Yesterday morning, I was able to broadcast my first bonsai demo online. I elected to work on Taxodium Disticum, commonly known as Bald Cypress. I lowered the soil line, trimmed off unnecessary branches and wired the remaining branches. I'll continue to shape this new bonsai in a Formal Upright style and will review progress with it at our next meeting on Saturday morning, 9:30am Eastern.

Each variety tolerates stress better at specific times of the year. The reason this variety was selected was because within a few months winter will be here. For Taxodium, this means the sap will drop and the roots will become dormant. It just so happens that when this plant is dormant, it will allow me to transfer this plant into a ceramic bonsai pot while reducing the risk of losing the plant. Having the plant trimmed and prepared during the months while it is still growing will let it acclimate to the lost foliage a bit more easily.

You can watch the missed recording at http://bit.ly/qyjYqh (part one) and http://bit.ly/pVGzz9 (part two). I realize the quality is rough, but we will improve this as time goes on. Join me again on Saturday, October 8th at 9:30am where we can discuss how we'll move forward with this Bald Cypress and begin looking at Juniper Parsonii. Our broadcasts can be found live and recorded at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bonsai-with-merv. Hope to see you next time.

- Merv

PS: If you have any questions about the demo or other bonsai questions in general, just click "Get Bonsai Help" in the navigation menu!