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Cypress trees are often associated with southern cities and rows of peaked, handsome trees. Indeed, most cypress trees are not only native to the south, but can neither grow nor develop in the conditions of the middle zone. Although Arizona cypress is the most winter-hardy species, it is quite possible to grow it at home, and later try to plant it in open ground.
Description of Arizona cypress
Arizona cypress belongs to the family of the same name, which also includes the well-known arborvitae and junipers. If the well-known evergreen cypress is a huge tree, then its Arizona counterpart rarely reaches more than 20-25 m in height, even in its natural habitat. Its homeland, as you can easily guess, is the mountainous areas in the southwestern United States, mainly in the state of Arizona. Although small areas of its distribution are also found in Texas, Southern California and even Northern Mexico. It lives at altitudes from 1300 to 2400 m above sea level; more northern and colder conditions are not conducive to the survival of the younger generation of cypress trees.Typically in nature it forms mixed plantings with oaks, maples, pines, spruces and poplars. This type of cypress has been known since the mid-19th century, when it was first discovered by botanical science and described in detail by Edward Lee Green.
Over time, Arizona cypress came to Europe, where it is often cultivated. And as a natural habitat, he chose the Crimea and the Carpathian Mountains. In 1885, the seeds of this variety of cypress came to Russia, where they are still cultivated, mainly in the southern regions.
The trees grow quite quickly, especially in young years. At the same time, life expectancy is high; the age of some Arizona cypress trees is hundreds of years and reaches 500-600 years. But such specimens are rare, since the trees are susceptible to fires, which are not uncommon in their homeland.
The trunk of the Arizona cypress is straight when young, but over time it can bend and split into several branches. In young trees up to 10-20 years old, the bark is characterized by an interesting purple hue; it is quite smooth and shiny. Later, wrinkles and cracks begin to form on it, and the color changes to brown. It begins to separate vertically along the trunk into narrow plates. At maturity, the trunk of the Arizona cypress can reach a diameter of 50-70 cm.
The crown in the first half of life is quite dense; many compare its shape to a skittle. But with age, it can become more disheveled and shapeless.
Despite the fact that cypress trees are coniferous plants, their leaves bear little resemblance to needles, but rather to scales. They have a very tiny size, up to 2 mm in length and are pressed tightly against the branches.The branches themselves are located in different planes and therefore form a rather dense, voluminous, but openwork crown. The needles have a grayish-greenish color, in some forms it is frankly bluish with white specks. Contains glands filled with essential oils.
Male and female flowers appear most often in autumn, since the ripening period of seeds can last up to one and a half years. But they open only in the spring. Despite their microscopic size, male flowers can still be seen. They look like small ovoid spikelets at the ends of the branches, a couple of millimeters long. Female bumps are initially completely invisible and have a kidney-shaped shape. After pollination, they grow into round or oblong lumps with an intricate pattern, up to 3 cm in diameter, with convex, hard and thick scales. One cone can contain from 4 to 9 protective scales. As they ripen, they change color from greenish-gray to brown.
Maturation of cypress seeds is quite long, it can last up to 24 months. And even after opening for a long time they do not leave the branches of their parents. All this time, Arizona cypress seeds remain viable.
Of all the cypress trees known to science, it is the Arizona subspecies that has the maximum resistance to frost: they can withstand temperatures down to -25 °C. Of course, this applies primarily to adult specimens. Young seedlings are not so resistant to frost. It is for this reason that they most often do not survive in the wild in more northern regions.But in cultivation, young Arizona cypress plants can be protected to a certain age and thus promote their distribution in relatively northern latitudes.
In addition, growing young seedlings from seeds initially in harsh conditions can help develop even more frost-resistant cypress trees.
An interesting feature of Arizona cypress is its very heavy, dense and durable wood, which can only be compared to walnut. It has a light shade and is often used in carpentry and construction. The wood is resinous, so it is not afraid of rotting. And various insects also avoid products made from Arizona cypress.
Arizona cypress trees have good tolerance to dry conditions, but can be susceptible to rust fungus in high humidity conditions. They are quite light-loving, but young plants can easily tolerate some shading.
Arizona cypress in landscape design
Cypress trees will be welcome guests on any site due to their exquisite appearance with an exotic touch. Arizona cypress is the only tree of its family that can be used for landscaping in the middle zone.
These trees are easy to trim almost from a very young age. Therefore, they can be given any shape and used as a hedge.
About 17 cultural forms of Arizona cypress are known, among which the most popular are:
- Conica – trees with an elongated crown, sensitive to frost and growing no more than 5 m in height.
- Compacta - a variety that is a shrub with a rounded crown.The scales have a bluish-silver tint.
- Fastigiata - a slender tree, distinguished by smoky blue needles and rather large openwork cones. One of the most frost-resistant and resilient varieties of cypress.
