bald cypress

I am not sure if i should post this,,If not will some one deleat it for me??? i wanted to know where you could order a bald cypress for another bonsai....the ones that have been posted all look like good trees to work with.....thank you take care john

Do you want a sapling, a mature tree, or a pre-bonsai?

Thanks Jim,,,a pre bonsai would be better would it not?? thanks for answering...take care john

moyogijohn wrote:I am not sure if i should post this,,If not will some one deleat it for me??? i wanted to know where you could order a bald cypress for another bonsai....the ones that have been posted all look like good trees to work with.....thank you take care john

John for really good stock you can try Guy Guidry's www.bonsainorthshore.com. he usually has all price ranges and he will ship.

good luck

I bought a nice sized Baldy from a local landscape nursery (8-10 footer with about a 4 or 5 inch base) for $20. I've seen some online nurseries selling BCs that arent pre-bonsai also. I practice "poor man's bonsai", so I usually go for nursery stock. We all know that adding bonsai or pre-bonsai to anything means bigger $$$$$. I've only been working mine for about six months and it's coming along pretty nicely. I'll post some pics (if you'd like) so you can see if this is a route you may want to pursue. It's been fun trunk chopping and carving so if you're interested in that whole experience, that's the way to go! Again, this all depends on how much of the process you'd like to be involved in. Remember, you can cut BCs down to stumps, so buying a 15 footer with a big 'ol base (which I've seen for as little as $99 at some of our nurseries here) puts you almost halfway there Again, the decision is yours: Do you want something that is almost a bonsai that just needs minor styling, or would you rather be there through the whole process??? Both can be equally rewarding, I personally choose the latter. Lemme know if you'd like to see pics of my not so impressive project, and if you'd like me to round up some links to online nurseries carrying full sized baldys...


G

I don't think you will find a good Bald Cypress in a major show WITHOUT a major trunk chop.



This is from the BSF Convention last month, I think the main interest in this tree was the cones.

moyogijohn wrote:I am not sure if i should post this,,If not will some one deleat it for me??? i wanted to know where you could order a bald cypress for another bonsai....the ones that have been posted all look like good trees to work with.....thank you take care john

Hey John, Yeah...you can get BC from nurseries but the vast majority of the time they will be without any kind of character. I might suggest you look into a collecting trip. Collecting can be a lot of fun and bring a satisfaction with it that no trip to a nursery can ever match. BC are easy to collect and in my experience this is best time of year to get a nice stump.

In fact the wife and I are off to the swamp this morning:) We'll go places before lunch today that the folks from the show "Swamp People" won't even venture:) I hope we just don't have to yell "choot em"!!!

John

"This ting got one ahhhh and it's red, red." Just watched some YouTube clips of Swamp People and it seems like Oor Nessie has some serious competition.

I have a wonderfully surreal mental picture of your trip to the swamp now, John.

Enjoy.

In Florida we collect in Jan.

There aren't any "wild" bald cypress to collect in West Virginia, as far as I know. Maybe in the lowest areas (and there aren't many of those).

JimLewis wrote:There aren't any "wild" bald cypress to collect in West Virginia, as far as I know. Maybe in the lowest areas (and there aren't many of those).

I was responding to the poster from SC who said he was collecting now.

This my BC

I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE,,,,For there post,,Jim is right in w.va i know of no where you could collect a swamp tree!! that is why i ask about ordering some kind already dug and potted..i will see if guy cary has a web site...thanks take care john

It's Guy Guidry and here is his website: http://www.bonsainorthshore.com/www.bonsainorthshore.com/BONSAI_NORTHSHORE_Nursery.html

JimLewis wrote:It's Guy Guidry and here is his website: http://www.bonsainorthshore.com/www.bonsainorthshore.com/BONSAI_NORTHSHORE_Nursery.html

And be prepared to sell a kidney. Don't forget to check with the Florida bonsai nurseries too.

