Cypress: planting and care in the open field

Planting a cypress tree and caring for it in the garden is not particularly difficult. Many landscape designers and lovers of ornamental plants use these evergreen trees to decorate gardens, park areas and adjacent areas.

Cypress looks great in both individual and group plantings, and with proper care, it can become a real decoration of the garden.

What is the difference between cypress and cypress

Despite the similarity of names, cypress and Cypress have certain differences, since these are 2 completely different trees, although they belong to the same family. You can distinguish them from each other by the shape of the branches and by the cones. Cypress branches are flatter, and the cone contains only 2 seeds covered with scales. Cypress cones are much larger in size, and the number of seeds in them is much higher. Its needles are not flat, like those of a cypress, but are bordered, vaguely reminiscent of a pencil to the touch.

cypress root system

The root system of the cypress is located mainly horizontally, over time it greatly expands in breadth. At a young age, the roots of this tree grow quite actively, over time this process slows down.

However, when planting, this factor must be taken into account, so neighboring seedlings are planted from each other at a distance of at least 1 or even 2 m so that mature trees do not compete with each other.

How fast does cypress grow?

The growth rate of cypress directly depends on its type, variety, as well as on the quality of care for it. In addition, the growing conditions of the tree, the climatic features of the area, the nature and composition of the soil are important. Depending on all these values, the annual growth of cypress can be from 20 to 70 cm per year. As a rule, fast-growing varieties of this evergreen coniferous tree have the prefix fastigiata (fastigiata) in their name.

What grows cypress

In total, 7 species of cypress are described in nature. In addition, there are several hundred varieties bred for decorative purposes. The largest cypress tree on a trunk in the wild can reach a height of 70 m, while dwarf cultivars are often grown as indoor flowers in pots.

The main growth rates of some types of cypress are shown in the table below:

How cypress hibernates

Most varieties of this tree can withstand frosts down to -20 ° C, and pea-bearing – up to – 25 ° C. This makes it possible to grow them in the southern regions of Our Country. Young plants are more prone to freezing and can hardly withstand temperatures even down to -10 ° C, therefore, in the Moscow region and in central Our Country, cypress wintering in the open field is not allowed.

In these regions, a different tactic is used, growing trees as ornamentals, in tubs or flowerpots. In the warm season, they are put out in the garden, and for the winter they are cleaned indoors.

How to plant a cypress in the country

Cypress is often used as elements of landscape design when decorating gardens, home gardens, adjoining territories, or to decorate summer cottages. They can be planted along alleys, paths, many use it as separate architectural elements of the garden. The cypress looks great on the site as a background for flowers, for example, when growing rose bushes. Before planting a cypress, it is necessary to decide on the choice of the required variety, as well as take into account all the nuances associated with the size of the future tree, its growing conditions and the possibilities for caring for it.

Landing site selection

Cypress does not like heat and bright sun, the best place for it is partial shade. The only exceptions are those varieties whose needles have a golden hue; such trees prefer open sunny places. You should not plant it in the lowlands, where cold air accumulates, frosts are harmful to it. Cypress grows well on light, sandy, slightly acidic soils with sufficient moisture; calcareous and heavy clay soils are not suitable for this tree.

Soil Preparation

Landing pits for cypress should be prepared in advance, in the fall. Usually their depth is 0,7-1 m, diameter – 0,6-0,8 m. It is imperative to lay a drainage layer of broken brick or coarse gravel at the bottom with a layer 0,2 m thick.

The free space between the stones can be covered with sand. To backfill the roots of cypress, a special soil mixture is prepared, consisting of soil, sand, peat and humus, taken in a ratio of 1: 1: 0,5: 1,5.

Preparation of planting material

Cypress seedlings are purchased, as a rule, in specialized stores or nurseries. At the same time, their root system must be closed, that is, the seedling must have a clod of earth on the roots or be sold in a special container. The plant itself should have a healthy appearance, the needles of the tree should be green without brown spots.

