Questions on Hinoki Cypress

Horticulture
1

Hey gang,

I have the opportunity to purchase a rather large, upright, multitrunk Hinoki and I have some questions on what techniques are appropriate. It’s not a bush, in fact there isn’t as much foliage as I’d expect on a healthy tree of it’s size. It’s been in its nursery pot too long is my guess, and may need root work and more space in a good soil mix for root growth to drive more foliar growth before any major work could be done. The video on Hinoki Aesthetic is verey helpful.

Can you wedge cut trunks on hinoki?
Can we air layer Hinoki? How is the relative success rate for Hinoki vs other species? Are the odds of success lower with an air layer lower on the trunk vs just a branch, leaving the rest to grow?
Can we raffia Hinoki branches?
How rigid or flexible is Hinoki?
Can we remove up to 50% of the tissue to remove tension or compression to bend a hinoki branch like a Juniper, or is Hinoki not as responsive to that technique?
Can we perform live vein reduction on a Hinoki and see it heal like a Juniper?
Would Summer or Fall be the best time for flexibility?

What pitfalls are there for hinoki?

Thanks for your time!

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There’s a hinoki stream tonight. :smiley: :beers: Are you a pro member? If so you can ask Ryan tonight. I’ll try my best to address your questions though.

  • Can you wedge cut trunks on hinoki?
    I don’t believe so. You can wedge cut a pine because it can move fluid/sap/resources laterally which allows resources to move around the wedge.

  • Can we air layer Hinoki? How is the relative success rate for Hinoki vs other species? Are the odds of success lower with an air layer lower on the trunk vs just a branch, leaving the rest to grow?
    Just about anything (cough not oaks cough) can be air layered. It’s just a matter of time. With a hinoki I’d want at least one branch below the layer. I should add that I’ve yet to try this myself. You can try on a branch/sacrificial leader that you’re going to remove anyways.

  • Can we raffia Hinoki branches?
    Sure, but hinoki are fairly flexy unless you’re talking about the trunk.

  • How rigid or flexible is Hinoki?
    Branches are quite flexy. Trunk, eh, kinda. Depends.

  • Can we remove up to 50% of the tissue to remove tension or compression to bend a hinoki branch like a Juniper, or is Hinoki not as responsive to that technique?
    Not sure, but have you ever seen anyone do live vein work on a hinoki? I suspect that a juniper can handle it because it compartmentalizes well. This is just a guess.

  • Can we perform live vein reduction on a Hinoki and see it heal like a Juniper?
    Lol, see above. I will say that hinoki are valued for their bark. You’d be stripping that away.

  • Would Summer or Fall be the best time for flexibility?
    Definitely not summer…don’t ask me how I know. :weary: At least not summer for these clumsy hands. I believe the timing is fall, but we’ll find out tonight. My issue was that I pushed the flexibility too far and separated the cambium from the xylem because the tree was moving a lot of resources. I think that was like late spring/early summer though. May be good now. :man_shrugging:t4:

  • What pitfalls are there for hinoki?
    I’ve yet to get any sort of back budding on the interior of branches. Luckily hinoki are fairly flexy, so I just bend foliage into position. I did a crap job of it though, so I need to set more structure this fall.

I should add that I’m no hinoki expert and I likely got some of this wrong. It’s a fun exercise and conversation though. Do you have any pics of the tree?

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Not yet a pro member :cry:. Your answers do really help.

I remembered Ryan said he would not raffia a hinoki, because they are a flexible, coastal species, but I did see his hinoki #1 in the gallery with raffia, so exceptions do exist.

I may not catch the stream live, but I’ll be excited to see it!

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I found wire to be difficult without nocking off whole fronds :,( and although it is vary flexy, be mindfull of the shoulders. my first attempt went sour, the tree lives but is … well, i miss that branch and those smaller pads.

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I think it depends on what you want to bend.

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I LOVE Hinoki! To me, they are one of the quintessential representations of what can be done with Bonsai - when done right, of course.

The two most important things I have learned about Hinoki in the handful of years I’ve worked with them:
First, don’t push them. I never plan on wiring a tree in the same season, or even year, that I repot. I won’t do any styling at all. This was a very tough and costly lesson when I was first starting out. Impatience does not work with the species.

Second, it has been mentioned already but bears repetition, be careful with the shoulders of the branches. The tree is nice and flexible and responds well to wiring, but the shoulders crack, tear or just snap off very easily. :cry:

Ryan’s stream on Hinoki Aesthetics was extremely helpful, and I’m so glad he debunked the myths that Hinoki are temperamental and hard to work with.

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