The method of making cypress bonsai

Cypress is a general term for cypress plants, including Platycladus orientalis, Sabina vulgaris and other genera. It is widely distributed in China, ranging from Inner Mongolia and Jilin in the north to Guangdong and northern Guangxi in the south. It is an excellent tree species for landscaping and is also suitable for making bonsai. Let's take a look at the method of making cypress bonsai.

Growth habit

Cypress belongs to the phylum of gymnosperms, which is mainly distributed in the northern and southern hemispheres and likes light, but the seedlings and young trees have a certain shade tolerance, generally grow on the shady side of the mountain, cold-resistant, wind-resistant, drought-resistant, moisture-resistant, but not water-inundated, barren, can grow on slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil, generally grow faster in young and young stages, grow moderately and slowly in adulthood, and older trees grow more slowly.

Material selection

The main contents are as follows: 1. The source of cypress bonsai materials is to cultivate and shape the seedlings from the beginning of sowing. As the seedling is resistant to transplantation and easy to shape, it can be processed and shaped gradually according to the design requirements. Although it takes a long time, the bonsai is ideal. Another way is to dig from the wild.

2. In nature, there are some old cypress stumps that have been beaten by wind and rain for years. Lightning strikes and animal or man-made damage, forming a variety of strange shapes, some broken, some hollow, some hanging roots, some withered, these are ideal materials for making bonsai. The root system of cypress is well developed, especially the fibrous root is rich. When digging, we can first cut off its main root and retain the fibrous root. The aboveground part should be cut short, and the cluttered branches and leaves clustered on the branches should be cut off, as well as the long branches of the culms, and the branches should be arranged in parallel, and pay attention to keeping the withered branches.

3. As the cypress grows slowly, it is necessary to retain as many branches as possible. The appropriate time for digging is after early winter and before germination in early spring. When transplanting, you should bring soil balls to protect the roots. When you are unable to bring a soil ball, you should try your best to ensure the integrity of the fibrous root, and adopt water spraying and shading measures, and put it on the basin as soon as possible to reduce the time of leaving the soil. Bare root transplantation can be carried out in the rainy season.

Review the tree and set the pattern

1. The cypress is not afraid of the cold, the snow is frozen, and it is still green as usual, so it has the praise of evergreen pines and cypresses. The production of cypress bonsai highlights its vigorous, straight and majestic features. Some cypress skin has been peeled, or hollow, but still luxuriant branches and leaves, heroic posture, such cypress can be made into dry type.

2. Some tree trunks are naturally inclined, and the bark is mottled with ancient flavor, so the oblique dry type can be made, and the single plant or double trunk can be determined according to the condition of the branches.

3. Some ancient cypresses grow in cliffs, mountain streams or stone crevices, and the trunk bends sharply from the root neck, like a waterfall, which is majestic and can be made into a cliff style.

4. Some of the branches of cypress piles are bent left and right, and the potential is like a wandering dragon, which is strange and natural, and can be made into horizontal dry type or flat dry type. Some roots are exposed or suspended, and the old roots are vertical and horizontal, which can be used to make exposed-root bonsai. In short, according to the natural form of cypress pile, follow its situation, seize its charm, and highlight its spirit.

Pruning and shaping

The main results are as follows: 1. Due to the slow growth of cypress trees, they generally do not make heavy pruning, but mostly adopt the methods of cultivation, combined with pruning and adjustment, so that they have a natural demeanor, but are not rigid and stiff.

2. The ancient cypress pile has the characteristics of rotation and distortion, natural rhythm and unique grace. Therefore, the whirling method is not used in the shape of cypress pile, which makes the trunk form a spiral longitudinal crack, showing an elegant arc curve.

3. The branches and roots of some stumps are withered and eroded, which can be guided according to the situation, shaped with the class, and properly carved artificially to achieve the effect of letting nature take its course and being better than nature.

4. The newly dug stump, the branches that are relatively long and too dense, retain the drooping branches and the lower branches of the crown, restrain the strong branches, make the structure of the trunk and side branches compact and distribute naturally, and can be processed according to the natural growth law by using the traditional binding and pulling techniques.