Metasequoia Bonsai 9 years old

Common Name: Swamp Cypress or Bald Cypress (because it is a deciduous cypress)

Scientific Name: Metasequoia Glyptostroboides

Characterization: Belongs to the Cupressaceae family, with Metasequoia originating from China.

There is a "relative" called Taxodium, which originates from Southeast America. Both are "relatives" of the "giants" of the plant world, the Sequoias.

Large deciduous trees, easily reaching 40 meters in height, and 3 or more meters in diameter at the base of the trunk.

The bark is grayish in color and the leaves are compound, paired in Metasequoias and alternate in Taxodium.

In nature, they live in very swampy areas, often in swamps in Florida (hence one of the common names), so we must always be very careful with watering and their high water consumption.

Location: Outdoors where they receive 2 to 3 hours of sun per day (ideally in the morning or late afternoon), protected from strong winds and frost.

To avoid the typical tip burns of the leaves due to dehydration in summer, we should protect them from the hours of strong sun, preferring sun exposures facing east or west.

Watering: Water the soil abundantly until a lot of water comes out of the drainage holes, in order to uniformly moisten the soil, always from above, never by immersion, using a watering can with fine holes.

Tips about watering, see the watering technical sheet.

Allow the surface layer of soil to dry out slightly between waterings, and in summer always keep the soil moist; when the leaves fall, let the soil dry out a bit more between waterings (to confirm if the plant needs water, touch the soil with your fingers).

If you have a dish under the Bonsai, never leave any water in it (to prevent the roots from rotting).

There is no advantage in spraying the leaves; only do so on days when you fertilize and if the fertilizer is for foliar application, but ensure the leaves dry by nightfall to avoid fungi.

Nutrition: From February to October, with a basic plan composed of a complete fertilizer (Fertil Bonsai Humic, or Green & Gold Bonsai Organic or Biogold), and a biostimulant (Bio Bonsai Activ), which can also be combined with other products from our range.

Detailed information on how to combine these products with others from our range, or for a more specific nutrition plan, see the complete nutrition plan technical sheet.

 
Pruning: Above a pair of leaves, restoring the shape, usually in winter shaping pruning, prune heavily returning to the "basics" as they have very vigorous growth; usually, it is easy to maintain the shape by doing "Metsumi" with your fingers on the new shoots that grow.

Tips on pruning, see the pruning and defoliation technical sheet.

Transplanting: In January/February before budding with Terra Bonsai Folhosas soil because although they are conifers, they require high moisture retention.

Details about transplanting, post-transplant care, and specific fortifiers you can use, see the transplanting technical sheet.

 
Wiring: From late autumn to early spring, after leaf drop, due to rapid growth and trunk thickening, we must be careful so that the wires do not leave marks.

Guidelines on wiring, see the wiring technical sheet.