How to Grow a Bald Cypress Tree From Seeds

The bald cypress tree fills Southern swamp lands.

The bald cypress, also known as the southern or swamp cypress, typically grows in the southeastern part of the United States. The trees thrive in consistently wet clay or sandy environments. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the slow-growing tree grows up to 120 feet and has a circumference of 3 to 6 feet. Swamps benefit from the bald cypress because their root system, which provides a strong foundation for vegetation and soil to remain during flooding or other disturbances.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Zippered storage bags
• Horticultural vermiculite
• Bald cypress seeds
• Spray bottle
• Peat pots
• Potting soil

1. Lay zippered storage bags on a flat surface. Place a 2- to 3-inch layer of horticultural vermiculite within each bag. Vermiculite is available at most nurseries and garden centers. Clean off seeds of any organic material such as seed-pod pieces or pulp. Place the desired number of seeds into each bag by pushing the seeds with one finger into the center of the vermiculite.

2. Moisten the vermiculite with a spray bottle of water. It is important to not over-water any seed as it may get moldy. If the bag is tipped to the side and water runs out or water is squeezed from the vermiculite, the mixture contains too much water. Place the bags in a refrigerator. The environment should be cold but not to the point of freezing. Allow the bags to sit for approximately three months.

3. Remove the bags from the refrigerator after three months. Pick out the seeds from the vermiculite mixture. Fill a peat pot three-fourths of a way up with a commercial potting soil. Plant one to two seeds in each peat pot. Place the peat pots in a well-lit area such as an area naturally lit by the sun, or put them under artificial grow lights.

4. Provide a well-lighted environment only during daylight hours. Once the seedlings emerge from the soil, water regularly either by spraying the soil with a spray bottle of water or pour water on the base of the peat pots so that the water soaks up through the soil reaching the roots. Once the seedling grows approximately 4-5 inches tall, the pot is transplanted into a true soil environment.

5. Transplant the peat pots to the ground during the tree's dormant months of November through March. Dig a hole and place the peat pot into the moist soil environment. Cover the remaining hole with removed soil just barely covering the top of the peat pot.

Tips & Warnings

• Special tools are available for the transplanting of trees that include special shovels, dibbles and bars specific to tree planting.

• Trees grown in a well-managed and maintained environment grow quickly while trees planted in the natural environment tend to grow at a slower pace.

• The bald cypress only thrives in extremely swampy areas. The tree will die in an area with any dry seasons.

• Protect early or small trees by tree wrapping or placing plastic tubing around the bases of the trees. Swamp environments contain a variety of small animals that eat cypress bark.

References

• United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service; Bald Cypress
• University of Flordia IFAS Extension; Planting Cypress
• Journal of Horticulture and Forestry; Seed Germination Enhancement; Guodong Liu, Yuncong Li, Marion Hedgepeth, Yongshan Wan, Richard E. Roberts; 2009
• Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry;Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich; L. P. Wilhite, J. R. Toliver

Resources

• University of Arkansas: Division of Agriculture; Plant of the Week: Bald Cypress
• Arbor Day Foundation