Bald cypress from Florida up north

[shimbrypaku]

Yes it difficult to find private property, you wont find any swamps in the mountains. Your best beat is to find some local Ashville trees.
Also BB Barns a nursery on sweeten creek road is not bad, its kid of high end but some times you can get lucky. I hit them up when I visit my kids.
Just for reference I found this PDF

 

[rockm]

OK, I just got a response from the grower in St Pete who said this foliage is from last year. Most of these plants there lose their leaves but those in pots can retain them in the winter. He says no worry, they will drop off and new foliage will grow in the spring. So I think that answers a lot of our questions about this bald cypress. However it does upset my plans for this tree since it will need to be grown as a single specimen unless I order a couple more from him for a group planting. I wouldn’t want to take a chance on mixnig trees that may not go fully dormant with others from a colder region that can go fully dormant and take a cold WNC winter. My unheated garage isn’t big enough to hold our cars and a growing collection of bonsai that can’t overwinter outside.

They sometimes retain foliage over winter, but it doesn't look like that. In winter, dormant BC have dried out brown, crispy leaves retained, not yellowish foliage. The color on your tree indicates to me that it is not dormant and probably susceptible to freezes. I would not assume it is safe to leave out in freezing weather...

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Yes, it appears odd to me too. The leaves look for all the workd like new growth and in the photos on his website they are solid green which is why I initially thought the coloration might be due to the shock of being bare-rooted, jammed in a carboard tube, and mailed to me. Maybe there was some loss of chlorophyll as a result? But they are still on the tree and look healthy. I now have the tree on my side porch next to a west facing window so it will get plenty of light just not any direct south light. We still have about three months before we get to our average frost free days and nights so it will sit there until then. Here is a photo from the website showing a “sample” tree still in the pot. Don’t know if this was taken last fall or just before it was shipped to me. I wish I knew how this will turn out as I am tempted to buy a couple more for a group planting.

 

[miker]

As others have stated, you will have to keep your tree frost free until this coming fall. After a few years, I bet you it will adapt just fine to Asheville, NC. I wouldn't bring a FL collected bald cypress to northern locations like NY or Chicago though. Just protect it a little less each year for a few years and I would guess it will be just fine.

When I moved to PA, I brought some hardy and semi-hardy tree species sourced from FL and I have had no problems. These include: Acer barbatum (FL Sugar Maple), Torreya taxifolia, American Hornbeam (from Florida stock), sweetgum (also from Florida stock).

 

[miker]

Also, assuming you acquired this tree sometime in the first-third week of January, based on my experience, the foliage currently on the tree is very likely last year's foliage that hasn't browned and fallen yet. It is a little late but it would be extremely early for a bald cypress in the Tampa area to leaf out (They normally leaf out in March, but I have seen them leaf out as late as April around Orlando, which has timing very similar to Tampa). Also, the foliage on the tree currently looks like senescent, "fall" foliage ready to brown and drop, not anywhere close to bright green new spring foliage. That is to say, the foliage on the tree now is from the 2017 growing season.

As such, it might be okay to leave it out, since it is probably somewhat dormant currently, and let it experience a couple months of chill/cold, then allow it to resume growth sometime in April.

Since we are not sure though, I would play it safe and keep it frost free until this coming fall.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[rockm]

As others have stated, you will have to keep your tree frost free until this coming fall. After a few years, I bet you it will adapt just fine to Asheville, NC. I wouldn't bring a FL collected bald cypress to northern locations like NY or Chicago though. Just protect it a little less each year for a few years and I would guess it will be just fine.

When I moved to PA, I brought some hardy and semi-hardy tree species sourced from FL and I have had no problems. These include: Acer barbatum (FL Sugar Maple), Torreya taxifolia, American Hornbeam (from Florida stock), sweetgum (also from Florida stock).

I am in the same growing zone as the OP.

To me...it looks like a tree heading into dormancy...not waking from dormancy, to wake from dormancy one would see much more vibrant foliage. I have a Bald Cypress...when it wakes...it gets bright green buds. If you removed the foliage...I don't believe you removed any new growth...but foliage it's not lost as of yet.

