This spring's collection

[rockm]

Two trees that I've collected this spring--Bald Cypress and Carolina hornbeam.

The BC was "collected" from a local nursery, where its roots had escaped its seven inch pot and escaped into the ground for ten years. It took me and a two man nursery crew an hour to get it out of the ground Lopped it in the nursery, which voided the warranty on it I wouldn't have been able to get the last eight feet of it into the truck. It resembles a telephone pole now, but in a few years and some additional chops, it should work into a pretty nice tree -- cost me less than $70 plus a lot of sweat equity

The other is a Carolina hornbeam, same story on chops, but it has a pretty great nebari--as most Carolina hornbeams do. The little hornbeam at the base are growing from the same root as the larger trunk. I've got my fingers crossed on this one, as I had to remove considerable roots to get it out...

Oh, and the tree at the far left is my in-ground Arakawa...

 

[Bill S]

I don't know rockm, those are going to be heavy in pots, thought you were slowin down.

 

[rockm]

Yeah, so did I... A day after digging that BC, I felt like I'd been beaten with a sockful of nickels.

 

[fore]

Rockm, my BC doesn't have very pronounced basal flares. I read if you want to develop these, then bury the lower trunk below soil level and keep it very moist. I just got mine planted this way last night, so we'll see what happens over the next sev. years. Have you heard anything similar?

 

[JudyB]

I've had good luck keeping mine in a pot with the drainage holes blocked, so it' stays very wet if not boggy.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

How big is the Bald Cypress?

 

[Bob]

Mark, how will you approach your chops on the Bald Cypress?

Horizontal? On a diagonal? The reason I ask is when I chopped mine on the horizontal, I wasn't real happy with the way that the chop healed over. Kinda got a bit of a bulge. This year I will chop higher up and want to avoid the same mistake. I'd be interested in your input.

Bob.

 

[rockm]

"I read if you want to develop these, then bury the lower trunk below soil level and keep it very moist. I just got mine planted this way last night, so we'll see what happens over the next sev. years. Have you heard anything similar"

It's a myth, or at least basal flare development in a containerized BC is pretty minimal. I've had one almost 20 years planted in almost pure organic soil that stays pretty soggy and it has shown very little basal flare development beyond what it already had when it was collected. Basal flare should be developed BEFORE you put the tree in a pot. That's why the dramatically-flared collected trees are so expensive. Basal flare is driven by root run. Dominant roots have to be able to push out and grow unrestricted to build the fluting. In a container there's not really enough room for that to happen.Combined with occasional root pruning, it's even less likely.

That said, younger BC in a pot will grow more aggressively and can put on some flutiing, but nothing like it would if left in the ground.

This BC has some decent flare, but not alot, as it was ground grown. The more dramatic part of the nebari is buried and/or covered with sphagnum moss to protect it from drying out--which would kill it off. The trunk at ground level is about eight inches across.

I'm still considering how and where I'm going to chop this--which is why I left the leader so tall. I'm waiting to see where the new buds will pop to select a leader. Where those buds pop will dictate where I can make chops. I've found that diagonal chops, carved into a shallow concave can help cover the bulging callus that can develop and keep the trunk silhouette.

Since this tree doesn't have a lot of taper, I'm considering a stepped chop at the top, creating a broken-topped image with some deadwood and hollowing. Not sure how that will go though...

Trying not to get ahead of myself, since the tree hasn't popped buds yet.

 

[rockm]

FWIW,

This technique by Vaugn Banting has always intrigued me:
http://www.vlbanting.com/makingtaperoncypress.htm

Since this trunk is about the same diameter as the one in the article, I may give this a try after the tree roots for a couple of years.

 

[fore]

Rockm, that really is bad news! I was hoping to get some flare development. Well, what's done is done. I'll keep it planted like that till the next repotting. Thanks for the information!
Chris

 

[rockm]

The weird 90, 80 and 70 degree days have pushed the BC to pop new buds all on its trunk within six days of its massive root reduction. The hornbeam is also near leaf two weeks out from collection. New top growth means new root growth...nothing like bottom heat to keep things moving.

 

[rockm]

Update on the Bald cypress and Carolina hornbeam. So far, so good.

 

[mcpesq817]

Wow looking really good!

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

omg... Mark posted photos.... AWESOME. lol Love the trees and the garden too!

 

[rockm]

Calling it a "garden" is giving it too much credit. "Overgrown, crowded mess of a backyard" might be more appropriate.

 

[JudyB]

Calling it a "garden" is giving it too much credit. "Overgrown, crowded mess of a backyard" might be more appropriate.

Yeah, but you have a stone lantern - you get extra credit for that!

Trees are looking good.

 

[rockm]

Judy,
That's the "lizard lantern." I've had a family of five lined skinks living under it for the last ten years or so. They overwinter under it and eat the ants in the yard when they come out in the spring. Nine or ten generations of the things...

 

[JudyB]

How cool is that! Got any photos of them? Would love to see them...

 

[Zach Smith]

Looks like you got 'em both goin' good. By next year you should have a great root mass on your hornbeam. I assume you're going to select a new leader this year and train it up?

Keep us posted.

Zach

 

[rockm]

Zach,

I usually hold off on leader selection on collected hornbeam and I don't get too attached to them in the first year . Even though they bounce back very quickly right after collection, they can have some overwintering issues sometimes--depending on the winter. They require a bit more protection from bad winters and extreme cold--even though they're common natives here. I've had die back issues at cut sites and dropped limbs after bad winters.

I'm never really satisfied they're settled until the spring following their collection. I make some final design decisions then.

I'm hoping I won't have those winter issues this year, as I have some options for more-sheltered winter storage for a number of my trees.Warmer winters won't hurt either In previous years, I was stuck having to overwinter recently-collected trees only under mulch in the backyard. It was a bit rough at times. Never really lost a whole tree, only great big pieces of them

Judy,

It's weird, the reptilian contingent under the latern seem to "know" me and don't really pay me much attention UNLESS I have a camera. Then they scatter. I do heartily recommend them as ant control. I've seen them wait at the end of an oncoming conveyor-belt line of ants and eat every one in line without having to move. Stupid ants...