Italian Cypress
CypressLover
Posts: 22
in Plants
Hi all!
I was just wondering how to look after my beautiful new Italian Cypress trees!
I was just wondering how to look after my beautiful new Italian Cypress trees!
Also... I’ve read contrasting articles on whether they will grow fast or slow. Any views here?
I understand they can be up to 30ft
is it fine to “top” them and prune from the sides?
I understand they can be up to 30ft
is it fine to “top” them and prune from the sides?
Many thanks in advance!
Vicky
0
Posts
The growth rate is very much dependent on the environment and how they are looked after but I guess you could expect 2ft/yr give or take a few inches.
I don't think planting them in a raised bed is a good idea though as these tall trees depend on their side roots for stability and deep roots for water, come to think of it I don't think a raised bed is suitable for any tree. Furthermore they can grow over 2 m wide at maturity whereas the spacing between each plant seems to be only around a meter. They also need staking for the first few years to avoid wind damage.
I would have planted them with at least 50% soil which would have provided a firmer base and better drainage. Don't forget that they are Mediterranean and therefore don't like too much water (weather here is not ideal) otherwise they might flop. Having said that as young plants they require more water so probably ok for now when young.
TBH I would remove them now as well as the planter and plant Thuja Occidentalis Smaragd instead. They will grow to 10/12 ft with a growth rate of 1 to 1.5 ft/yr, you can buy 2m ones and probably only need 4 maybe 5, £65 each.
If you want to keep them then your biggest issue will be stability against wind when they reach 10/12ft as there is a risk of flopping.
I agree wirh Elfer re the compost. If you have only just planted them, would it be possible to lift and mix in a good proportion of top soil for longer-term nutrient supply and grit for drainage, then replant them? You will need to water regularly and deeply during the summer and dry periods throughout the rest of the year, for the first two years until they are established, after which they will be drought-tolerant.
As to pruning, you can top them, but it does spoil their columnar shape. Only prune the sides to remove any dead or really wayward branches, the growth of the branches is upright so you can’t really prune or trim as for normal hedging. The traditional method of shaping is to wind sturdy twine or thin wire around in a spiral shape, to stop the branches flopping outwards and encourage their natural upright growth form. They aren’t normally staked, a certain amount of movement helps them to strengthen, but in a raised bed it might help.
@Nollie are yours 1m at the base ie the widest part? How tall are they now? How old are yours?
@Elfer, yes, around a metre at the widest point near the base, and I estimate a height somewhere between 12-15 metres high (they are planted behind mature trees so look shorter than they are). I don’t know how old they are as I inherited them, but judging from old landscaping licences, they were probably planted somewhere from between 1999 - 2004, but how mature the specimens were then I have no idea.