifications, what is right one day is wrong the very next.

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx? ... _id=132353

[Grant Bowie]

I used to grow my Taxodium distichum in water but haven't done so for probably 15 years or more. Mostly the reason I stopped was that it stained the pot something terrible plus the trunk had become quite big enough at around 20"(50cm) circumferance. The early growing in water did help thicken up the trunk as you could just let it grow rampantly with lots of sun and fertilizer.

[Joel]

I purchased a Taxodium distitchum at the begining of last year from the Koreshoffs before they closed. It was about a metre tall and cost me $9. Since this time, it has been sitting in a pot with no drainage holes, filled with a very organic soil and fertilised regularly and heavily. I always fill the water right to the brim of the pot, and wait until it lowers enough for me to see moss start to grow. This means that after rain, the time taken for me to need to re-water is very long, but i suppose it is natural for a swamp growing tree to remain submerged after rain. After the moss starts to grow back, i refill it with water again.

Im doing this because i was told by a horticulturist that this was the best way to get the tree to produce knees, and i wish to have knees on it once its a bonsai. I am worried about fertilisers/salt building up, but i suppose the tree must be using it all, as there is no salt build up on the pot.

Either way, the tree is doing good, and has doubled its trunk in the last 6 months (although it is still thin, at only 30 mm diameter). I'm still not convinced this is the healthiest way to treat the tree, but its doing great, so i will stick with it for now. No evidence of knees yet....

JayC

[Asus101]

There are no bonsai specimens that have knees....

[Hector Johnson]

Message Deleted

[EdwardH]

I used to grow my swamp cypress in water up to 1/2 the depth of the pot for 3-4 years without emptying it and had no problems except that the roots would grow VERY thick which made pruning a real pain. The trunk would thicken up really quickly. When I was happy with the trunk I would then treat it like any other tree. I have read that they do not produce knees when grown in pots.
EdwardH

[Jxshkxng]

There are no bonsai specimens that have knees....

wrong my friend