Swamp Cypress

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by andrew curr, Nov 8, 2014.

  1. andrew curr

    andrew curr Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2010
    Messages:
    1,194
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Just been cutting a car tyre off Swamp cypress and noticed there are several lumpy things on the waterward side of the tree pointing up
    Are these suckers or ariel roots
    The tyre had almost choked the tree,but i was able to cut tyre and partially remove tyre (Do you think it would have killed the tree???,, im sure this happens all the time in the everglades)
    Any how blew up my angle grinder so will have a short break from tyre cutting!!!:rofl:
    I guess you could use the tyre tree choking tecnique as a design tecnique!!8)
     
  2. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2011
    Messages:
    1,456
    Likes Received:
    5
    Trophy Points:
    38
    It could girdle it and then kill it, or it could callous over it and seem unperturbed. You never know. Then it might fail years later. No tree is the same and some defy all logic, regularly.

    Don't know about Swamp Cypress but it could be one of its techniques to surviving in water.

     
  3. andrew curr

    andrew curr Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2010
    Messages:
    1,194
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    38
    I think i may have Pneumatophores!!
     
  4. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2011
    Messages:
    1,456
    Likes Received:
    5
    Trophy Points:
    38
    You have knees! Cypress knees!
     
  5. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2013
    Messages:
    1,791
    Likes Received:
    148
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Occupation:
    gardening, reading, etc
    Location:
    near St. Charles, MI, USoA
    Home Page:
    Climate:
    -15C-35C, 10cm rain/mo, clay, full sun, K-G Dfa=x=Dfb
    and he knows how to use them (c.f. ZZTOP).
     
  6. Bryant RedHawk

    Bryant RedHawk Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2014
    Messages:
    607
    Likes Received:
    83
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Arkansas Senior Appraiser
    Location:
    Vilonia, Arkansas, deep in the woods
    Climate:
    USDA zone 7b,8a.
    Those are called knees, they serve the tree's purpose of getting oxygen to the root system. Cypress trees can grow both on dry land and in water, They can not be transplanted from a swampy area to a dry land area or vice versa, their growth patterns are set when they sprout. Cypress knees will proliferate until the tree has enough oxygen getting to the roots. I've seen swamp growing trees with a five foot radius of knees. If the water is at least 2 feet deep the knees will hold bass, bream and catfish, they will also be good areas for crawdad traps.

    anything that girdles a tree will eventually kill it since it functions as a sap stopper. One of the tools I use to remove tree girding trash is a saws all with a bimetal demolition blade. it works very well at cutting steel belted tires and other tough materials that might otherwise kill a tree.
     
  7. Gonhar

    Gonhar Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2013
    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    6
  8. Bryant RedHawk

    Bryant RedHawk Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2014
    Messages:
    607
    Likes Received:
    83
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Arkansas Senior Appraiser
    Location:
    Vilonia, Arkansas, deep in the woods
    Climate:
    USDA zone 7b,8a.
  9. andrew curr

    andrew curr Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2010
    Messages:
    1,194
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    38
    i was using that sort of blade

    8)

    They sound like a good tree for riparian health!
    Thnks for the info!!!
     
  10. Bryant RedHawk

    Bryant RedHawk Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2014
    Messages:
    607
    Likes Received:
    83
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Arkansas Senior Appraiser
    Location:
    Vilonia, Arkansas, deep in the woods
    Climate:
    USDA zone 7b,8a.
    They are very useful trees for building, the wood is resistant to rot and insects and not real heavy. I've seen houses built of cypress and no finish on the exterior that have been around for 80 years. Here they are now listed as protected and only downed trees (or sunk logs) are permitted to be harvested for lumber. I've got a query in to the state to see if I would be able to cut trees I grow from seed for the purpose of growing lumber.

    I am going to plant several at the road front of my property and see how they do, the seed I have gathered are from trees growing on dry land so they should do fairly well in the thin area of my woods (lots of sun on that south facing slope).
     

Share This Page

-->