Another large-ish Bald Cypress

[Joe Dupre']

40 degrees and sunny this morning, warming to 60 at midday. Perfect for BC collecting. I had marked this tree last spring and figured I'd give it one more summer of uninterrupted growth. Today was the day. It took me longer to walk the 1/2 mile to get the tree than to dig it up. It had a 3" diameter tap root and a few broomstick sized smaller roots. I've never seen ANY plant, tree, shrub either in a pot or in the ground with as many roots close to the trunk. 30 minutes of combing and chopping and sawing and there still a mass of them left.

Specs" 35 1/2" high......................7" base (maybe 8 after it settles in............... 1 3/4" top. I don't know if I'll keep it that tall, but it'll still have fantastic taper if I cut it down a few inches. Pic #3 is AFTER a half hour of pruning and cutting roots. I potted it in half good potting soil and half smaller pine bark. May be a sacrilege to some, but BC grow great in potting soil. They like it wet and rich.

 

[Giga]

I would have cut that down in half - little to tall without taper, but that can always be fixed later, good luck with it! Might have buried the roots more too

 

[Joe Dupre']

I figured it to be too tall. Can always cut it shorter. Dang hard to cut it taller. Believe it or not, that is the level the roots were in the swamp. They were so crammed with small roots, I thought it was a solid , fluted base. It turned out that 3 of the roots were 'knee roots".........came out free of the base with space between them and the trunk. Not really a lot of space between them though. You can't really tell unless you look really close. I'll leave them on. To cut them would leave the base really strange looking.

 

[BillsBayou]

I've never seen ANY plant, tree, shrub either in a pot or in the ground with as many roots close to the trunk.

You have a FANTASTIC tree, Joe.

Was that 1/2 mile all in the swamp? When I tell people that I was 1/4 mile into the swamp, they think that's an easy walk. Well, sure. On dry land. 1/2 mile in the swamp has no comparison to anything on land. You'd have to weigh your feet down with 30lb weights, and let me place tripping obstacles in your path. You wouldn't be allowed to see the obstacles.

As for roots, you'd have loved this one:

 

[Joe Dupre']

Well, 1/2 mile of dirt road and 50 yards of swamp. Pretty easy.

Oh, THAT must have been fun! Wow. " Hey, George, back up the winch truck and the excavator."

Wait 'til you price the pot that monster will go into.

 

[BillsBayou]

Well, 1/2 mile of dirt road and 50 yards of swamp. Pretty easy.

Oh, THAT must have been fun! Wow. " Hey, George, back up the winch truck and the excavator."

Wait 'til you price the pot that monster will go into.

I have a pot that's big enough, but might be too big. Cost me $280 at a sale at Brussel's.

Here's the video of Mitch and I digging the tree. To be honest, the thumbnail for the video is one of my favorite photos. I had a camera set up taking photos repeatedly.

 

[Zach Smith]

You have a FANTASTIC tree, Joe.

Was that 1/2 mile all in the swamp? When I tell people that I was 1/4 mile into the swamp, they think that's an easy walk. Well, sure. On dry land. 1/2 mile in the swamp has no comparison to anything on land. You'd have to weigh your feet down with 30lb weights, and let me place tripping obstacles in your path. You wouldn't be allowed to see the obstacles.

As for roots, you'd have loved this one:

View attachment 176270

Well, that's a heck of a tree, Bill, unless that's a tiny wheelbarrow.

 

[RobertB]

You have a FANTASTIC tree, Joe.

Was that 1/2 mile all in the swamp? When I tell people that I was 1/4 mile into the swamp, they think that's an easy walk. Well, sure. On dry land. 1/2 mile in the swamp has no comparison to anything on land. You'd have to weigh your feet down with 30lb weights, and let me place tripping obstacles in your path. You wouldn't be allowed to see the obstacles.

As for roots, you'd have loved this one:

View attachment 176270

Bill do you have an update on this beast?

