The Hinoki cypress is a remarkable little tree and will only improve as each day goes by.
However, it is not technically a true cypress and is classified as a false cypress.
Regardless, it is a very popular bonsai and if you have been considering getting one, we would highly recommend you get one!
But if you want your Hinoki cypress to look attractive, you’ll need to take care of it.
You are in the right place – in this guide you will learn everything there is to know about caring for this lovely little tree.
A Bit About The Hinoki Cypress Bonsai
The Hinoki Bonsai is a native plant from southern Japan, known scientifically as chamaecyparis obtusa.
One of the highlights of this tree is its dark green foliage, which turns a lovely red during the winter months, which is quite a show off!
It is a relatively wide bonsai and its branches are also not that different than fern branches.
As the Tree ages – As the red-brown bark begins to peel, it gives the Hinoki a unique appearance and many would agree that it’s like a fine wine, it gets better as it gets older.
It may be surprising to learn that the Hinoki cypress bonsai has also been known for its relaxation abilities.
There has been studies that even indicate these trees have a natural calming effect because when you touch the bark, it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system in the prefrontal cortex; cool right?!
Caring For Your Hinoki Cypress Bonsai
If you’re thinking of owning a Hinoki cypress bonsai, then you won’t want to take this lightly.
We won’t try to hide the fact that this is not the easiest plant to care for. In fact, it is considered a more advanced type of bonsai by many people.
It may scare beginners, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start out with this tree either; it is an awesome opportunity for you to really dig in and learn some new bonsai-keeping skills.
Fortunately, while this bonsai requires care, it is also an incredibly hardy tree.
Once you see it growing healthily, nothing is more rewarding than knowing your time and effort are paying off.
Now, the only other key area of care to be aware of, besides all of the general ways restaurants will be looking after keeping their trees healthy and alive, would be to regularly prune your Hinoki.
If You Don’t Do This To A Hinoki Bonsai, – Then the inner branches will be covered in shade and will die super quickly. But we’ll look at that in much detail later in the article. First, we need to get into basic care.
Conditions
The Hinoki bonsai will do much better if placed out-of-doors or, at least, in an indoor location in FULL SUN all the time.
If you’re keeping the bonsai outside, be mindful not to put it in any locations that may be subject to extreme weather – such as wind.
Also, in the winter, you will need to protect it from frost.
Typically speaking, any Hinoki cypress bonsai will start to suffer once the temperature falls below 20°F. This type of temperature can dry the tree out very quickly, especially if the tree is subject to the wind.
Light is the most important thing to think about when deciding where to put your Hinoki cypress. Without continuous light, the tree will be my bet takes a turn for the worst.
In addition to your light and temperature, you will also need to think about using the correct type of soil for your Hinoki bonsai.
Keep This In Mind – You won’t want your bonsai to dry out, but equally you don’t want it sitting in lots of water so best to make it a quick draining soil.
The soil needs to be slightly acidic and not have lime. If you do not use a quick draining soil, you run a serious risk of root rot.
Watering And Fertilization
Getting the balance of watering right is possibly one of the hardest things to get right for Hinoki cypress bonsais.
But this is all part of the fun and challenge of owning one of these beautiful trees and worth it in the end.
From the beginning of spring, right through to fall, you have to ensure that your Hinoki cypress is watered often.
It will drink a lot of water fairly quickly, but try to keep in mind the possibility of root rot, so avoid over doing it.
When winter comes around, you will need to continue watering your Hinoki cypress bonsai so that it is moist, but not wet, for the soil.
Some people like to mist their bonsais and while this is not 100% necessary for the Hinoki cypress, this is okay too.
However, if you do mist, be careful not to mist too much. When excess water sits on the foliage, there is a risk of scorching because your tree is going to be in full sunlight.
If you are in a warmer climate, the mist can be particularly beneficial since it prevents the foliage from drying out. Again, be careful to not over what the amount you mist.
Fertilizing your Hinoki cypress bonsai is thankfully a little easier than the watering.
From Experience: It is important to fertilize since the tree won’t get nutrients from any place else. Slow fertilziers are best, and you will want to fertilize every four to eight weeks.
Hinoki Bonsai Growth
Would you be shocked to find out that this tree species can grow beyond 100 years old if properly cared for?
In its lifetime, it can grow about 30cm in a year and pruning is something which requires a lot of input and care due to all the precision that is needed.
Certainly a challenge, yes. But if you are committed and put the time and effort to nurture it, it is so rewarding.
Pruning And Repotting
One of the aspects that you will need to keep as a priority in caring for your Hinoki bonsai will be to prune it.
You’ll need to focus on the secondary branches in the spring and summer.
If you don’t focus on the secondary branches of the tree, then you risk not having enough sun exposure on the inner foliage and the tree will begin to wilt and die.
This is not a good time for doing any hard pruning, if done at this time it can be damaging to the health of the tree.
Please note that if you regularly do not prune or if you are not careful in how you do it, your Hinoki cypress bonsai will develop whirls which will not only ruin the look of the tree but may also ruin the tree itself.
During the course of the growing season, you can pinch off the new shoots, and many would say that this is better than trimming with your pruning scissors.
One issue with this is that once you perform the trimming, you can do a lot of damage to the areas that you cut. If you pinch new shoots, just allow them to grow slightly, about 2cm to 3cm is sufficient, before pinching.
Keep an Eye: There will be a point where your Hinoki cypress bonsai will outgrow its pot just because the root system is too big.
You will need to repot it at this point as well. You can tell it is time to repot when the roots begin poking out of the bottom.
Normally, this will only occur once every four or five years, as the cypress is an evergreen tree. Just keep in mind that it is best to repot in mid-summer so that the tree is the least stressed.
When you do the repotting you can trim the root system, but be cautious in only trimming one third of the root system at most. After the root prune, you can put the tree back into the same pot or choose to use a larger pot, whichever you feel comfortable with.
Wiring Your Bonsai
If you intend to alter the shape of your bonsai tree, you will have to wire it, but it cannot just be wired at any old time.
Wait until the middle of summer because, once again, the tree will be more robust and less susceptible to damage at this time.
Make sure that none of the tree’s leaves get trapped in the wire when you are doing this.
When you do get enough wire on, try to also be conscientious to remove the wire in no longer than ten months.
You can always do it again afterward if necessary, but if you were to leave it longer than this, you would damage the tree.
Are Hinoki Bonsais Prone to Disease or Pests?
Hinoki Cypress bonsais are susceptible to tip blight.
If this occurs, the problem can be treated with a fungicide.
You may notice bagworms, scale, and spider mites become an issue for your Hinoki bonsai.
It is important to monitor your tree and take action as soon as possible. Dealing with these problems early on will be significantly easier than trying to treat the trees later on.
In the early stages, you can scrape the bugs off, in the later stages you will need an insecticide.
Aside from this, as long as you care for your bonsai, it shouldn’t have too much trouble.
Conclusion
The Hinoki cypress bonsai is a stunning tree and while it requires more care than some other bonsai trees, the rewards for getting it right are wonderful.