Bald Cypress

Two trees after defoliating and wiring , our growing season here in New Zealand is coming to an end. Great to have a few Bald Cypress in my collection ,spectacular growth and healing rates and bark and foliage qualities and colour . Trees are from large nursery stock and in training since 2013.
Cheers Neil

can you show & tell us a bit more about the creation/preservation/etc of the hollow(s) in the first pic...

(i had to squint really hard to see them )

Nice trees. I especially like the top in the first picture. Done by hand or machine?

Hi cool the top pic Flat Top was inspired by John Geanangels work on his trees, seeing such great examples of Flat tops including Vaughn Bantings and Guy Guidrys trees. The tree is hollow down just below the second hole and drains any collected water out through a hole in the back of the tree.I pretty much bored it hollow with a 16ml auger drill and enlarged it with a speedy bore drill and extension . The holes are gradually healing over and will look a bit more natural , i used the small dremel to carve the deadwood where the tree has been reduced. The wood has been treated with the torch and lime sulphur , its a bit unushall to carve splinters and tears so ive let it dry between carving stages.
The woods very resistant to rotting so i throught i'd give the tree a bit of a different look hollowing it right out. Has nice nebari and a knee currently burried in muck .Yes i need to work on posting pics lol cheers Neil

Nice trees Neil! I could always come visit them if you would like ...not that you aren't doing a fine job!

John

Is only the heartwood rot resistant? I had heard the sapwood is just as rot prone as any other tree.

Only bald cypress heartwood is rot resistant, and these trees are likely far too young to have any. So they'll need to have preservation steps taken or in a couple of years rot will take its toll.

Zach

Hi guys thanks for your comments , the most important thing for me is the trees health so regular preservation applications will be required . The wood is not in the same league as say a Hawthorn for example but the healing and growth output are stunning. The developing lower branches will need to be thinned possibly into deadwood . John your Flat Top displayed at the Coralina Bonsai Expo is terrific .
Cheers Neil

How would you preserve the wood, Zach?

ironman wrote:How would you preserve the wood, Zach?

PC-Petrifier. Available at Amazon.com.

Zach

Zach the petrifier wood hardener would be a cunning plan nice , so to date the deadwood and hollowed areas within the tree have had the butane torch and lime sulphur.
Neil