Taxodium distichum 'Cascade Falls'

Picked this up today and a local place. It seems like it should be staked to ultimate height then let it weep. Does anybody know how fast it might grow? Some of the sites that list it say pretty fast to 20 ft and as wide, but I haven't seen any pics of larger ones.

Bill

I have one. Not fast growing for me. But it's a beautiful tree.

Dybbuk, any ideas where to get really long bamboo for staking locally? How long have you had yours?

Bill

I've had mine 2 years but got it very small. It's now about 4' tall. I've seen tall bamboo stakes, but I can't remember where they were. I'll rack my brain.


Here's a pic of my 'cascade falls'

Willi Mc, Don't know if this would work for you; however, most of the weeping conifers that I have purchased over the years came with re-bar for support. Pretty easy to cut to size at your ultimate height with an ordinary hack saw. Ken

I thought about re-bar but wasn't sure if it would bend/bow with its own weight. I was hoping to stake it up to at least 8-10 ft. Re-bar is probably cheaper also. I'll give that a try. Thanks Ken

Nice tree Dybbuk, I figured you might have one:) Got mine from Geimers.

Bill

OK, Bill, don't let on about knowledge of metals/materials in the vicinity of other engineers...resident metallurgists are hiding in the bushes just waiting to specify.

Rebar ought to work just fine (I'd go for the 0.75-1.0" range for that height), but it will develop the Core-Ten rusty look. Many field growers will use galvanized electrical conduit to train ramrod straight trunks on shade trees. This will give you the shiny steel modern look. Finally, some of the garden supply catalogs offer a lighter weight plastic clad hollow core metal stake in various sizes that are mighty keen (and green).

In any event, when you stake your plant, make sure you provide some sort of buffer between the trunk of your plant and the unforgiving surface of the stake. Otherwise, you'll have a nice wound rubbed into your plant which you don't really want.

Now, should we discuss the expansion/contraction ratio and modulus of elasticity comparison between steel, Al, plastic, and bamboo?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know all about re-bar Vib. Maybe not as much as a metallurgist but enough to know what size to use for what concrete thickness. I have extra 1/2 galv. conduit here, but have to run to the local building supply place anyways for some cedar so maybe I'll pick up a long piece of 3/4" re-bar to use. The rust color should blend in well against the red bark. I did start off school as a ceramic engineer figuring that superconductors would be my future. Then I saw exactly how much chemistry I would be taking. Hello environmental engineering.

Bill

You know I'm just kidding; that was about the sum total of what I remember from those bygone days. I often wonder if I'd still be alive if I'd followed a career into the steel mills of the early '80s.

Good luck with the staking; tell us how it turns out.

I vote for 3/4" galvanized conduit, coated with rustoleum for looks. Comes in 10' lengths and you can even splice additional sections onto the top with those collars they use for long wire runs. Much lighter to handle that rebar, won't crack your skull if it falls on you, and amply rigid for the purpose.

Guy S.

I vote for the conduit as well. I use it to convince those rotten Nyssa sylvatica that they should grow UP instead of sideways with that "central leader".

Kevin, you don't happen to have the weeping Nyssa Sylvatica do you? I have been thinking about getting one of those also.

Bill

I do, but small. No comments on it yet. The regular Nyssa's never seem to want to grow up with a central leader.

I use conduit a lot and it holds up very well, for years.

My Japanese weeping larch is supported by 1" (or so) copper pipe. Looks nice as it is and it's strong, too. Copper also gets a great patina after exposure to the elements.
Mike

Ahhhh crap. Why didn't I think of copper. Maybe I'll make another trip to the store (like I am not there at least once a week anyways). Thanks for the great idea Mike.

Bill

Hi Bill,

Has your 'cascade falls' survived the past few winters? Mine died back to the ground last year and I was wondering if mine was just weak and if I should try another one.

Thanks,

Todd

I always look for bamboo overgrowth in some gardeners area and tell them I will thin it for them. I usually get enough for 4 or 5 years in one grove. But usually I just tell my wife to stand and support the tree until it gets where I want it. Come on guys! Male liberation.

Hey, dybbuk, good to see you 'round these parts.

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