Detailed Explanation of Cypress Bonsai Shaping Techniques and Methods

  Cypress braves the cold and stands proud against the snow, resolute and upright, and is the finest of all trees, long revered as a symbol of integrity, nobility, longevity and immortality. Because cypress foliage differs from that of pine, the layers should not be too clearly defined when shaping. Cypress wood resists decay, so dead branches and dead trunks can be created; dead trunks can be made by the bark-stripping method, and dead branches can be shaped from live branches and stripped of bark once the form is set. Chinese arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) is the species most often used for cypress bonsai, but its branches and leaves are coarse and tangled, its shaping is generally monotonous, and once formed it gives a messy impression that reduces its ornamental value; this is its drawback.

  The branches and trunk of Chinese arborvitae are aged and highly variable, and the large branches are easy to shape; this is its strength. In creating Chinese arborvitae bonsai, if you can build on the strengths and avoid the weaknesses, return to simplicity and authenticity, and take the natural forms of the ancient cypresses of Qufu and Lingyan Temple as your blueprint, highlighting the aged trunk. In developing the main branches and secondary branches, use a scattered-flake style of shaping so that the proportions of trunk and branches are harmonious and full of twisted variation; by reducing the amount of cluttered fine twigs and foliage, you can overcome the drawback of coarse leaves and raise the ornamental value of Chinese arborvitae.

  Before shaping, examine the tree's vigor repeatedly, and guide it according to its natural tendency by observing the curves of the trunk and the positions of the main branches. Establish the design concept first, then shape from bottom to top in order. The vertical planes between layers must not overlap too much, so as to allow light for growth; otherwise, over a long period, the shaded parts will gradually die back and the situation will spiral out of control.

  When transplanting from the wild, select trees with thick, evenly distributed surface roots, a trunk with a certain degree of curvature and variation, and branch thickness, especially main branch thickness, that is in proportion to the trunk thickness. The length of the upper and lower branches should generally be long below and short above; viewed from the front, the front branches are short and the back branches are long, and the trunk and main branches should be visible. The proportions of the lowest main branch on the trunk must be harmonious.

  Improving a pot of cypress bonsai:

  The original appearance of the cypress before improvement. Front view: foliage is full, and overall only leaves are visible, not branches or trunk.

  The back view before improvement: there is beautifully shaped deadwood (shari) that can be put to use.

  A detail view of the cypress branches and foliage: the tree is very vigorous and growing very healthily.

  A close-up of the roots before improvement: part of the deadwood has rotted, and much mold has grown.

  The result after improvement.

  The main work is to simplify the branches and foliage, highlight the direction and connection between them, polish the deadwood, and clean the bark, so that trunk, branches, foliage and deadwood bring out the best in one another.

  When transplanting a wild-collected stump, do not transplant it with bare roots; when planting, it is best to use the original mountain soil. After planting, place it in a ventilated, sunny spot, mist the foliage frequently, and water only when the surface of the potting soil is slightly dry. Never fertilize a newly collected pine stump in the same year.

  On the basis of existing techniques, strengths from elsewhere were also adopted: the wire-binding shaping method, in which wire of a thickness corresponding to the branch thickness is selected, and branches in improper angular positions are wrapped, twisted and guyed so as to meet the needs of shaping.

  When using the wire-binding shaping method in making pine and cypress bonsai, select wire of a thickness corresponding to the branch thickness, and wrap, twist and guy branches in improper angular positions so as to meet the needs of shaping.

  For trunks and thick branches that are hard to bend with wire and guy-wiring, use the finger cross-insertion method, proven successful through years of testing, to bend them. If it is a very thick branch, use a knife to cut deeply into the upper side of the part to be bent, to a depth of half its diameter; the length depends on what is needed. Cut several such slits, and cut every other one horizontally at its end, doing the opposite on the other side. If you bend it forcefully, the horizontal cut ends will lift up, just like two hands inserted crosswise. Once the main branch or trunk is fixed in place, the lifted parts can be fitted into the grooves and wrapped with adhesive tape; after two or three years they will have healed well.

  Pines and cypresses in natural mountain settings and at famous old temples generally stop growing upward once past their prime. The lateral growth of the branches increases, the branches grow densely and extend in length, and because of their weight and of rain and snow the branches droop, while the small twigs on the branches grow out sideways. Therefore, when shaping, upright branches and branches should be kept at a horizontal or drooping angle, with the size of the angle determined by what is needed, and the branches may have lateral curves. If the branches at the crown can droop, the tree looks even more aged. Because of the shaping, it is not ruled out for drooping branches and upward-growing branches to coexist, but this must conform to the patterns of growth in a natural environment.