Taxodium distichum – “Bald Cypress” In A Wholesale Nursery For A good Price



Posted: Thursday, November 12, 2009

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tn nursery

Taxodium distichum, commonly called as the "BALD CYPRESS" is one such grandeur, a deciduous conifer found mostly in the South Eastern United States. It is a very upright, pyramidal and stately tree maturing at about 70'tall and 30'wide under urban conditions where the growth rate is moderate.

Although it is a native of wetlands along running streams, growth is often faster on moist, well-drained soil. It requires ample sunlight and prefers acidic soil but is adaptable to heavy alkaline soils. The needle like leaves are borne on deciduous branchlets, spirally arranged on the stem which are 1-2cm long and 1-2mm broad. They are fine textured, sage green in summer and becoming russet, soft brown to orangish brown in autumn before abscising. Since it is deciduous it loses leaves in winter and hence the name "BALD".

The trunk has a stringy texture and is unusually thick towards the base and slowly tapering to the apex which exfoliates in thin strips with a reddish brown colour. The heartwood of bald cypress is resistant to rot and is relatively maintenance free, requiring pruning only to remove dead wood and unwanted lower branches. It maintains a desirably straight trunk and a moderately dense canopy. They are monoecious having the male and female strobili mature in about 12 months; they are produced from buds in the late fall with pollination in early winter.

After pollination the seed cone forms and matures in a year which is brown in colour and 1"-2" long. The seeds remain viable for less than one year and are dispersed in two ways naturally- by water and by wildlife. Seeds do not germinate under water and rarely germinate on well drained soils. They become established on soil that is continuously saturated but not flooded for one to three months. After germination the seedlings grow quickly often reaching a height of 20-75cm and upto 100cm in fertilized nursery conditions.

Young trees can be transplanted in a form called ball and burlap B & B which is most suitable for deciduous conifers. B & B trees are dug up with their root systems somewhat intact with a little loss of root mass which requires a little pruning as compensation. B & B trees are becoming less available at garden centres or nurseries due to weight and transportation issues.

If planting a ball and burlap tree, dig out an area for the tree that is about 3 to 4 times the diameter of the root ball and the same depth as the root ball. Position the B & B tree in the hole so that the best side faces forward before removing the burlap covering. Untie or remove nails from burlap at top of the ball and pull the burlap back so that it does not stick out of the hole when soil is replaced. Synthetic burlap should be removed as it will not decompose like natural burlap. When replacing the soil in the hole, never amend with less than half original soil and when it is three-fourth refilled, straighten and level the tree to settle the soil. Apply about 3" of mulch over the backfilled area which will help in faster growth to create an excellent landscape interest.

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