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| I planted a Bald cypress 2 weeks ago. It's starting to get brown and I'm worried. I don't want to loss it. It's a wonderful tree! My soil is hard clay(yellowish color). The tree is about 8-10' tall, 3" trunk at base, then narrows to a 1.5" trunk. I dug the hole 8" larger then the 18"pot the tree came in. Little deeper than pot pot and filled in good soil & clay mix at bottom and around root ball. I covered it with cypress mulch 3.5' diameter, very thin at base.
We have had drought this summer but has rained some the last couple weeks. I've watered it 4-5 times a week, with a hose, 10 seconds each time. My fear is I've over watered it and the clay has created a bowl and just held the water. But the more I read about the tree, you cant over water it?? I was planning on removing the mulch and digging along side the root ball to see whats going on. I've read other posts but wanted to put in my details. Thanks Denbeau |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| My Bald Cypress turns brown this time of year but comes back in the spring. Martha |
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| It would not ordinarily though be turning brown in August. It probably is going through some transplant shock--especially if it has been hot. (Not a great time for planting by the way but it's already in the ground.) When you do water, you should do so deeply, not sure what if anything 10 seconds of watering is doing. Water just evaporates too quickly from the surface and I don't see how this water-loving tree can be having an excessive water problem under this watering schedule no matter how bad your soil drainage is. I would expect it to get back into leaf in the Spring though. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 13:09
| a ten foot tree... in an 18 inch pot???? whats that all about ... i am going to GUESS.. that you are GUESSING.. that 10 seconds of water is enough to moisten the whole root system .. who knows.. dig a small hole .... AND FIND OUT if there is any water down in the root system ... it is deciduous ... it will lose its leaves.. if really stressed it might go dormant early .. who knows ... but you do have to find out about what is going on in the soil ... NO GUESSING .... ken |
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| I guessed it was 8-10' because I brought it home in a full size cargo van. I can put a full sheet of plywood in it 8'x4'behind the driver seat. This tree went to the windshield! Ok but that includes the pot, not 10' from top of pot which is ground level. So 7-8' planted. 10 seconds of water from hose, with mulch, doesn't evaporate too much. I'll dig my hole and report back tomorrow. |
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| Ok, got off work early! I dug a narrow hole next to the root ball about 20' down. Moved into root ball a bit, it wasn't wet, not totally dry ether, but definitely not wet. I filled it up with water, let it soak up and filled it up with potting soil. I'll use that to make sure it gets water down deep. Would you say keep it wet till fall? |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 18:00
| Den, we ordinarily advocate that no soil amendments be added to backfill. This can cause strange drainage issues and besides, there is no real point to making that tiny little zone of soil real nice when in fact, if the tree is to thrive, it will need to expand its root system far beyond that. Also, planting holes should be dug wide but no deeper than is necessary to set the tree such that its root flare is at or slightly above grade when finished. I don't think these two issues are the cause of the browning though. They can be more long-term issues. I'd suspect your tree has not been watered sufficiently. As has been said, water less often but provide a good soaking when you do water. That's the ticket. +oM |
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- Posted by ilovemytrees 6a Western NY (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 19:37
| 10 SECONDS? LMAO! You're watering a large tree, not a Chia Pet! I planted 20 trees this year. All were 2-3 feet. Each of them get watered 30 MINUTES at a time, 2 times a week at a minimum. If I get a set of 90's a few days in a row then Im getting the hose out... They've grown by leaps and bounds. These aren't trees known for rapid growth either. i think it's because I watered them well and to a lesser degree because I used native soil. Go out and water your tree!!! Think of it as a teenager in puberty. My teenage son is eating me out of house and home and has grown 10 inches in the last couple of years. I can't even imagine giving him 10 seconds of liquid here and there. What living thing, human, tree, you name it, could sustain on that? |
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 21:43
| On the beight side with bald cypress it should be difficult to over water it. Sometime past my height my trees require way more water than the two foot sticks I plant. |
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| Ok going to do the hose trickle method. And soak it good! I can replace the topsoil with original dirt too. I just thought it would help with getting water to the roots faster. I will report back, Thanks! |
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- Posted by ilovemytrees 6a Western NY (My Page) on Wed, Aug 29, 12 at 10:38
| I don't put the hose on trickle. I run it on the "shower" mode of the sprayer nozzle, and I use it at full pressure for 30 minutes twice a week. You want to saturate the whole area around the tree, not just around the trunk itself. The roots are more spread out than that and you want moist soil for them to spread out into. |
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Wed, Aug 29, 12 at 14:14
