Mr. Mon,
You have asked some very good questions...I cannot answer all of the questions you have raised, but I will do my best to answer the ones I can...
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In the dormant cycle you change the water also.. I was thinking .. due to lack of leaves the water level would become constant and stagnant
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Actually it would be impossible for me to 'change the water', but when the tree is in the dormant cycle I do NOT try to maintain a water level above the surface of the soil...Here in Texas we sometimes get a good amount of rain during the winter months, and the tree will often stand in water for a couple weeks or more...I sometimes dip the water out, and only water when the soil dries on the surface, but the dormant period here is also just 2 or 3 months...I also dip the water out and let it remain without standing water for several days when I get a large number of mosquito larva…
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Does the insulation prevent freezing of the soil or is it to keep the soil temp constant, preventing less freeze and thaw?
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When growing in the colder climates the insulation served two purposes...As you have suggested it did help to even out the freeze and thaw, however it did not prevent freezing...I did wrap the insulation around the pot, but also placed a layer on top of the soil around the trunk in somewhat of a tent shape, and covered this with plastic to help with run-off of rain and snow...In Kansas and Missouri we did have extended periods during the winter when the temps were above freezing, and I would try to uncover the soil and water the tree during these times, but no standing water...[as I stated in my original post concerning this method, I did get caught a few times 'with my trousers in disarray' and had a sheet of ice form on the top of the soil, however it did not seem to hurt the tree]...I grew up in Southeast Missouri [sometimes called 'Swamp east Missouri'], and I have often seen bald cypress in the wild, standing in frozen water...
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During the 4 yrs do you prune at all or just concentrate on growing trunk girth and leave the stylin for later?
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I concentrate on growth...I have found that if you reduce the tree by trimming the top, it certainly cuts back drastically on development of the lower part of the tree...As you are aware the bald cypress is very apical dominant, however the tremendous growth of the top is what feeds the base…[see attached photo of the tree I am currently working with, it is 6 feet 5 inches tall with a base in excess of 2 ¼ inches]…I have only tried to maintain a styling on one tree grown in this way, the afore mentioned ¼ inch collected sapling…This tree reminded me of the famous ‘Vaughn Banting flat-top cypress’ in the way it curved and had several forks in the top, and not desiring to chop it later I tried to maintain the shape with continued pinching back…I used a much smaller container only about 16 inches in diameter…The growth of the tree was definitely sacrificed by doing this, and in reality I probably would have been better off ‘growing it on’ in the more conventional way, although it did gain a very nice fluted base after 3 years in the ‘water pot’…
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After four years ?? do we go to a larger container performing the same operation as we did on the beginning stock? Or Root prune and return to same size container?
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Well, you have got me on this one…I have no experience on using this method beyond four years, nor have I ever re-potted a tree grown this way, other than harvesting, root pruning, doing a trunk chop, and potting in a free draining soil, in much the same manner I would on a collected tree…I have found the root system to be much better with many feeder roots closer to the trunk than with collected trees, and therefore much quicker to respond to training and adaptation to a proper size pot…I do plan to do the trunk chop on the pictured tree BEFORE I remove it from the current container, if the container last long enough...I have not tried this before, but I think I will get quicker growth if I do not prune the roots at the same time as the chop...The largest tree I have achieved using this method measured only 9 inches diameter at the widest flutes, and was 4.5 inches diameter 1 foot above the soil surface…It was about 13 feet tall when harvested, and grew in the water for a little over three years…Perhaps you will be the one to carry this growing method into larger trees…
Regards
Behr
