Nursery Dumpster Diving Cypress

[jkd2572]

I went to a Nusery dumpster diving today and found this big guy. Current chop 40 inches with a 11 inch wide base. The Bald Cypress was in a 60 gallon pot! They had it hidden in a throw away pile due to the top 4 foot being dead. I talked the manager into selling the 20 foot tall previously listed at $900 tree for $100. They got a fork lift to put it in my truck. I have done this with bald cypress before with much luck. Granted much smaller. When i have done this before i chopped then sawed the bottom flat and stuck in a pot with a very wet soil mixture. Usually no feeder roots or limbs. I was very surprised after digging this guy out that it had lots of feeder roots in close and also tons of limbs down low. I want to say thanks for who ever invented the sawzaw. i will follow up with the progression.

 

[bonsai barry]

If it lives it will be an awesome additoi to your bonsi collection. Keep us updated.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

very kewl!!! nice find...

 

[Ron Dennis]

"Nursery dumpster diving" -- had not thought of this but think I may have to visit a few nurseries this weekend. Thanks for a new suggestion.

 

[rockm]

Great find. I'm doing much the same with a similar-sized BC up here in Va. Have done pretty much what you have with the roots and am awaiting new shoots.

 

[jkd2572]

I have not decided on my final design yet. I'm waiting a couple of days to decide on a final chop height. I already have one with a pyramid/pine shape in the works. I am leaning toward doing a flat top. I have not decided yet. I will figure it out by Sunday as growing out the top is very different and I don't want to waste a season.

 

[jason biggs]

great find but how would you make a flat top with all the branching down low??

 

[mcpesq817]

Great score - nice taper and fluting at the base

 

[jkd2572]

Cut off all the branches. These things resprout like weeds. Grow out the top. Wire down top branches to a flat top. Carve out between the top branches to make it look more natural. Maybe have 2 or three lower branches.

 

[Klytus]

There is the 'Senator' style too,where he grows back from his knees.

 

[anabellaB]

Interesting. Dumpster Diving is also viewed as an effective urban foraging technique. Dumpster divers will forage dumpsters for items such as clothing, furniture, food, and other items of the like deemed in good working conditions. I recall a neighborhood family from my childhood that went on dumpster diving excursions every weekend. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” the matriarch of the family used to say. If I am honest, we sneered behind their backs about how “gross” the habit was. Yet the neighborhood kids all loved hanging out at their property, which grew into a veritable theme park of play equipment designed from found “treasures.” In these difficult economic times, it is tough to begrudge any honest method that helps the pocketbook. Dumpster diving in the economic downturn has become so common and nearly trendy.

 

[Poink88]

Nice find and a great looking tree. Congrats!

I didn't know that is called dumpster diving...I do that myself and scored a much smaller cypress that way. It was originally $125 and got it for $28. I chopped it on site and immediately, the owner knew it will be a bonsai.

 

[CamdenJim]

Interesting. Dumpster Diving is also viewed as an effective urban foraging technique. Dumpster divers will forage dumpsters for items such as clothing, furniture, food, and other items of the like deemed in good working conditions. ...

I probably shouldn't admit to walking away from my wife and daughter on a family trip to Paris a few years ago. They "foraged" several pieces of nice fabric, among other things, from the Left Bank area we were walking through one day. Now I'd probably help them out.

 

[jkd2572]

I just wanted to update this tree. It is growing like crazy. Looks like it survived!

 

[QuintinBonsai]

That is just awesome! That makes me want to go to my local nurseries, and try the same thing.

@anabellaB, I totally agree. I've found some of the most unique things in the dumpster. My girlfriend thinks it's disgusting, but I tell her that's what soap and water are for.

 

[Bill S]

Start saving your pennies for a BIG pot.

Not dumpsters yet I think, but I have salvaged a few items from the tree belt trash heap. Treasures take em where you can find em.

 

[rockm]

That has a very nice base on it. Looks like it's going pretty well.

As Bill said, start saving for a pot that fits it.

 

[jkd2572]

Yeah it's next pot will probably be that one cut in half.

 

[jkd2572]

Survived the summer. I'm going with a flat top style so I removed a lot of branches and did some basic structural wiring. I also found a pot for him. The pot cost more than I paid for the tree. the top is wired flat. It does not seem so in this pic for some reason. I think I'm at too low an angle.

 

[jkd2572]

That's a shimpaku cutting growing in the pot. Looked like a good place to stick it at the time.