What's happening here with my weeping cypress?!

7 years ago

20+ old tree with heavy yellowing. We're having a really bad drought but I'm watering the surrounding gardens about 1-2 hours every 2-3 days. We have clay soil. Too much? Too little? Is it too late for this poor tree?! Help!!!

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Comments (5)

Embothrium
7 years ago
Dig in the soil beneath it to check for dust or mud - neither of which it wants.
Sara Malone Zone 9b
7 years ago
Is this Cupressus cashmeriana? It is from Bhutan...I don't know where you are, but check out its native habitat and see how close you come to providing it. Mine look like yours does in this photo from time to time. When they were smaller I would shake all of those dead needles off; can't do that anymore! I suspect that it is drier here than they like. However, once they shed the inner leaves they generally look ok again. If it has new growth, it is probably fine.
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well.. if you chop it off.. that one dies... and eventually it will grow a new one.. because that is what trees do ... beyond that... no one here is going to approve of topping any tree or conifer... which begs the question.. what are you doing here??? care for some overall advice.. or do you just have a hate on for this thing ???? .. lol... give us more facts.. if you want to discuss it... ken
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Water meters in Seattle are computerized - the only time I've ever seen utility workers at a household meter is to clean out one that was clogged with silt and debris, etc. And I doubt you have much to fear from the tree roots disturbing the piping - what you are describing is a very common planting situation. There are all manner of large trees in front yards all over the city and they continue to be planted on a daily basis. The concern about tree roots and underground plumbing seems to be centered with either irrigation or sewage pipes - water lines are big, hefty pipes. If you have concerns regarding the age of your pipes, call Seattle Public Utilites - they will know. Similar concerns regarding foundation issues are largely unfounded as well - if the foundation is structurally sound, the tree/root system will have no adverse impact on it. And the roots of this tree are not overly aggressive in any regard. And while they can get tall, I've not found the growth of these trees to be overly rampant. A line of 6 planted nearly 25 years ago is only in the 30' range. IME, the very narrowly weeping selections like 'Green Arrow', 'Van den Akker' or 'Strict Weeping' seldom ever exceed 30' in height and are immensely suitable to be planted relatively close to a structure. And these tend to be the types of cultivars most often offered in local nurseries and most frequently planted in urban gardens, specifically because of their narrow profile and modest size.
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We have had rain on and off these last few weeks, but not that much. Everything else looks great, including the begonias in the pots.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
interior browning or yellowing is normal and cyclical .. increased by any long term stress ... including winter ... even in warm climes .... the insult could have been a year or 3 ago ...

as noted... the only way to tell whats going on.. is to get under there.. and dig a few 3 to 6 inch holes .. and FIND OUT the status of moisture in the soil ... then act accordingly ...

IMO.. there is no soil issue.. on a 20 year old tree ... the soil itself i mean ... its probably a water issue.. complicated by the soil ...

usually lawn watering is not sufficient for trees .. of which conifers are ...

be nice to know where you are.. and the extent of the drought ....

find out.. then report back.. then we can advise ...

ken
Erin Farr (Niagara Zone 6)
Original Author
7 years ago
I've edited my profile to now include that information.

I'm in the Niagara Region Zone 6. I can't recall the last time we had a good rain. We've only had 2 light drizzles in the past month. Fires are banned in our area. Is there somewhere to check for more specific information?
Embothrium
7 years ago
Nootka cypress. Native primarily to heavy rain and snowfall areas in mountains on the Pacific Slope of North America. But also occurs along rivers in interior mountain valleys, east of the Cascade Crest, where the climate is much drier. Multiple middle-of-nowhere farmhouses, visible from highways in semiarid eastern WA are attended by large planted specimens.

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What's happening here with my weeping cypress?!

Comments (5)

Embothrium

Sara Malone Zone 9b

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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What's happening here with my weeping cypress?!

Comments (5)

Embothrium

Sara Malone Zone 9b

Related Discussions

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Erin Farr (Niagara Zone 6)Original Author

Embothrium

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BUSINESS SERVICES

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Erin Farr (Niagara Zone 6)
Original Author