Killer find in the dried out swamp

[Cajunrider]

So... I collected a wonderful baldie with a 14" base at the soil line... was probably close to 70 " tall after being developed into a nice flat top. It was eventually potted in a 26" wide stoneware Chinese pot, probably weighing 30 pounds empty, that set me back close to $300. My 6' 6" son and I could move it together with some difficulty as the soil filled pot/tree combo probably weighed close to 100 # and was very awkward to lift (I'm 6' 2" when I stand up straight and still physically able to lift/move some serious weight for an old guy, but I digress ) . Anyway, when I found out that I was moving up north, I didn't hesitate to part ways with the tree. I loved it as much as any of my trees but saw the writing on the wall... too heavy, too big... a heart attack and a hernia waiting to happen. Your tree is beautiful, stunning, massively impressive... but will likely weigh over 300# when potted up. The pot alone may be too heavy to move empty and will require trash cans of soil to fill adequately, and I couldn't imagine the headaches sourcing and paying for such a pot big enough to fit it. Anyway, I'll be rooting for if you go for it but hope you really understand the obstacles you'll face. Good luck!

Fwiw, I've seen baldies planted along the Chicago lakeshore... usda zone 5 and windy!!! Their winter hardiness is exceptional in the ground and the Philly area is much more mild being on the coast in southern PA. Still, a particularly vigorous arctic front could easily send temps into the single digits there and I'd want the roots to be adequately protected from that kind of cold.

I will contemplate this over the next few months. Between Batman and now this, I will have to plan things out. I want to bring with me some pieces of Louisiana to be remembered for a long time and these may just be the ones.

I have enough engineering knowledge to find a solution if I commit to doing it. The details I can work out.

 

[rockm]

FWIW, the cold isn't a problem. BC can take cold temps. The problem is becoming that the cold isn't reliable anymore in winter. In zone 7 anyway, were getting warm spells followed by extreme cold snaps in late winter/early spring (into late April).

The cold snap that killed my BC was preceded by record warmth. We had a stretch of almost hot days at the end of March in the middle 80's. That heated the cold frame (even though I desperately tried to keep it cold) so the underground temps on the roots were well above 50. Trees began "moving" buds fast. Then temps dropped dramatically into the 30's for the daytime temp (20's even high teens at night) for a week after that hot spell. That significant shift in temperature was the problem, not the cold.

This kind of temperature rollercoaster is now common in winter. Where we once had moderate shifts between warm and cold, now we have extreme shifts. When it happens now, I bring trees inside the basement--Sometimes for a few days--to escape the cold.

 

[johng]

Now I am thinking about how to assure survival of that tree.
Any advice @johng @BillsBayou ?

I am not a fall collector so I don't really have any good advice. It is impressive and I can feel your excitement from a 1000 miles away, but I would say that personally I would pass on this one. There is not enough taper in the trunks so you would have to make a really tall tree. I might consider it for a landscape tree but not bonsai.

 

[johng]

I am not a fall collector so I don't really have any good advice. It is impressive and I can feel your excitement from a 1000 miles away, but I would say that personally I would pass on this one. There is not enough taper in the trunks so you would have to make a really tall tree. I might consider it for a landscape tree but not bonsai.

The other drawback for me is that there is not enough variation in the sizes of the trunks and there appears to be 4 trunks...from the picture they appear very similar in size and stature. 4 trunks is potentially doable but would be much easier with trunks with a lot more size variation. Not to be a downer...just trying to be realistic.

 

[Cajunrider]

The other drawback for me is that there is not enough variation in the sizes of the trunks and there appears to be 4 trunks...from the picture they appear very similar in size and stature. 4 trunks is potentially doable but would be much easier with trunks with a lot more size variation. Not to be a downer...just trying to be realistic.

Thank you for an honest assessment. I don't have any plan to collect in the fall even if I decide to collect. For me the excitement came when I saw it rose from the swamp like a fortress of bald cypress. It was so imposing for being such a small scale in the natural setting among much bigger BCs.

 

[Cajunrider]

I got the OK. Measured out the tree. I am sure I can handle it. Even devised a development plan but ultimately decided to leave it be.

Looked around for other multi trunk and did not find many.



The trunk of this one was broken near the base. 5 smaller trunks grew out as replacement.

 

[Perplexody]

Yeah but imagine showing this some day at a bonsai convention around the PA area.

If you are in the northeast PA area I'd love to be able to see your trees on display

 

[Cadillactaste]

I got the OK. Measured out the tree. I am sure I can handle it. Even devised a development plan but ultimately decided to leave it be.

Looked around for other multi trunk and did not find many.
View attachment 516967
View attachment 516968

The trunk of this one was broken near the base. 5 smaller trunks grew out as replacement.

View attachment 516969

I'm truthfully glad to hear it. Sometimes...truly just respecting material from where it grows. Is the highest form of respecting a tree...and honoring it. Also shows true character of a person to take that stance. Some things ... need left untouched my man.

 

[Cajunrider]

I'm truthfully glad to hear it. Sometimes...truly just respecting material from where it grows. Is the highest form of respecting a tree...and honoring it. Also shows true character of a person to take that stance. Some things ... need left untouched my man.

I did that reluctantly. I believe I can make it a good bonsai but it also is beautiful where it is. It has room to grow and not in the way of any improvement plan.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Where's the disclaimer that this isn't a mental health test?

 

[Cajunrider]

Where's the disclaimer that this isn't a mental health test?

It certainly came close to being a mental health and moral test to me. I told y’all that I mostly am helping my friend to cull and keep his trees healthy. This one certainly is OK by itself. It is not impeding the growth of any trees around it.