Accidentally frost-testing some 1 gallon bald cypress

GrimLore

Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you
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So these submerged trees were overlooked. The tub is frozen solid. I am going to learn something about frost tolerance this Winter.

I have posted pictures in the past here of BC frozen solid like yours, submerged. They can handle it BUT take them out of the tub and let them defrost naturally. The reason is if left frozen in Spring AND in full sun they will bud even if still frozen if there is a brief warm spell. If it gets cold again you will have no foliage that season. The safest way to handle submerged growing BC here and as far South as GA is to take them out of submersion in November and put them back in late March. Could be they do the same further South and North but I am not familiar with a lot of submerged growers as I do. They can take the cold but submerged is different, far different as they don't get any defrost and they need air.

Grimmy
 

just.wing.it

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I have posted pictures in the past here of BC frozen solid like yours, submerged. They can handle it BUT take them out of the tub and let them defrost naturally. The reason is if left frozen in Spring AND in full sun they will bud even if still frozen if there is a brief warm spell. If it gets cold again you will have no foliage that season. The safest way to handle submerged growing BC here and as far South as GA is to take them out of submersion in November and put them back in late March. Could be they do the same further South and North but I am not familiar with a lot of submerged growers as I do. They can take the cold but submerged is different, far different as they don't get any defrost and they need air.

Grimmy
That's how I do mine! :D
Thanks Grimmy
 

jeanluc83

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BTW, that photo was taken in a blizzard...That's only the top third of the tree showing. The stack of cinder blocks to the right is four blocks tall...

I always think it's cute when people down south think some flurries are a blizzard ;)

I've had a BC for a couple of years now. It has seen temps below zero with no issues.
 

Zach Smith

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I don't think that's the case. I've been growing larger Louisiana-collected BC for more than 20 years here in Va. and had them withstand temps as low as -4. I'd be more concerned with ice forming around saplings' trunks at the water level. That might pose some girdling problems, but I don't think even that is a real big deal.

I would, however, get those saplings out of that bucket and under some hardwood mulch if the intense cold persists.
Mine have been through 15F with ice and snow and don't seem to mind. A couple of yours came from me, so I take that as proof they're tough as nails in the cold.
 

rockm

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Mine have been through 15F with ice and snow and don't seem to mind. A couple of yours came from me, so I take that as proof they're tough as nails in the cold.
The tree in the photo came from you :) It's tougher than nails.
 

Zach Smith

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@BillsBayou I hope they pull through! I want to buy some bald cypress I sent you a PM

@Zach Smith do you have any available?
I will have collected BC material available come spring. Just go to my website and send me a request to be added to the BC wish list. If you note the size you're looking for, it will help.
 

BillsBayou

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@BillsBayou I hope they pull through! I want to buy some bald cypress I sent you a PM

@Zach Smith do you have any available?
Sadly, I don't ship. @Zach Smith is your best bet. He might even be selling you a tree he got from me!

EDIT TO ADD: Nope. He sold the last of them. He might come raid my backyard again, so watch his site.
 

Zach Smith

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Sadly, I don't ship. @Zach Smith is your best bet. He might even be selling you a tree he got from me!

EDIT TO ADD: Nope. He sold the last of them. He might come raid my backyard again, so watch his site.
I appreciate the mention, Bill. I can feel a return trip in my future. But no more hundred pound monsters, please.
 

BillsBayou

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I appreciate the mention, Bill. I can feel a return trip in my future. But no more hundred pound monsters, please.
Nobody's forcing you to buy those. ;)

It's going to rain on Saturday, and the high is expected in the upper 60s. I'm going to be miserable before and after I get bit by a snake.
 

BillsBayou

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Is this from the coolish 60ish temps or the cardiovascular shock from the snake venom?
It's a combination of the air temperature, the colder water temperature, and the 80% chance of "heavy rain storms". It'll be in the mid to upper 50s at sunrise. I always go in at sunrise. The snakes are asleep when it's too cold for them. Usually, below 60°, they're sluggish. The chance of rain will help as well. Sometimes, on a cold day, the sun will warm a small patch just enough to wake up one of the little bastards. Lack of sunshine helps almost as much as the temperature.

I'm hoping to do this quick. (It's never quick.) I have the GPS coordinates of a tree that caught my eye 2 years ago. I'm going to go in, dig just the one tree (I never dig just one tree), and get out before I'm soaked to the bone.

In 22 years, I've never dug bald cypress in the swamp, in the rain. I do have a waterproof case for my small body camera, but I don't have a waterproof case for my Sennheiser transmitter. I'll do the dig as if I'm doing a silent movie and overlay the video with music.

But, where's there's a Bill, there's a way. Or at least, where there's a Bill and enough cash in the slush fund. I'll likely come up with a costly solution to the audio issue. Maybe I'll put the Zoom H4N into a small Plano or Pelican waterproof case. Or, perhaps a Dry Pak pouch. The sound will likely be better that way. So, instead of a wireless mic, I'll do it hand-held.

Yeah, yeah, I type too much. Your post just got me to thinking about how I'm going to get another dig video while its storming. By the way, I'm also a little bit nuts to do this. What's the worst that can happen? I'm out of site of the edge of the swamp. It's storming raining. Visibility reduced. Even the high ground becomes muck. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.
 

sorce

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I believe this die back has more to do with the pests last year than the winter alone.

All that's left.
20180519_072417.jpg20180519_072430.jpg20180519_072435.jpg

Sorce
 
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