 

[RobertB]

40 degrees and sunny this morning, warming to 60 at midday. Perfect for BC collecting. I had marked this tree last spring and figured I'd give it one more summer of uninterrupted growth. Today was the day. It took me longer to walk the 1/2 mile to get the tree than to dig it up. It had a 3" diameter tap root and a few broomstick sized smaller roots. I've never seen ANY plant, tree, shrub either in a pot or in the ground with as many roots close to the trunk. 30 minutes of combing and chopping and sawing and there still a mass of them left.

Specs" 35 1/2" high......................7" base (maybe 8 after it settles in............... 1 3/4" top. I don't know if I'll keep it that tall, but it'll still have fantastic taper if I cut it down a few inches. Pic #3 is AFTER a half hour of pruning and cutting roots. I potted it in half good potting soil and half smaller pine bark. May be a sacrilege to some, but BC grow great in potting soil. They like it wet and rich.


View attachment 176001View attachment 176002View attachment 176003View attachment 176004

You have a photo from underneath?

 

[Joe Dupre']

No photo of the underneath. Basically one 3" tap root and 4 or 5 broomstick-sized roots with the rest a mass of smaller roots.

 

[BillsBayou]

Bill do you have an update on this beast?

He's doing great. He's in a back corner if my yard and hard to get out to do a video. But that's just what I want to do this year.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Ok, you long-time BC growers...... This tree is particularly shaggy, with long strips of bark partly hanging on. Do y'all normally peel the loose stuff off or just let it go natural? To me, the shaggy bark gives the impression of a much younger tree.

 

[RobertB]

i have the same going on with the ones i recently collected.

 

[BillsBayou]

Ok, you long-time BC growers...... This tree is particularly shaggy, with long strips of bark partly hanging on. Do y'all normally peel the loose stuff off or just let it go natural? To me, the shaggy bark gives the impression of a much younger tree.

Peel it off. Carefully to ensure that you're not pulling on cambium. Try to peel upwards, if you can. The tree may reward you with alligator bark, which looks very nice.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Thanks, Bill. I did peel a lot of it off. Very therapeutic, I might add. It left some fairly light-colored areas, but I'm sure that will tone down with age.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Well, I think this one just MIGHT make it. LOL! She seems really healthy. 90% good potting soil and 10% bonsai soil. Deep soaking every day during the growing season. Biggest branches are almost 3/8" diameter by 2 feet long.

 

[BillsBayou]

That's the classic look of a healthy collected BC. I can't see for certain, but the chop height appears to be perfect.

Guy Guidry taught us a great technique for first year twigs. In late December or January, you can flatten the previous year's new growth downward against the trunk. I do it by pinching my thumb and forefinger where the twig meets the trunk. I use a slow forceful roll of my thumb downward as the forefinger slides out of the way. This breaks any lignified tissue without breaking the cambium. The branch will now naturally grow horizontal. If you want the branch to grow at a lower angle, you can wire it to do so.

I'm looking at some of the fat branches you have in there. Wow. This tree WANTS to be a bonsai.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Thanks , Bill. I'm leaning toward my favorite style for BC on this one...... split top about halfway down the trunk, with a couple of branches originating from the split ends. I usually like to have a few big branches down low also. I think this tree is probably too big for a flat-top style. I do a similar thing to get green shoots to grow more horizontal. I make wire props that go from the trunk to the branch and bend them a little at a time over a couple of weeks. Seems less likely to do any damage.
On this tree I vowed ( and it's really HARD) not to do anything to it the first year. I want it in top shape , because this coming spring, it will get no mercy. LOL

 

[Joe Dupre']

This is kind of what I'm shooting for. This one's about half the size.

 

[BillsBayou]

... I think this tree is probably too big for a flat-top style.

I don't comprehend incomprehensible statements.

A BC is NEVER too big for flat-top style. Go to David Chauvin's site and look at his tree there. This tree in particular gives me bons-eye-gasms:

http://www.davidchauvin.com/p890336802/h5bb44e02#h336d95d