I'm a swamp rat.

[Toraidento]

So I found a nice swamp!!!
I think this is gonna be a great place to find a couple Bald Cypress trees. Every where I looked I wanted to tie ribbons on a tree. Thinking it would be a great bonsai tree. How do you guys control your selfs. Maybe it's just me being such a noob!! I don't want to mark too many, or take too many. I just liked alot of these trees.
What would you guys say some good criteria for being responsible. When it comes to collecting trees. I want a least a couple really nice Ones for myself, I also think if, a few extra come out. I could trade/ or sell to get to improve my collection of other trees.
But I'm definitely in the right spot to find a good tree or two I think. At least it looks good. I have a few months to go through this place before time to dig em.

 

[leatherback]

If you have just started I would recommend going for 1 tree. Collect that. Do it with care and see whether you can get it to live through the ordeal. Seems like no sense to me if you go out, get 10 trees and all die because you have no clue what you are doing.

 

[canoeguide]

What would you guys say some good criteria for being responsible.

Personally, I don't get too broken up about collecting material from regions where there are literally millions of trees. But, just on principle, I wouldn't collect more than what I felt comfortable taking care of. Without much experience, I would limit myself pretty strongly until I felt confident that I wasn't going to be collecting just to kill later.

 

[TyroTinker]

Good advice. Also stay legal even with the extra trouble involved with that... also bone up on what specific things to look for with collected Bald Cypress, just because something looks good at first doesn’t mean it will translate to a good bonsai down the road

 

[Tieball]

I’ve wondered what a Cypress tree swamp area really looked like. Nothing like this around me. But when I do collect any trees....I might mark several....but then I go back through what I marked and narrow it down to the best trees only. If I marked 10 trees I likely go back and select only the best 3-4...those I’d take with me. The rest I leave behind. Be critical for yourself....best trunks. Best root flare. Best height for what you want.

Ive never been in a swamp Cypress area. So....Easy to dig out? Just curious.

 

[Toraidento]

If you have just started I would recommend going for 1 tree. Collect that. Do it with care and see whether you can get it to live through the ordeal. Seems like no sense to me if you go out, get 10 trees and all die because you have no clue what you are doing.

I've got a few off Interstate right of way last year they are going fine. They were under bridges on interstate near here. These have been or will have been chopped by DOT road workers. I got them last year they were my test subjects. I'm going into my 3rd year of growing. Still having issues over watering. I'm having some fungal issues to deal with over the winter. But I think part of that is the aforementioned issue. Picked up some lime sulfur and already had copper fungicide so I'm hoping I can straighten out fungal issues. These issues are on my Maples and needle cast on pines.
But all in all, I'm ready to find atleast one quality Cypress to start working on just. Trying to be responsible and not go hog wild pull 20++ and even older trees out of the ground and them.not be as good as I think they are to others.

 

[Joe Dupre']

A couple of those look like real bruisers. They sometimes get a LOT bigger under the soil line. You start digging an "8 incher", and before you know it , you've tangled with a a 16 incher. Go price a pot big enough to handle a tree that big!!

Looks like a great place to find quality trees.

 

[Toraidento]

A couple of those look like real bruisers. They sometimes get a LOT bigger under the soil line. You start digging an "8 incher", and before you know it , you've tangled with a a 16 incher. Go price a pot big enough to handle a tree that big!!

Looks like a great place to find quality trees.

Yeah a couple of these especially the 2 with the most knees were large maybe to big for me. But damn they look good. I did see similar size from a walk through YouTube video of the Houston bonsai show back last April. Think Bayoubill did his walk thru of it Bonsai on the Bay or something like that

 

[Jzack605]

What fungal issue are you experiencing with your bald cypress?

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

Cypress isn’t dense heavy wood, so you may be able to go a bit bigger. IMO, too many chop cypress far too low, creating a sumo look. I much prefer the natural flat top style that is a much taller tree above the flare. The right tree for this style is the one with the best buttress that tapers to where your can wrap your thumb and fingers around the trunk at the desired chop height. Watch John Geanangel’s YouTube vids on the subject for great info...

 

[Toraidento]

What fungal issue are you experiencing with your bald cypress?

No I have JBP with needle cast. Which is all over South GA. I think I'm gonna have to stay on my pines for ever if I'm gonna grow them. My trident, and JM have Anthacose. ( I know that's not spelled correctly) Which I think is from over water and being lazy sometimes with overhead spraying.

 

[Toraidento]

Cypress isn’t dense heavy wood, so you may be able to go a bit bigger. IMO, too many chop cypress far too low, creating a sumo look. I much prefer the natural flat top style that is a much taller tree above the flare. The right tree for this style is the one with the best buttress that tapers to where your can wrap your thumb and fingers around the trunk at the desired chop height. Watch John Geanangel’s YouTube vids on the subject for great info...

I've watched all of John's videos. That is why I have the Bald Cypress I love those flat top trees. The trees He and Arthur Jora put in the Winter Show last year in Kannapollis, NC. Had the gator in the black water.

 

[Tieball]

I've watched all of John's videos. That is why I have the Bald Cypress I love those flat top trees. The trees He and Arthur Jora put in the Winter Show last year in Kannapollis, NC. Had the gator in the black water.

Ha!......I didn’t think about the gator part when you guys go collecting. It’s not something that comes to mind up north.

 

[Toraidento]

So I went back up there this morning. I guess since I can't quit eating, and I'm diabetic. This walking in the woods is gonna become my exercise routine. I had to go back and mark one of the trees I had pictures of. I ran across this American hornbeam(Carpinus Caroliniana) muscle wood. I think it's cool as hell. But I'm not sure if it will make good Bonsai. Here are some pics what do you guys think? Bonsai or leave alone? It has some very cool roots. Has a knee like deal one one side. But again what's cool to me may not be good material for Bonsai.

 

[Crawforde]

I like it.
If you think you can make a cool tree out of it, go for it.
The base is interesting and it might make a pretty cool tree.
But that’s just me and I like weird stuff from the swamp.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

This is the largest one I would consider collecting. Probably the best of the bunch you posted.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Carolina hornbeam - Carpinus caroliniana - in general make excellent bonsai. The roots on the one you photographed will in the long run be a problem as a bonsai in a pot. I would try to find a similar size tree with a more conventional radial or "spokes on of a wheel" root arrangement. Lumpy and twisty root systems tend to be viewed as flaws in a bonsai show, unless the lumps and twists are particularly attractive.

So keep looking for hornbeam, they are great.

 

[Toraidento]

This is the largest one I would consider collecting. Probably the best of the bunch you posted.

This is the one I went back and marked this morning after looking at my photos

 

[canoeguide]

It has some very cool roots. Has a knee like deal one one side. But again what's cool to me may not be good material for Bonsai.

I don't know enough about hornbeam growth habits to say if this makes any sense, but it might be pretty interesting if that knee could be induced to backbud or take a graft for a smaller secondary trunk. It might never look convincing though.

 

[Toraidento]

I don't know enough about hornbeam growth habits to say if this makes any sense, but it might be pretty interesting if that knee could be induced to backbud or take a graft for a smaller secondary trunk. It might never look convincing though.

I know that American Hornbeam make good Bonsai.
I also know that irregular roots, roots growing down, crossing roots, and non radial roots in general are considered defects.
But I have seen so many collected trees in videos. Some of the Walter Pall videos are some. But in these videos the trees have irregular roots. But are considered great material. This just seemed to be moving towards some of that material. But with only a couple years under my belt it is still a learning process. Especially knowing what is interesting verses, what is considered defects.
I just thought they were cool. But I guess being long, and spread out makes it look funny in a small pot.