I would offer a bit of protection since it was from down south in Florida. But the cold temps...might allow it to go more dormant.

To me, it looks like a tree that never went dormant and is not dormant...At this point, it probably ISN'T going to go dormant, only freeze and get damaged...My BC have foliage like this in late November sometimes, but it browns out by December as complete dormancy sets in. I suspect that this tree, since it has been in Fla. was still minimally active when shipped in Jan. I would be very surprised if it were to go completely dormant now, since it's on "Florida time" and not Asheville time.

This is mostly neither here nor there. The bottom line is that it needs protection from hard freezes until spring.

And FWIW, I am in the same USDA zone as the OP. I have overwintered BC collected in Fla. and La. side by side. Fla. collected BC decline and die off in our zone without SUBSTANTIAL winter protection (like a cold greenhouse). I've seen it happen, can take a few years, but they aren't up to the winters here.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I am in the same growing zone as the OP.

To me, it looks like a tree that never went dormant and is not dormant...At this point, it probably ISN'T going to go dormant, only freeze and get damaged...My BC have foliage like this in late November sometimes, but it browns out by December as complete dormancy sets in. I suspect that this tree, since it has been in Fla. was still minimally active when shipped in Jan. I would be very surprised if it were to go completely dormant now, since it's on "Florida time" and not Asheville time.

This is mostly neither here nor there. The bottom line is that it needs protection from hard freezes until spring.

And FWIW, I am in the same USDA zone as the OP. I have overwintered BC collected in Fla. and La. side by side. Fla. collected BC decline and die off in our zone without SUBSTANTIAL winter protection (like a cold greenhouse). I've seen it happen, can take a few years, but they aren't up to the winters here.

Sounds about right...glad I have a cold greenhouse for mine that came from Florida. Poster said foliage was much more greener than what photo shows...so I would agree. I sure didn't feel it was foliage from waking up.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Update: the leaves are now browning as might be expected for one entering senescence or after an extreme shock like the plant just suffered. I expect these to drop off and in a few weeks hopefully it will bud out with this years growth. In the meantime it is sitting in front of a west patio door with a humidity tray. Once the leaves drop would it be a good idea to put it in the unheated garage (40-50 degrees F) with my other bonsai or leave it up here? The humidity in both places is about 45% most of the time but the big diffrence will be the warmer temp on the porch (65 F) and much more light. Here is a photo of the current condition:

 

[rockm]

Update: the leaves are now browning as might be expected for one entering senescence or after an extreme shock like the plant just suffered. I expect these to drop off and in a few weeks hopefully it will bud out with this years growth. In the meantime it is sitting in front of a west patio door with a humidity tray. Once the leaves drop would it be a good idea to put it in the unheated garage (40-50 degrees F) with my other bonsai or leave it up here? The humidity in both places is about 45% most of the time but the big diffrence will be the warmer temp on the porch (65 F) and much more light. Here is a photo of the current condition:
View attachment 175984

Garage. Keep your fingers crossed until buds appear.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Looks like it survived. Here is the first little green bud making its way out. Hopefully more will follow.

 

[Anthony]

For what it is worth -------- one from Lafayette. Louisiana.
Goes self dormant and continues on.
Tropics. 1980.

Here's an odd one. Cutting taken since January.
Grew a few small leaves.
Still green.
Don't think it has roots.

Was dipped in rooting hormone last month.
Now in 4 hrs of sun in the morning.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[GGB]

Its been said to me that there are "hardy" or "northern" bc that are meant for growing in my zone 6. So far it seems like that isnt true. Time will tell, but in the meantime my southern transplants seem to be adapting fine. To early for bc to leaf out here though, maybe this is the spring i lose em all haha.
Just kidding, i got suckered into buying at least 1 "hardy" bald cypress

 

[_#1_]

Its been said to me that there are "hardy" or "northern" bc that are meant for growing in my zone 6. So far it seems like that isnt true. Time will tell, but in the meantime my southern transplants seem to be adapting fine. To early for bc to leaf out here though, maybe this is the spring i lose em all haha.
Just kidding, i got suckered into buying at least 1 "hardy" bald cypress

A nursery I got my little BC from has a large mother tree out back that I think they take the seeds from to grow more. I left the little guy submerged in a tub of water the whole winter in record lows/duration and it looks like it'll pull through!