Rules for planting cypress

Unlike fruit trees, which are planted mainly in autumn, cypress is usually planted in April or May, sometimes even in early summer. At this time, the soil warms up enough. Before planting, a peg is driven into the bottom near the center of the pit, which will at first serve as a support for the future tree. The soil in the planting pit, as well as the clod of earth, which is located on the roots of the cypress seedling, must be impregnated with Kornevin’s solution (root formation stimulator). After that, the seedling is placed in a planting hole next to the garter peg and covered with nutrient soil, holding it strictly vertically. From time to time, the soil around the tree trunk is slightly compacted so that voids do not form. The root neck should be 10-12 cm above ground level.

The planted plant should be watered abundantly. After the soil has shrunk, it is necessary to add soil so that the root neck of the tree is flush with the ground. The seedling must be tied to a peg to protect it from possible wind damage. The soil of the trunk circle must be mulched with peat, needles or small tree bark, this will significantly reduce moisture loss. After a strong rooting, the tree can be untied from the support, and the peg itself can be pulled out.

Cypress care in the garden

In order for the cypress tree to maintain a beautiful appearance, it needs some care. The following activities are required:

• watering;
• top dressing;
• loosening of the soil;
• mulching of the trunk circle;
• pruning;
• preventive spraying against pests and diseases.

Watering and top dressing

Cypress loves moisture, however, it does not tolerate an excess of it. Mature trees should be watered at least 1-2 times a week at the rate of 1 bucket of water for each. In dry hot weather, this figure should be doubled. Cypress responds well to high humidity, so trees must be sprayed, especially during drought. Young trees are also sprayed with water at this time, as the heat significantly slows down their growth and development. After watering, it is advisable to mulch the soil around the trunk with peat, tree bark or wood chips to reduce moisture evaporation.

For top dressing of cypress, complex mineral fertilizers are most often used, introducing them in the form of an aqueous solution by the root method into the trunk circle of a tree. Usually top dressing is done 1 time in 2 weeks from spring to mid-summer. Since August, fertilization is stopped so as not to stimulate the plant to grow in the pre-winter period.

Trimming

Cypress easily tolerates pruning. For the first time, it is pruned no earlier than a year after disembarkation or transplantation. In the spring, after removing the winter shelter, they carry out sanitary cleaning, cutting off frozen tips and broken branches. At the same time, the forming pruning of the tree is also carried out, giving its crown an appropriate pyramidal or conical shape.

In autumn, after the end of the period of active growth, sanitary pruning is repeated, removing dried or damaged branches. At the same time, the growth of the current year is cut off by 1/3, while maintaining the selected shape of the tree crown.

Cypress transplant

Due to the branched system of horizontal roots, cypress transplantation is fraught with certain difficulties. In order to carry out the procedure painlessly, at least six months before the proposed transplant (or earlier), the tree is dug on a shovel bayonet, gradually cutting its roots. The procedure itself is carried out in the middle of spring. The tree is transplanted along with a clod of earth on the roots, and the sequence of actions is similar to planting a seedling. After transplanting the plant, it is necessary to make it plentiful watering.

Shelter for the winter cypress

The root system of cypress is located close to the surface, and in case of severe freezing of the soil, it can be damaged. To protect it, the root zone around the tree trunk is covered with a thick layer of mulch made from sawdust, fine tree bark or other porous materials. As a shelter for the aerial part of the plant, when preparing the cypress tree for winter, they use spruce branches or build a special shelter around the tree. Most often they are a wooden frame covered with a non-woven covering material.

Reproduction of cypress

You can propagate cypress yourself. To do this, you can use one of the following methods:

• seed;
• grafting;
• layering from the mother tree.

It must be remembered that the seed method will retain only the species characteristics of the tree, all varietal components will be lost. For propagation of varietal species of cypress, vegetative propagation methods, for example, cuttings, should be used.

Reproduction of cypress cuttings

For harvesting cuttings of cypress, side branches of adult trees are used, apical shoots from 5 to 15 cm long are cut off from them. amount of coniferous bark. The nutrient substrate is moistened, then the container is covered with plastic wrap on top, simulating greenhouse conditions. After about 1-1 weeks, the cuttings will root if kept at a constant humidity close to 4%.