| I agree with the shower mode but worry that an hour every third day did not help my ten year in the ground metasequoia during our drought this year. It was legit record heat and dry here, something our grandparents had not seen since the dustbowl days. I just turned the sprinkler on for several hours at a time for the trees taller than me. An hour seemed to keep the six footers happy. But your conditions may vary. At least it is difficult to overwater bald cypress. |
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- Posted by formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) (My Page) on Wed, Aug 29, 12 at 17:56
| Mine are submerged lakeside, so I doubt that they can be overwatered! |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Wed, Aug 29, 12 at 18:57
| Den, it may be too late by the time you see this, but I'd not re-dig the poor thing up to change out the soil. That bit was just for future reference. Plus, as long as one is aware of the issues when soil has been amended, I believe success can still be achieved. So if you haven't already, I'd recommend not doing that! +oM |
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| I LOL'd at the "10 second" hose watering too. I have a couple of seedlings (a foot high or less) adapted to semi-arid lands (i.e., Nevada) that I put in the ground in the spring. I dump a gallon of water on each one about once a week. They are mulched with gravel so that they don't dry out too much in between. That should probably give you an idea of where you went wrong with this tree. |
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| This tree doesn't look that bad to me. Yes, there is some browning, but the ends of the branches/growth shoots are green. This tree looks like it is in good shape for a newly transplanted tree. Yes, water deeply, but not every day. I have planted and grown a number of baldcypress trees over the years. They are wonderful trees, but they may take some care--watering in dry spells--for several years. They take time to get fully established and drought resistant. If in some future year it begins to turn brown during a dry spell--water, and don't worry. I had one of mine have almost all its leaves turn brown. And most of them dropped off, in an extreme drought here two years ago. I watered, and it was fine. --spruce |
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| Thanks to all, I think I'm on the right track now. I'll send updated photo when it recovers. Wisconsitom, I didn't dig up the tree, just a hole next to the root ball to determine wet or dry. I refilled it with original soil and soaked it yesterday for an hour, hoses on half pressure. Water at surface around tree and new hole so I know it was full. Will repeat in couple days. Den |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Aug 30, 12 at 8:06
| Will repeat in couple days. ==>> not quite.. you will water again ... when either your finger.. or a new hole.. indicates it drying A BIT ... once your finger figures it out.. then you can quite digging the holes .. the holes can get shallower now.. just and inch of two... if that is drying.. A BIT.. you will know.. there is still water below ... since its sept.. and you know its damp below.. with night temps falling.. the soil simply isnt going to dry as fast as it would a month ago ... but do keep checking.. and 'knowing' ... the wholesaler.. understands how bulletproof these things should be.. though we think the pot was small for height.. obviously.. they dont think its too far out of the realm.. if they all died.. they wouldnt stay in biz... knowledge is power.. and you are now learning.. you will probably win ... ken |
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| I've been soaking it and watering it heavier, for weeks now. I am starting to see some new growth at the tips of the top. Most of the older brown leaves have fallen. But I'm very optimistic with the new growth! Thanks for all the help. Denbeau |
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- Posted by salicaceae z8b FL (My Page) on Tue, Sep 25, 12 at 9:02
| Looks fine to me. That is how most look here where they are native. |
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| Looks like everyone has addressed the issues and things to do in the future. I'd like to point out the color of your tree is the typical fall color. Many times young translplants color up early due to stress. Fall color ranges from brown to rusty orange to red in some rare cases. It depends on soil type and weather conditions. |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Tue, Sep 25, 12 at 21:36
| I know of one exceptionally nice BC that was removed through owner ignorance shortly after it took on that color! No, the ignorant owner was not me. +oM |
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| A true shame as I think the fall color is unique compared to most other trees. Although completely different, but similar, here is my DR from last year.
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| Hello, 7 years ago, our village planted two 6-feet tall Bald Cypress trees on our parkway. One of them has grown to approximately 30 feet tall. The other one looks to be still 6 feet tall - at the most, 7. The needles are always a paler green than the tree which is doing well. We keep thinking it's dying, but it always comes back in the Spring (Zone 5 - Northern Illinois). Four years ago, the village planted another one on our parkway (we're on a corner) and it's already approximately 20 feet tall. Does anyone have a clue what's wrong with our 'dwarf' Bald Cypress ? |
This post was edited by tottart on Sun, May 19, 13 at 15:43
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Sun, May 19, 13 at 21:48
| Tottart, tough to say. Maybe it was planted b&b and the bulap did not decay. Perhaps it is over a bit of a sink hole. I swear, random luck or damage we do not notice during transplant plays a role. If I plant 100 identical trees some just will not make it. If the pigmy dwarf does not look right it is probably easier to replace it. |
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