Picture was taken last week I think. These has gots to be the ugliest spring buds ever!

 

[Mellow Mullet]

A nursery I got my little BC from has a large mother tree out back that I think they take the seeds from to grow more. I left the little guy submerged in a tub of water the whole winter in record lows/duration and it looks like it'll pull through!

Picture was taken last week I think. These has gots to be the ugliest spring buds ever!
View attachment 185794

Wait until they fully emerge, they are a pretty shade of dark lime green.

 

[rockm]

Its been said to me that there are "hardy" or "northern" bc that are meant for growing in my zone 6. So far it seems like that isnt true. Time will tell, but in the meantime my southern transplants seem to be adapting fine. To early for bc to leaf out here though, maybe this is the spring i lose em all haha.
Just kidding, i got suckered into buying at least 1 "hardy" bald cypress

From the Illinois Wildlife site--"It is possible to plant Bald Cypress in areas that are located north of its normal range – depending on the local ecotype, it is winter-hardy to Zone 4 or 5."
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/bald_cypress.htm
"Local ecotype" is the key. Trees that evolved in more northern areas are more able to deal with those local conditions...Doesn't necessarily mean a tree grown in the South and transplanted in the North won't live. Means trees sourced more locally, from colder areas, have a better chance at doing so. Like I've said, I am careful not to source Florida trees for stock, since they haven't evolved with harder winters. Had one. It croaked over a period of years.

Florida trees can sometimes be easy to spot. They can have a mix of feather-like foliage and awl-shaped thread foliage which is more typical of pond cypress. I have always had a feeling that the farther south you go, Bald Cypress has a hefty Pond Cypress genetic component. Take a look at some of the tree stock coming out of the mid-south Fla. area...

Pond cypress (Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium) is now classified as a variant of bald cypress. However, it definitely has a more southerly range--from Southern Va. to Fla.
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b439
This may be the deciding factor in growing BC in the north...

 

[Silentrunning]

Last year I moved from Sarasota to Warren County N.C. When I sold my house in Florida the new owner said he was going to chop down all the trees that weren’t citrus. I had 2 BC in the back yard that were a gift so I dug them up and brought them with me. I planted them a couple of feet from our lake and they seemed to yellow and die through last summer. I left them to see what they would do and now they are budding out better than they ever have. This winter we had temps in the low teens and they survived so far. I will give them a year or two to build up some trunk width and then decide their future.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

“This winter we had temps in the low teens and they survived so far.“

I think the operative term is “so far”. Since i have the option I will move the Florida tree into the garage on January 1 each year, now that I know it likes the two step treatment.

 

[GGB]

@rockm totally makes sense. None of mine seem to exhibit any pond cypress genes, outwardly.
Funny to think that they're such unique trees and we're still working out the taxonomy

 

[rockm]

Last year I moved from Sarasota to Warren County N.C. When I sold my house in Florida the new owner said he was going to chop down all the trees that weren’t citrus. I had 2 BC in the back yard that were a gift so I dug them up and brought them with me. I planted them a couple of feet from our lake and they seemed to yellow and die through last summer. I left them to see what they would do and now they are budding out better than they ever have. This winter we had temps in the low teens and they survived so far. I will give them a year or two to build up some trunk width and then decide their future.

weeelll, transplanting in the ground from Sarasota (Zone 9b) to Asheville (Zone 7b) is probably doable, since the species isn't tropical in origin. Wouldn't be surprised if the tree live. Containerize them and you subtract a Zone--which is a Zone 6. Still doable, but iffy--just like the conditions here in N.Va. (Zone 7a)