Page 26 - 2019 01 BSF Magazine_v3

the tree and pulled it out with a tow strap. As soon
as the tree is out, try to conserve as much soil as you
can around the root. Place the tree in a container or
plastic bag to keep the roots from drying out. It’s
now safe to top the tree but leave a little bit more
on the top than you will need to help carry and
maneuver the tree into a pot. Then go back to the
hole and back fill the spoil to level out the spot as
much as possible.

A Bald Cypress knocked over by something (probably
that big 4-wheeler) years ago that we collected.

In the Everglades and other south Florida areas,
there is a local type of bald cypress that practically
makes a natural bonsai. They grow very wide and
taper to a short-convoluted top. While these trees
are highly desirable for bonsai, permission to collect
is hard to get. You can sometimes find one for sale
and if you see one, buy it, as many more are not
readily available.

In Central Florida near Lake Mary bald cypress trees
with exotic shapes lurk in deep water. Hurricanes
about 20 to 40 years ago most likely caused the Clockwise, Ben Agresta (top of truck), Todd
damage. Forget collecting these. They’re too big. Pay Gergerson and Rob Kempinski use Ben's Humvee to
attention to size. When in the woods, big trees look help pull and move collected Bald Cypress.
small - until you dig them out and must carry them
back to the road and then must find a bonsai pot for Proper post collecting care will help survival rates.
Over the years I have found that Bald Cypress bonsai
them. I bring a tape measure to make sure this size
do better if the roots are trimmed as soon as
illusion doesn’t cause my “eyes to be too big for my
stomach." The older mature trees have better possible after collecting and placed immediately in a
bonsai pot which is then submerged to its rim in
buttresses but are too big for most bonsai – leave
water. The larger the body of water the better as the
the monsters to nature.
tree can access more nutrients and oxygen in the
water and the temperature change from sunlight is
When collecting, dig a trench around the tree and
expand the trench laterally so that you can access moderated a bit. Another key point is to make
certain the cut roots are completely covered with
under the tree. I have found that a rounded shovel
soil and water so that new roots can form at the top
sharpened with a grinder and file does a great job
cutting through the soft Bald Cypress roots. A solid of the cut root. I have seen many a collected Bald
Cypress that has dead root tops as the roots were
steel shaft landscape shovel also makes short work
not properly covered post collecting. If you can’t
of the lateral roots. If the tree has a tap root, use an
expendable pruning saw (the sand in the ground will submerge the tree, then use heavy soil and cover the
roots with at least three inches of soil and then
quickly dull the blade) to separate the root. Lately
cover that with a 1-inch thick layer of sphagnum
we have used a come-along and winch to apply
pressure to the tree to help separate it. The last moss. Water the tree every time you look at it but at
least daily. More frequent water won’t hurt the tree.
time, we even backed a four-wheel drive Humvee to
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