Click here to Ask Steve a gardening, plant or nature question (don't forget to tell us where you live!) We can't answer them all, but we'll do the best we can and share the answers with other Floridata visitors in this column.
October just might be the most colorful month in the garden behind Steve's shed. Click here to download a large version if you want to take a closer look.
Steve, I live in Western KY. and have what I believe to be several Bald Cypress trees along a ditch behind my house. I have noticed several seed balls on them. My question to you is when can I harvest these seeds and how I should do it, as well as when and how do I plant them to start them growing in a nursery? I'd really like to start some of these trees so I can plant more of them, they are beautiful.
Feathery foliage and immature cones on bald-cypress
Ronald, those round seed balls on bald-cypress are the cones; they are green at first, then turn brownish purple as they mature in late autumn. Each cone has about 18-30 seeds in it. At maturity, the 4-sided scales that enclose the cone will gradually break off and fall away. Each of those scales bears two irregularly shaped, warty seeds with sharp projecting points.
Most bald-cypress trees produce at least some seeds every year, with "bumper" crops every 3-5 years. Unfortunately, bald-cypress at the northern edge of its range, where you are in Kentucky, often don't have a long enough growing season to ripen a seed crop.
If you are lucky enough to find some mature, brownish purple cones, pick these and spread them out in a dry place until they are dry. You can then break the cones apart to get the seeds. It is almost impossible to separate all the little pieces of cone fragments from the actual seeds, so don't bother trying. Broadcast the seeds and cone fragments on an outside bed (or deep tray of sand) and cover with a shallow layer of sand. If you can do this in the fall, as soon as you harvest and dry the cones and seeds, you should have some little cypress seedlings by the following spring. If you leave the beds or trays outside all winter, mulch them with leaves to protect the emerging seedlings from the coldest weather. If you can't sow the seeds until spring, you will have to pre-chill them in the refrigerator for a couple months during the winter before planting. Some seeds may germinate in as little as 28 days; others may take up to a year or more. When the little seedlings are 3-6 in (7-15 cm) tall, carefully transplant them to larger pots. Wait until they are a couple feet (60 cm) tall before planting out in their ultimate location. Good luck!
