Bald Cypress - Drying up and droopy - How can I save it?
Jason D
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I bought a small Bald Cypress tree two weeks ago. It’s been doing great for 2 weeks. I watered it 2 days ago with some MiracleGro mixed in. Now it’s been droopy and the leaves are quite brittle.
I repotted it because I thought there may have been a fertilizer “miscalculation“ when I mixed the water and MiracleGr
o. What can I do to save this little tree? I have a water meter and only water when on the verge of dry.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Austin, TX. 95 degrees. Partial sun, mostly shade.
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Growing plants under Bald Cypress tree
Comments (2)Once established, Hellebores can take fairly dry shade - the leaves are attractive in the spring-to-winter period, then you cut them off when you see the flower buds start to grow so you can clearly see the flowers. New leaves will come up after the flowers are done. It WILL give you another winter flower under there, but.... They can take morning sun, but don't like PM sun. Mahonia will take shade, and dryness - you might have to eventually do an annual 'rejuvenation' prune to keep the height to what you want. Indian Hawthorn will take dry shade, as will Carolina jessamine. Delosperma (ice plant) is another possibility. Lamb's ears will do around the edges, although they may spread out into the lawn. Snow-In -Summer is another one for dryness. Penstemons, Dusty Miller, Blue fescue, some Euphorbias, Agastache (maybe too tall), sedums and Wild ageratum can all take at least part shade and dryness. The Wild ageratum is a rampant spreader in good garden conditions, but is better behaved in difficult situations. Mondo grass is another possibility, as is acanthus. The naturalizing cyclamens will also do, once established. SOME ferns will take dry shade - I am not that up on ferns, so will leave it for you to check out. Also, some of the sedges will take dry shade. And ALL of these will need watering until they are established, for however many days, weeks or months that takes....See MoreHelp with Bald Cypress / River Birch location, please.
Comments (9)Thanks so much for all the help. I guess the area isn't really flooded most of the time. Neither tree will be located in the swale directly (that's a violation of the swale law or some such thing). There may be a couple days in which it stays particularly soggy and mushy with some visible surface water, but mored puddled than pond like. Most of the time it's just very damp. There can be some afternoons between July and September in which it almost qualifies as dry on the surface when it's really hot here. However, all yards drain to through mine, and with two water happy neighbors, there is always some moisture. I also have new neighbors since November, and I've no idea what their water habits will be. I did just lose a red maple sapling (Arbor Day twig - free with order) from that area. It broke in half this winter, and it's dead, dead, dead. I had considered putting the birch some place else, and recently decided to put it where the Maple was now that I realize just how moist that area stays, and that the other location does not get nearly the same water and drains much better. I expect I will go ahead with the Birch in site B, closer to the house and deck because I love the graceful look and interesting bark. The dappled shade it provides will be perfect, and the quick growth is appreciated. I'd rather put the slower growing, and potentially larger(? maybe denser is more accurate) cypress towards the rear of our property, more as a background tree. Thanks again. I really appreciate the feedback so quickly. I'm diligent in my research, but still lack confidence. Especially since the red maple worked out so poorly....See MoreBald Cypress
Comments (6)i am in the real SE MI ... adrian.. as compared to those detroit burb hosers who claim to be inches from OH ... lol ... totally and completely bulletproof.. once established... i bought mine.. 14 years ago .. a 6 foot stick in a one gallon pot from big lot ... and it never looked back .. pure sand.. no water after 2 years ... clay is irrelevant to all conifers all but for how you plant it ... ken...See MoreTell me about Bald Cypress
Comments (14)Bald cypress does not require saturated conditions, it will grow in just about anything except desert. The reason it does so well in wet conditions is that it out competes most everything else, in mesic conditions, not so much. BC from northern provenances will stand in zone 4. DR will grow in saturated and seasonally flooded soils, but unlike BC will out compete most everything else in mesic conditions. It doesn't produce knees as BC does. Both species do best in full sun, but will tolerate less. In my experience BC tolerates shade better than DR. In TN BC leafs out before DR, but both have foliage that is tender to frost, and both often suffer cold damage in spring. Both species suffer from Japanese Beetle. In heavy infestations DR suffers more, and will slow it's growth, where BC will grow new foliage and keep on trucking. In a race for the sky, DR will edge out BC in the short run, in the long run, no one knows the ultimate height of DR in this country, it's only been here since the late 1940's. In it's native China there are 120' trees I believe. BC has the potential to reach at least half again that height here, but that may take a millennium. Whether DR is capable of reaching the age of BC here is unknown. BC is the tougher tree in adverse conditions. The above are personal observations in TN over 30 years, YMMV....See MoreJason D
5 years agoJason D
5 years ago
stuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJason D thanked stuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)
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