It is allowed to plant cuttings in open ground. At the same time, they are covered with plastic bottles with a cut off neck. If rooting goes well, the cuttings can be left in the open field for the winter, having previously covered them. If root formation is weak, the plants are taken for wintering in a warm room.

Layers

To obtain layering, you need to carefully bend one of the lower branches of the cypress tree to the ground. An incision is made at its lowest point, which will later become the center of root formation. To prevent the walls of the cut from closing, a small pebble is inserted between them. The shoot is carefully placed in a dug trench, fixed with a wire clamp and covered with earth. Along with watering the mother tree, the place of the future layering should also be watered.

By autumn, the layering will form its own root system, but you should not rush, you need to leave it to winter with the mother tree. It will be possible to cut it off from the donor branch next spring, in April, and then transplant it to a permanent place in the usual way.

Seeds

Properly collected and dried cypress seeds remain viable for 15 years. They are stratified before planting. To do this, the seeds are placed in a container with a light soil substrate and buried in the snow. You can also use a regular refrigerator. In spring, the container is opened and placed in a warm place (+ 20-23 ° C), well lit, but without direct sunlight. If everything is done correctly, seedlings will appear in a few weeks.

With thickened plantings, seedlings need to dive. As soon as the air temperature is above 0 ° C, the container with planting material must be taken out daily, gradually hardening the plants. After the seedlings get stronger, they are planted in open ground, in a slightly shaded place. Seedlings should spend the first winter under cover.

Why cypress dries

The main reason for the drying of cypress is the lack of moisture. Often the needles of a plant evaporate more water than its roots can absorb. Therefore, it is so important to regularly spray the crown of the tree, especially in hot weather.

If the yellow color that appears on the needles is not associated with the peculiarity of the cypress variety, this may indicate a lack of magnesium in the soil or an excess of calcium. Alkalinization of the soil, which is indicated by an increased content of calcium, can be removed by adding high-moor peat to the soil, which gives an acidic reaction. It is possible to accurately determine the mineral composition of the soil and the level of acidity using chemical analysis.

In addition to insufficient watering and unbalanced nutrition due to poor-quality soil, diseases and pests can be the cause of yellowing and wilting of the cypress.

What to do if the cypress tree dries up

Since there can be several reasons for the drying of cypress, the method of solving the problem must be chosen with this in mind. First of all, you need to eliminate the most obvious – the lack of moisture. To do this, increase watering, increase irrigation of the crown of the tree. If the wilting process does not stop, you need to check the composition of the soil, as well as the presence of diseases in the plant or the appearance of pests.

Diseases and pests

Cypress is sick relatively infrequently. Among diseases, the most dangerous is late blight root rot, which appears due to stagnation of water in the roots of the plant. At the same time, no traces of the disease are observed on the root neck of the tree. Withering begins with individual branches, gradually the whole tree becomes gray and dies. It is possible to fight root rot only at an early stage of its appearance. To do this, the cypress is dug up, the roots are washed, the rot is cut off to a healthy root. At a later stage, such a measure will not help, the tree must be destroyed.

Among the pests that most often attack cypress, the following insects are dangerous:

1. Aphid.
2. Spider mite.
3. Shchitovka.
4. False shield.
5. Thuja mining moth.

To combat these insects, multiple spraying of trees with various preparations is used: acaricides, insecticides, complex broad-spectrum preparations. However, it is not always possible to achieve complete destruction of pests. Sometimes a heavily infested plant has to be dug up and burned to prevent insects from spreading to neighboring trees.

Conclusion

Planting a cypress tree and caring for it in the garden is within the power of not only experienced gardeners, but also beginners. This decorative evergreen tree does not require special attention and care, and agricultural techniques when working with it are the simplest. A positive point is the variety of its varieties, because thanks to this you can always choose the plant that is best suited for decorating a garden, park or backyard.