cishepard
Shohin
Regarding trunk chopping of nursery stock. My research shows that some suggest this is spring work, before buds open, while others say summer is better, as long as there is time for new growth to establish before frost (90 days is mentioned here and there).
Does anyone have any specific advice for my area? I am on the east coast of Vancouver Island - very similar weather to Seattle. Our first frost is usually around Nov. 1, so 120 days from now, and we are having an unusually hot early summer.
The tree in question is a 5 ft. tall dwarf bald cypress - Taxodium distichum ‘Seacrest’. From what I gather, all the foliage is grafted to the top as the cultivar normally has short, almost bush like growth, developed originally from a witches broom. I can’t see the graft. Presumably the trunk is some more common variety, that will present different foliage.
In many ways, I would love to air layer the tree leaving the top with a 12 to 18” trunk, but I can find very few positive accounts of layering a bald cypress. The cultivars foliage is beautiful, but I did buy the tree for the base, so that is my priority.
So, the questions I hope to have answered are:
Is it worth trying the air layer? Would I risk killing the lower trunk since it has no foliage at this time? And when would you recommend starting that process?
And If I don’t do the layer, should I go ahead and shorten the tree now (and possibly do the roots and repot at the same time) or wait until spring?
Thanks in advance for your insights and advice!
The tree had some very tight tape to attach it to a bamboo pole, which left marks on the tree; I don’t know if these will disappear over time or always be a mar on the trunk of the air layer:
Does anyone have any specific advice for my area? I am on the east coast of Vancouver Island - very similar weather to Seattle. Our first frost is usually around Nov. 1, so 120 days from now, and we are having an unusually hot early summer.
The tree in question is a 5 ft. tall dwarf bald cypress - Taxodium distichum ‘Seacrest’. From what I gather, all the foliage is grafted to the top as the cultivar normally has short, almost bush like growth, developed originally from a witches broom. I can’t see the graft. Presumably the trunk is some more common variety, that will present different foliage.
In many ways, I would love to air layer the tree leaving the top with a 12 to 18” trunk, but I can find very few positive accounts of layering a bald cypress. The cultivars foliage is beautiful, but I did buy the tree for the base, so that is my priority.
So, the questions I hope to have answered are:
Is it worth trying the air layer? Would I risk killing the lower trunk since it has no foliage at this time? And when would you recommend starting that process?
And If I don’t do the layer, should I go ahead and shorten the tree now (and possibly do the roots and repot at the same time) or wait until spring?
Thanks in advance for your insights and advice!
The tree had some very tight tape to attach it to a bamboo pole, which left marks on the tree; I don’t know if these will disappear over time or always be a mar on the trunk of the air layer: