Bald Cypress Clump

markyscott

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Nice clump BC. Love the progression of pictures. Says a lot and also shows how healthy the tree is. Keep the updates coming. What fertilizer are you putting in the PVC bits? It must be working!

Hi Evan. For developing trees I use Microlife in the cups and I alternate liquid fertilizer between fish emulsion and Hosta Grow once per week.

http://www.microlifefertilizer.com
 

coh

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Oh no, four trunks! What is this world coming to? :eek:

Have you ever used those standard clear plastic topped push pins to hold grafts in place? That's all I've been able to find, but I was wondering if the hard plastic might leave a mark.
 

Alain

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really nice tree and work! :)

Just to be sure: a clump is a 'multi-trunk' coming from a single tree that's it?
 

markyscott

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Roofing nail?

It's more like a finishing nail. The washer thing is the harder part. Its not hard plastic like a thumbtack (which is what I used to use). It softer, but has enough strength to hold the graft in place.
 

markyscott

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really nice tree and work! :)

Just to be sure: a clump is a 'multi-trunk' coming from a single tree that's it?

A clump is a group of trunks that share the same root base.

This is a collected tree. The center part died to the base and four new trunks sprouted from the original root base. The central trunk has long since died and rotted away.
 

markyscott

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Oh no, four trunks! What is this world coming to? :eek:

Have you ever used those standard clear plastic topped push pins to hold grafts in place? That's all I've been able to find, but I was wondering if the hard plastic might leave a mark.

Hi coh - I used to use plastic thumb tacks like this:

image.jpeg

But the plastic often broke when I hit it with the hammer and the plastic sometimes crushed the shoot I was trying to graft. These work far better for me.
 

Alain

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A clump is a group of trunks that share the same root base.

This is exactly how I would have say it if I had been speaking English ;)

Thanks a lot for the clarification!:)
That's not the first time I see this term here and each time I was wondering 'WTF is a clump!':confused:

So now that I know that I can brag that I am the happy and proud owner of a large yew clump I found on the curb no so long ago :D
 

coh

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Hi coh - I used to use plastic thumb tacks like this:

View attachment 101945

But the plastic often broke when I hit it with the hammer and the plastic sometimes crushed the shoot I was trying to graft. These work far better for me.
Yeah, those are the ones I'm referring to. They are definitely prone to shattering. I've only started using them recently so I don't know if I'll have problems with marks or crushing the shoot. I suppose one could use a little piece of rubber or something soft under the tack to cushion the graft, but I didn't think to try that. Next time...
 

LanceMac10

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It's more like a finishing nail. The washer thing is the harder part. Its not hard plastic like a thumbtack (which is what I used to use). It softer, but has enough strength to hold the graft in place.

Smooth shank, broad head.......wait for it........






Hockey tape. :p:D
Seriously....I'm trying to find where we used to get 'em,(just like the one's you got from Boon).
Now it's ticking me off!!:mad::eek::rolleyes:
 

markyscott

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Yeah, those are the ones I'm referring to. They are definitely prone to shattering. I've only started using them recently so I don't know if I'll have problems with marks or crushing the shoot. I suppose one could use a little piece of rubber or something soft under the tack to cushion the graft, but I didn't think to try that. Next time...

The other problem I had was that if you hit it off center, it could press the shaft of the nail across the shoot weakening it at the graft union. With these you can slide the the washer down the nail against the graft so it's protected when you start hammering.
 

markyscott

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Smooth shank, broad head.......wait for it........






Hockey tape. :p:D
Seriously....I'm trying to find where we used to get 'em,(just like the one's you got from Boon).
Now it's ticking me off!!:mad::eek::rolleyes:

Perhaps a finishing nail and some kind of bead? Or become an SOB - come on in - the waters fine.
 

Djtommy

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It's more like a finishing nail. The washer thing is the harder part. Its not hard plastic like a thumbtack (which is what I used to use). It softer, but has enough strength to hold the graft in place.
The ones you have are indeed finishing nail, the nail has a thinner part where the plastic thing starts, you hammer the nail in untill about where the plastic is then you hit it from the side with a hammer, the nail breaks at the thin point leaving a headless nail with minimum trace.
 

LanceMac10

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My bad. These concrete nails from Wal-Mart should fit the bill pretty close.....
k2-_2a453921-d871-4d2f-b236-c5d817058e4e.v2.jpg
 

markyscott

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Here's an update. The graft didn't take, but the apex is still alive. It's grown strong all summer, despite a minor bout of rust mites.

image.jpeg

August is a good time to work BC in Houston. I cut back hard and wired it out.
image.jpeg

Scott
 

Giga

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Very cool and unique BC, love it. I'm the hunt for another this spring there great trees.
 

markyscott

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Very cool and unique BC, love it. I'm the hunt for another this spring there great trees.

Thanks! I don't see to many clumps under cultivation, but I see them growing in nature that way quite commonly.

Scott
 

AlainK

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Hi Scott,

Sorry for you the graft didn't take. I think that basically the technique was right, but the grafted branch was probably not mature enough.

I like the idea of the clump, but:

Oh no, four trunks! What is this world coming to? :eek:

It's not only a matter of "rules", it's that the 4 trunk design looks flat to me, it lacks of perspective.

Now, which of the trunks to suppress?...

Well, obviously the trunk on the right, the tallest one, must stay. It's difficult to say for the others, we can't put it on a turntable.

I wonder if I wouldn't sacrifice the trunk on the left, smthg like...

klump.jpeg
 
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