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ttkidd

indoor monterey cypress - pruning advice requested

ttkidd
9 years ago

I'm cross posting this in the Houseplant and Bonsai forums to request some expert pruning advice.

Some background: I live in a small condo without any outdoor space. Last fall I purchased a monterey cypress hoping to eventually train/prune it into something resembling a Christmas tree. I don't have space for a large tree, and I also like the idea of using a living plant rather than a piece of plastic or a dead tree.

This is what it looked like after purchase and after I tied it up (it was leaning over when I bought it):

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Despite the bone dry indoor winters around here it did pretty well. Very few brown tips and it grew some. Here it is now (sagging a little bit because it's wet):

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I have no experience in pruning this type of plant, and I was hoping someone can provide me some advice in helping it to fill out and take on a more conical/triangular shape. Specifically, where, when and how much I should take off.

Comments (2)

  • knightofspears
    9 years ago

    the best advice with this is wire the branches down and in a "s" pattern around the tree, gently relaxing the "s" shape of the branches as you get higher, (the branches should be shorter toward the top anyway.)

  • sprngrboy
    9 years ago

    I really don't think Cypress plants are indoor but I might be wrong. Ginseng Ficus or and Ficus plant would be more suitable

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