AusBonsai

hey everyone,
would anyone be able to tell me how to shorten the trunk of a bonsai tree, my swamp cypress is quite tall and i really like it tall, but incase later on i want to make it shorter i want to be able to do it properly, i dont think just cutting it to the desired hight would be right? or is it?
best wishes, dan

Yes Dan, the chop is the only way. If you still want a leader pointing upwards at the apex, make the cut just above a candidate branch and sloping away from it. The branch can then be wired and bent upward to encourage it to be the new leader.

Dan I gather since your tree is a swamp cypress that it will be in the formal upright form. Trunk chopping in this form takes a little more care than the informal upright or other forms.
This article should be some help. I think the tree in the article may even be a swamp cypress or one of it's cousins
I use an electric carver when doing this.
http://www.bonsaisite.com/chopping.html

Why don't Australians do flat tops on their BC?