You may also find a good start at a local wholesale or retail nursery. Like the one John showed in that last video, you're looking for and interesting base and maybe some movement in the trunk. Even if it's a 15 or 20 gallon tree, you're still going to be cutting it back and regrowing just like he did.

HA HA Russell,,,thank you Jim ,,,that is why i do not have one now!!! The nursery i live close to has 2 about 3 ft. high and the diameture of a 50 cent piece 119.00 dollars !! i don,t think so... thanks take care john

moyogijohn wrote:HA HA Russell,,,thank you Jim ,,,that is why i do not have one now!!! The nursery i live close to has 2 about 3 ft. high and the diameture of a 50 cent piece 119.00 dollars !! i don,t think so... thanks take care john

That is WAY too much. Don't ever pay that. Here is mine I $50. It was 15 feet tall before I chopped it infront of their eyes:

You could plan a Florida vacation and pick up a nice Cypress on the way home.

Thank you Ryan and Billy,,,your trunk looks pretty good you are off to a good start..i guess that you are not going to do anymore this year??? thanks guys take care john

fiona wrote:"This ting got one ahhhh and it's red, red." Just watched some YouTube clips of Swamp People and it seems like Oor Nessie has some serious competition.

I have a wonderfully surreal mental picture of your trip to the swamp now, John.

Enjoy.

ur sho right abouts tat lil ms Fiona ...them swamp people are sho-real!

It was a good day in the swamp...mys lil boat was full...but I didn't even seeum a gator.



On serious note Mr. John...the very last thing I would do is go to a nursery and buy a tree with no character or taper regardless of the price.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:

JimLewis wrote:There aren't any "wild" bald cypress to collect in West Virginia, as far as I know. Maybe in the lowest areas (and there aren't many of those).

I was responding to the poster from SC who said he was collecting now.

This my BC

Hey Billy...its the poster from SC:)
I was just wondering if they always die back like that when you collect them in Jan?...seems like nearly ever tree I see from Fla. looks just like yours...one side or more is completely dead. I looked at probably a hundred thousand BC today(no joke) and not one of them looked anything like either tree you've posted in this thread. Perhaps the BC are just different in your neck of the woods??

poster from SC

John . . . you have years to play ahead of you. I'd suggest you go to http://www.musserforests.com/prod.asp?p=BAC and order 5 bald cypress whips. They will be about 6-12 inches long and about a half inch in diameter and will cost $12.95 for five plants. They will come bare root. (Or, buy 5 one-year-older plants (15 inches) for about $30 and they will come potted in small pots.) Plant them in a low spot in your yard and water the H out of them, being liberal with the fertilizer. Leave them out all year, but mulch heavily in the winter in W. Va. until they're fully established.

Trim the tops (chop them) a couple or three times every summer. Let side branches grow (you'll cut most of them off when you finally dig it up). You may want to take a sharp shovel and cut the roots around each tree each year to make the final dig a bit easier.

In 3-5 years, they'll be diggable and should have a nice taper. I suggest you dig one up one year, play with it for a couple of years while the others continue to grow, dig another, etc. By the last tree dug you should really know what you are doing and what you want out of a bald cypress and should have a very nice tree. You can sell the others for a tidy profit.

Note: I have brought from Musser Forests several times, most recently this year -- 5 Osage orange, 5 hackberries, and a miscellaneous other plant or two). They are reliable, and all the plants I've bought over the years have lived.

I was just wondering if they always die back like that when you collect them in Jan?...seems like nearly ever tree I see from Fla. looks just like yours...one side or more is completely dead. I looked at probably a hundred thousand BC today(no joke) and not one of them looked anything like either tree you've posted in this thread. Perhaps the BC are just different in your neck of the woods??

I think that we prefer them like this. The one I have was purchased from a collector. I think if we collected a tree without dead wood we would carve it.

Billy

JIM,, I think you are right!! i am going to the site and see what all they have...as far as haveing a long time who knows?? i am 62 now maybe i have a couple of years left....thank you much take care john

Well, you young whippersnapper, I'm nearly 74 and I'm still buying whips.