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Originally Posted by Vonsgardens
Fketch (nice avatar),
I always keep my cypress in standing water the first two years after collection- during the summer. We have high temps, lot's of wind and moderate to low hunmidity. It works for us. However, once it cools off, as like this week, we take them out of the standing water and allow the soil to remain "moist" but not dry.
John
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I'd follow Johns advice ( although I don't think the standing in water during the growing season 2 years really helps? Why only two years if it does??) but the MOIST soil is a best recommendation, as with ANY bonsai, moist is a key word.
"These guys could care less about the temperature"
Untrue, it's less concern in Florida but definitely is elsewhere. Root zone protection in a pot is a necessity here.
"Hi Dale, I respect your experience and knowledge regarding bonsai but I must question your root rot theory. I don't believe that a BC can develop root rot, quite simply they grow in water and swamps. I know this because I work in water filled swamps full of huge, old BC. Maybe in a potted environment this would not be an ideal set up but to say they will develop root rot seems a little far fetched to me. Mine are in nursery pots with top soil and I keep them soaked as much as possible. They are in wet and thick mucky soil and they do just fine. I may be wrong but I believe the opposite, they "tolerate" soil but love muck and water"
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THAT is foolish advice to follow for potential BC growers. OK, Sauce you live in Florida, everyone has seen BC in water in Florida, but their range of growth is far greater and they don't need to stand in water to do it. You are WRONG about not getting root rot. I've not seen any bonsai species I can think of that can't get root rot! As I said, they grow there befause they tolerate it. You also see lots of Acer Rubrum there?
"Maybe in a potted environment this would not be an ideal set up"..... OK, stop right there....this is what we are talking about, a potted environment!
" They are in wet and thick mucky soil and they do just fine"...well, I'd say they are growing. I continually bring back trees from Florida in wet, mucky soil. If I leave them there they develope root rot and never thrive, but when I repot them immediately into my bonsai soil I can practically stand back and watch buds shoot out! I'll repot something that's been established in such soil for several years and the roots are a mess, but after a season in good soil they are filling a pot. I see this with EVERY tree type I bring back from Florida.
"I may be wrong but I believe the opposite, they "tolerate" soil but love muck and water."
Yes, you ae wrong.
ESPECIALLY, when we are talking about soaking a containerized tree with fresh chopped roots in water over the winter....which...is what we were talking about.
"I've heard different opinions about the best environment for BC in prior discussions. I would asume that the possibility of root rot during dormancy makes sense but I don't think anybody would argue about the fact BC likes to live in moist soil. "
MOIST soil is NOT a pot sitting in a tub of water, that's not moist. Lets be clear here. Soppy wet muck is not "Moist"
I'm not planning on taking it out of the nursery pot nor do any root work for now. We rarely have frosts during the winter in this area.
That is a plus in your favor. No frost....how nice
I'm not going to argue about this any longer, but I will recommend a book that will dispell many urban legends regarding BC. It's a book about BC, not a bonsai book, by two guys who researched them many years:
Bald Cypress, The tree unique, the wood eternal
by Clair Brown and Glen Montz
Claitors publishing co.
Baton Rouge, La
3165 S. Arcadia st. at I-10
PO box 3333
Baton Rouge, La. 70821
ISBN 0-87511-780-5
I sell these at every show and last I ordered them they had quite a few left in stock.
Regards,
Dale