Bald Cypress seed experiences?!

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I have raised more than 5 batches of bald cypress from seed over the years, have not done any recently. Some I planted in the ground are over 30 feet tall. Easy if seed is fresh, meaning the current year crop. If seed is free, no need for any seed treatment beyond six or more weeks of cold stratification. I think I run about 50% without treatment and being pretty careless. Easy.

Let cones dry enough to break them apart, but don't over dry, leaving on a shelf for 6 months will lower success. (not kill entirely, just lower rate). Don't bother separating seed from cone fragments.

If you are south of Saint Louis, plant out in a flat in "normal" seedling or bedding plant mix and leave them over winter, they will sprout once you have several weeks of 80+ F days.

"Up in the cold North", put seeds in a baggie of wet peat or sphagnum and into the refrigerator until spring. After all frost danger is past, plant outside in flats. They need heat to get going, mine usually don't sprout until July, I'm in far north burbs of Chicago, zone 5.

They grow fast, usually by second year they compare well with purchased second year seedlings.

Note for northern growers:
Because seedlings tend to sprout late, because they need heat to "wake up", the summer often is too short to mature new seedlings. The first winter it is critical to delay time of first frost, and then protect them from freezing the first winter. This late sprouting of seed probably explains why the northern limit of natural distribution is where it is.

Trees in ground are hardy through zone 5, after seedlings are 2 or 3 years old. Trees in pots need some winter protection in zone 5 or colder areas.

 

[just.wing.it]

I am one of two people on the site that leave them grow in pots in standing water all year

Even over winter?
Solid block of ice?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

When I say "need heat to wake up", I mean regularly having daytime high temps over 80F, roughly 27 C. It seem bald cypress seed need two weeks or more where highs are above 80 F more often than below 80 F.

Where I live we average fewer than 14 days a year over 90 F (30 or 31 C). So far it has been a hot summer, 10 days over 90 but so far never two or more sequential days over 90F. So far it has always cooled down the next day.

For June we had as many days where the high was below 75 F (below 23 C) as we have had days above 80F.

Bald cypress are a warm, long growing season tree, they definitely grow better in warmer zone 6 and warmer climates.

 

[just.wing.it]

I've had my BC for a month or 2 now.
And it's in a light gray colored Rubbermaid tub of water, which I flush daily.
It's in full sun.
Has been doing great out there.
I want to thicken the trunk up as much as possible, so I'm gonna repot it into a shallow, wide container next year, and continue to let it grow.
We've had 90's the last week or two, and usually do.
I believe that I'm near the northernmost range of the BC... but it is MD native.

 

[GrimLore]

Even over winter?
Solid block of ice?

I do but most take them out from November - March. Problems can occur with early budding which dies off if there is another frost/snow/etc... That has happened here and does not kill the tree but they look like crap for a year. There are pictures of them frozen, covered with snow, in leaf, and in Fall color in various threads here. Flushing the water as you are doing is important as it prevents stagnation and promotes hydraulics. I do not recommend all year submersion I just do it as it works HERE.

Grimmy

 

[GGB]

I have noticed that my BC trees "wake up" later than the other guys.
And my seed was leftovers from winter last year so maybe I'll try again with a new crop, but as rockm mentioned the seedlings are so cheap I'll probably just play with those and skip a year or two of growing. I vowed that this spring was my last year of seeds, I'm trying to keep that promise. I'm over run with seedling trees currently

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

The reason I don't have any BC seedlings a year or two from seed is to some degree I agree with @rockm - I'm not getting any younger. BC seedlings in the 2 to 5 years range are very easily available, and fairly cheap.

The only things I do from seed are harder to get species, or species that need to be trained and twisted up very young or the won't be able to be trained. For example Ilex mucronata, catberry holly, my seed has finished first cold stratification, is now doing the warm summer stratification, then winter will complete the second cold stratification. Seed I planted fall 2016 I don't expect to sprout until spring 2018. But it is not available anywhere commercially. It is like Ilex verticillata, winter berry, but it has smaller, rounder leaves, and slightly less prolific red fruit.

 

[zelk]

Picked up bald cypress seeds from sheffields today. I'd like to stratify and sow them this year before it's late. I figure 30 days is fine. I have forest plantings in mind and some other experiments that I might disclose in time

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Picked up bald cypress seeds from sheffields today. I'd like to stratify and sow them this year before it's late. I figure 30 days is fine. I have forest plantings in mind and some other experiments that I might disclose in time

I don't think that they need to be stratified, I just throw them in a pot under the bench and they seem to sprout fine.

 

[zelk]

I don't think that they need to be stratified, I just throw them in a pot under the bench and they seem to sprout fine.

Ok I was wondering if that was the case, Many people have and the study I found seems to show increased germination. Obviously sometimes people cannot stratify properly (too wet, too cold, mold) and the germination rate drops down to unstratified germonation rates. I do not have enough frost hours like many do so I depend entirely on the refrigerator for this. Do you notice any from the last a last batch of seed coming up after consecutive frost-spring cycles?

 

[zelk]

Wish I could get hundreds of bald cypress whips down here from my AG dept. ordering from another state seems like a big pain in the ass

 

[GGB]

@zelk Just took two cuttings yesterday, I'll race ya

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Ok I was wondering if that was the case, Many people have and the study I found seems to show increased germination. Obviously sometimes people cannot stratify properly (too wet, too cold, mold) and the germination rate drops down to unstratified germonation rates. I do not have enough frost hours like many do so I depend entirely on the refrigerator for this. Do you notice any from the last a last batch of seed coming up after consecutive frost-spring cycles?

I am in Mobile, Al, not much cold or frost here either, at least this past year. I have never tried stratifying them, just posting what I observe. I got some last fall from a parking lot, the sat on my bedroom dresser all winter and earlier this year I gave them to my dad, who threw them in a pot, most sprouted. I have had some come up in a pot that did not sprout the same year that they were planted (others did), don't know if the cooler weather had any thing to do with it or not.

 

[rockm]

Wish I could get hundreds of bald cypress whips down here from my AG dept. ordering from another state seems like a big pain in the ass

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pre-Bonsai-...763934?hash=item2f06fddf1e:g:iVIAAOSwkttZYPk0