Central Midwest Gardening: Fall RU 09-Plant swap, 1 by shortleaf

shortleaf wrote:
Okay AuntB, I'll get those Baldcypress seeds. How do you plant seeds? Do you plant outside to cold stratify in the Fall like nature, or in the fridge? I just plant outside in the Fall then they come up in the spring. And I have stored seeds outside thru the Winter, then their stratified and ready to be planted in the Spring. I have stored seeds in the fridge and then planted them in the Spring, but I have done that far less. At room temperature, in my experience, seeds will dry out and makes them unviable. Just so long as they get cold stratified, they are ready to go. Stratify is just a fancy word for what takes place normally in nature, leaving them outside thru the Winter. I don't mean to sound condescending, but maybe it'll help anybody else that might be reading. : )
I know where several mature Baldcypress trees are to get seeds. I know where 2 are at at McCoy park in Independence (those 2 are marked with plaques after Vietnam era local war heroes, you'd think they are fairly young trees by looking at them but they are nearly 40 years old), 2 at Bur Oak Woods park in Blue Springs, 2 at Mt. Washington cemetery in Independence. The Mount Washington cemetery trees are huge, they must be around 100 years old or more. I like visiting that cemetery, its like a paradise for the tree lover!
Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) has excellent Fall color too, it is one of only a few conifers that is deciduous.
I think the Fall color is right up there with Sugar Maple. Get ready for sticky fingers! The Baldcypress seeds come in like these resinous globs of a cone. What I do is just crumble a brown cone up into a big pot or can or something, then in the Spring after they sprouted I'd separate the seedlings. I always had a problem telling the seeds apart from the rest of the cone pieces, so I just planted it all! Heres how I grew mine, thats them in the blue can with a pile of snow on them! lol - http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v243/w4i0a/?action=view&cu...
They make the fingers all sticky and I didn't really want to spend a lot of time looking for the seeds in the cones! lol
After they are potted (if their not planted right away), they require watering every day. I had some in pots expire (my only guess was because I watered them too seldom).
The seed cones on Baldcypress trees are probably on the trees now, just green still. They should be brown enuff by Oct. 3rd. to get them.

Thats a nice Hibiscus 'Snow Queen', the only variegated plant I have is this ficus - http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v243/w4i0a/?action=view&cu...

Thanks for the belated birthday wish, really its just another day! I'll say I'm holding onto 29 because I'm kinda close to 39. "The Quad show"! Sure, just like Octomom's reality show!

Here is the Mount Washington cemetery Baldcypress - http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v243/w4i0a/Mount Washingto...

Here is a photo of the Baldcypress trees at Bur Oak Woods park in Blue Springs, MO., they are much bigger now, nice Fall color (I think that yellow tree to the right is a Tulip Poplar). -

Sure happ, I'd be glad to get you some of those, which ones do you like? I'll try to bring them all to the RU.
Will


This message was edited Aug 20, 2009 12:17 PM