My Bald Cypress Flat Top project

[johng]

I don't know about that. I think even John would admit Guy Guidry knows a thing or two as well.

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Absolutely... I consider Vaughan Banting the real pioneer and his students, Guy, Gary Marchal, and a few others to be right there as well. It was Gary from whom I learned a lot. The rest comes from experience working with the species

I heard a funny story about Twister... I am not sure if it is true or not, but it basically boils down to someone asked if it was for sale and Guy just for fun said, "Sure, $50K". When the cashiers check came a few days later, I am told Guy was more than surprised but carried through with the sale.

So...all mine are only $5k if anyone wants to send a cashiers check

 

[rockm]

I know exactly what and where it is. Some taxonomists consider it the same. In any event has lots of branches not shaded out by higher branches, and at least 1500 years of age.

Well, I guess you could look at it that way, but most of the branches it has pretty much form a flat top style--There are no branches in a uniform section for about the first 15-20 feet on the trunk., what's up with that.

Level the photo up on the screen so you only see the top two thirds of the trunk and not the ground. The branches are pretty much classic flat top no lower branches.

Additionally, there are those that speculate this isn't one tree, but a series of trees fused together over a very long time.

 

[rockm]

Absolutely... I consider Vaughan Banting the real pioneer and his students, Guy, Gary Marchal, and a few others to be right there as well. It was Gary from whom I learned a lot. The rest comes from experience working with the species

I heard a funny story about Twister... I am not sure if it is true or not, but it basically boils down to someone asked if it was for sale and Guy just for fun said, "Sure, $50K". When the cashiers check came a few days later, I am told Guy was more than surprised but carried through with the sale.

So...all mine are only $5k if anyone wants to send a cashiers check

Ditto on Banting and Marchal. Gary gave me the basics on how to style and grow BC online, back when online was dial up. Is he still around? Haven't heard from him in a while. Funny about twister. Wish I could make an offhand $50,000 joke and have a check arrive...Damn Cajuns. ;-)

 

[coh]

WOW Lance that is a lot of money. Take a look at these folks for bald cypress. (web site). They have been responsive and provided exactly as represented.

And regarding JohnG pictures. I am an hour from the NC coast and these are typical in my area as well as the coast. And this style, flat top, at about 2 to 2.5 feet in an appropriate round pot are award winners. Even when shown with more traditional Japanese styled bonsai tree. Great Stuff and no one has a better handle on BC than JohnG.

I could handle a 2-2.5 foot tree. Do you have any photos of well-done flat-top cypresses in that size range? Most of the ones I've seen have been quite a bit taller.

 

[johng]

I could handle a 2-2.5 foot tree. Do you have any photos of well-done flat-top cypresses in that size range? Most of the ones I've seen have been quite a bit taller.

Not as far as long as a couple of the nice ones Vaughan created but its coming

 

[Txhorticulture]

Not trying to be argumentative, guess I just like them fuller.
But to each his own. I also thought the Belgium tree looked like some ginkgo bonsai I'd seen.
Read somewhere DNA tests showed tule tree was one tree, or at the least one root system.

 

[johng]

Here is a new I collected about a month ago...
The day I brought it home...

and a month after collecting...

 

[Dav4]

Almost reminds me of the "shark fin" cypress you collected last year...nice!

 

[Paradox]

Here is a new I collected about a month ago...
The day I brought it home...

and a month after collecting...

What kind of soil do you have it in?

 

[coh]

Not as far as long as a couple of the nice ones Vaughan created but its coming

I would guess that group is > 2.5 ft, do you know the height? I do like it.

 

[Dav4]

If I recall, John plant's all his bald cypresses (and some of his maples) in straight Fafard potting soil. Mine's planted in straight soil conditioner. It's a bald cypress so it doesn't mind heavy organic soils...actually loves them.

 

[johng]

What kind of soil do you have it in?

I use a professional potting mix most of the time...peat, perlite, bark, vermiculite...Fafard 3 or 3b
I have tried everything and the potting mix gets me the best results.... I even have a couple in bonsai containers using potting mix...they need to repotted every couple years but otherwise they perform beautifully.

 

[johng]

I would guess that group is > 2.5 ft, do you know the height? I do like it.

I don't remember exactly but it is very close to 30" You can make a flat-top whatever size you want...if it is going to be short you just need to choose something with a thinner trunk...I have a couple developing in the 18" range.

 

[rockm]

I use potting mix and soil conditioner for my BC too, I sometimes cut the potting mix with a bit of bonsai soil about 20 percent or less. That bit of bonsai soil can make a difference when the soil is hard frozen in winter strorage, gives it a little space to expand -- saving the container.

 

[coppice]

Don Blackmond grows them in Michigan and they are supposedly hardy to zone 4.

So they should be OK in NJ and NH?

The nursery where I found some for sale has a huge one growing on the property.

I grew them without problem in monadnock region (Henniker) in NH.

 

[M. Frary]

Saw one in a nursery 60 miles to the west. Zone 5. They said they had it for years. It was huge. Like 8" at the base. They wanted to make me a deal on it but I know it wouldn't live here. They also had Dawn Redwood

 

[JudyB]

I had one for a good long time in a pot here, and it was not one I put in the greenhouse, just buried the pot in mulch. Never seemed to mind it. I was always cautious about if it leafed out early. I have a dozen or so landscape ones I planted 25 years or so ago here, they are huge now, and put up knees all over. I'm in zone 5...

 

[Paradox]

I just purchased one from Sunbright. Will be fun to learn with it.

Now I need to go get a tub and some potting mix before it shows up next week.

Maybe Ill use a anderson flat with window screen on the bottom.

 

[Giga]

Looks great I have a large BC too-I think I'm gonna add another this spring as there a fun species.

 

[Paradox]

Got some organic potting mix tonight and my anderson flat is all ready for the new arrival next week.

Its like Christmas!