Bald Cypress Bonsai
Taxodium distichum
Bonsai Trees Difficulty: Moderate
📖 About this plant
A deciduous conifer bonsai known for its feathery, soft green foliage that turns coppery-bronze in fall before dropping. In the wild, bald cypresses develop distinctive buttress roots (knees) in swampy conditions. As bonsai, they produce beautiful nebari (surface roots) and can be trained in formal upright, slanting, and literati styles.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
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Light
Full sun (8+ hrs)
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Water
Daily during growing season
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Humidity
High (60-80%)
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Temperature
10-35°C
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Soil
Standard bonsai soil mix with good moisture retention; tolerates wetter conditions than most bonsai; pH 5.5-7.0
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Fertilizer
Balanced liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks during growing season; reduce in late summer to harden off
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Southeastern United States, Gulf Coast, Atlantic Coastal Plain
- 📏 Max height
- 15-45 cm (bonsai form); 30+ meters in the wild
- 📐 Spread
- 20-45 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Brown
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green, Bronze in Fall
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to humans and pets
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seed stratification required; cuttings from semi-hardwood in summer; air layering in spring
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic to humans and pets
Common issues
- Needle cast in humid conditions, Overwatering can cause root rot (despite swamp tolerance), Spider mites in hot dry conditions, Winter dieback if not properly hardened off
💡 Care tips
- Deciduous conifer that produces needle-like leaves that turn copper in fall,Can be grown with roots submerged in water for a dramatic effect,Requires consistent moisture and should never be allowed to dry out,Produces a distinctive flared trunk base called a buttress over time
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One click — added instantly. Watering every 1 days, fertilizing every 14 days.
