Swamp/bald cypress reduction chop timing

[sheepdawg]

Hi everyone,

this past summer I got a swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum) and I've been watching it grow. It's grown much more than I anticipated in a pot and has gained some nice girth and base flair. I want to use it to make my first formal upright and I'm happy with the trunk girth, so I'm thinking I should do a reduction chop to get some taper. I didn't think I would be chopping it this soon, I was actually going to put it in the ground this coming spring but I'm pretty happy with the trunk size, so I'm keen to get chopping. When is the best time to chop? I'm asking now just in case autumn is the time. Also when can I do serious root reductions? I'm presuming when the buds are extending in spring. Will I be able to do a reduction chop and root work at the same time?

My plant also took a beating recently because I put its pot in a dish of water, which I think caused some blight (the spots on the leaves). It's now also turning a purple colour and I'm hoping this is just it's autumn/winter colouration setting in. I've taken it out of the dish and the spots have stopped developing, so I hope it's all okay now. Does it look alright?

Pics: http://imgur.com/a/Cul4z

[kcpoole]

No idea if it looks OK as I never look at images offsite.
it is not hard to upload and we will never get links broken

They are deciduous trees so can be done any time thru the winter as time permits. I repotted some earlier this month and wired, bent and chopped them.
I have 3 more in the ground developing and they are just turning colour now. so will lift and root prune them whenever time permits before spring

Ken

[sheepdawg]

No idea if it looks OK as I never look at images offsite.
it is not hard to upload and we will never get links broken

They are deciduous trees so can be done any time thru the winter as time permits. I repotted some earlier this month and wired, bent and chopped them.
I have 3 more in the ground developing and they are just turning colour now. so will lift and root prune them whenever time permits before spring

Ken

Thanks.

Sorry, didn't upload them straight to ausbonsai because I couldn't get them re-sized. But I succeeded! Pics here:

[sheepdawg]

I should mention that the browner leaves near the base were scorched from a hot day during summer, so I'm not worried about them

[Jarad]

No idea if it looks OK as I never look at images offsite.
it is not hard to upload and we will never get links broken

Not to mention the amount of data you go through on mobile devices if you're loading slot of images.

[kcpoole]

nice tree and quite large too:-)
similar to one of mine in the ground. I am going to chop low and regrow a new leader as straight formal tree.
agree the leaves do not matter at this stage.

Ken

[Bougy Fan]

Nothing wrong with it sitting water - they love it. I would chop it soon - but maybe after winter depending on where you live. You can also have it in a saucer of gravel that you keep wet and let the roots go through the pot and into the gravel.

[shibui]

As with most species you can cut at any time of year but with deciduous trees many people prefer to prune in winter simply because you can see the structure better when there's no leaves.
You can root prune these any time from mid winter through to bud burst. I suspect you could root prune when they are growing but have not tried that yet.
I normally do root reduction and pruning at the same time (late winter) for convenience.

[Andreas]

nice tree

[Charliegreen]

Whats the strategy with the double pot arrangement sheepdawg?

[sheepdawg]

Whats the strategy with the double pot arrangement sheepdawg?

oh, it's just there to hold potting mix. I should have planted this guy a little deeper originally