AusBonsai

I posted pics a while ago of a small seedling swamp cypress i purchased, from advice i was given here i cut it back hard and gave it quite a hard root prune, it shot back in no time and has since doubled in girth with 2 strong leaders. What i'm thinking of doing to try and create good taper over time with minimal scaring is to choose a leader, cut it back hard and remove any others completely before they thicken up too much and leave larger harder to hide scars. I know doing a big cut every year will slow down growth but it should help create great taper yes? Does that sound like a good way to go or could i leave major work every 2 or even more years with the same or even better results?

Hi Hornet,

As I understand it, you need to leave the new leader until such time as it is the correct thickness relative to the section below it. In my book that means overpotting the tree, or planting it out, and letting it grow strongly until the new leader is the correct diameter. Then cut back. Also, when cutting back, ensure that you get each cut a bit shorter than the previous one.

Cheers, and good luck!