- Glauka – trees of relatively small height (up to 4-5 m), with a columnar crown and silvery needles. It is not particularly frost-resistant.
Planting and caring for Arizona cypress
Arizona cypress is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to growing conditions. The only difficulty is the relatively low frost resistance compared to other conifers (pines, spruces). Therefore, when planting in the southern regions, cypress seedlings will require minimal care. Well, in the middle zone, at least 5 years after planting, it is necessary to carefully cover young trees for the winter.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Arizona cypress does not have any special soil requirements. It grows quite well on a variety of types: loam, sand, and even rocky soil.
It is only important that the area for planting it is located on a hill and is not flooded with meltwater in the spring. The groundwater level should also not come close to the surface, since trees frankly do not tolerate swampy lowlands.
Lighting can be anything except deep shadow. However, cypress trees usually grow large enough to be planted in the shade of something. And as young seedlings they can easily tolerate shade, especially in the afternoon.
Arizona cypress should not be planted near noisy and polluted highways - in such conditions it will be difficult for the trees to take root. It is best to use seedlings with a well-preserved earthen ball, since, like most conifers, these trees cannot tolerate exposed roots.
Landing rules
The hole for planting Arizona cypress is dug in such a way that it is twice as deep as the volume of the earthen ball. This must be done so that at least 1/3 of its volume is occupied by drainage. Without it, tree roots that are sensitive to waterlogging can easily rot. Drainage is prepared from broken bricks, ceramic fragments, gravel or crushed stone. A small layer of prepared soil is poured on top of it. It can be composed of equal parts of humus, peat, clay and sand. Cypress will greatly appreciate it if it is possible to add up to 20% of coniferous humus or litter from under any conifers to the soil for planting.
Then an earthen ball is placed in the planting hole along with an Arizona cypress seedling and a wooden stake is stuck in, to which the cypress trunk is tied for the first two to three years. The hole is completely filled with prepared soil and lightly compacted. It is necessary to make sure that the root collar of the cypress is not buried in the ground, but not too exposed.
The distance between neighboring seedlings when planting a hedge of cypress trees should be about 1.5 m. When planting free-standing trees, it is better to leave a distance between them and the nearest buildings or plants of at least 3 m.
Watering and fertilizing
Immediately after planting, young cypress must be watered abundantly. After a few days, when the earth has settled slightly, it is watered again and, if necessary, lightly topped up with soil.
In the future, only seedlings need regular watering in the first year after planting and during particularly dry and hot periods. Plants aged 10 years or more do not particularly need additional watering.
For good and uniform growth, young Arizona cypress seedlings need to be fed fairly regularly. During the active growing season, they are watered once a month with mullein infusion (2 kg per 10 liters of water) with the addition of superphosphate (20 g). It is often convenient to use specialized complex fertilizers for coniferous plants. After the cypress is 5 years old, it is enough to feed it once a season, in the spring.
Arizona cypress trees will also respond well to periodically spraying the needles with water with Epin or another growth stimulant dissolved in it. Young seedlings can be sprayed with water even 2 times a week if the weather is hot and dry.
Mulching and loosening
To protect against weeds and add additional nutrients, mulch the tree trunks of planted cypress. For this, the bark of many trees, fallen pine needles, ordinary straw, peat, and rotted humus will be useful. It is advisable to renew the mulch layer annually in spring or autumn, after slightly loosening the soil under the crown.
Trimming
Arizona cypress pruning should not begin too early. It is better to wait a few years until the seedling takes root well and begins to grow intensively. Annual sanitary pruning is required, during which dry or frozen shoots are removed.
Formative pruning is performed by trimming the tips of the branches to no more than ¼-1/3 of their length. Otherwise, the tree can do more harm than good.But after proper pruning and subsequent feeding, the cypress begins to branch intensively, and the crown becomes thick and beautiful. Professional gardeners manage to give cypress trees completely unique shapes using pruning.
Preparing for winter
When growing Arizona cypress in the conditions of central Russia, it is advisable to completely cover young seedlings with spruce branches and on top with non-woven material for the winter during the first 3-4 years of life. This technique will help ensure their safety. In the future, in the fall, the tree trunk circles should be carefully insulated with any organic matter, so that in the spring the trees will be freed of it at least halfway.
For tall cypress trees, thick snow cover can also pose some danger. It can break branches, so if possible, you should periodically clear them of snow during winter.
Reproduction
This type of cypress is relatively easily propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering.
When growing Arizona cypress, many young plants are obtained from seeds at once, which, moreover, from birth can be hardened and accustomed to frosty winters. For germination, seeds require a stratification period of 2-3 months at temperatures of about + 2-5 °C. The seeds can be placed in damp sand or even simply wrapped in a damp cloth.
Then the stratified cypress seeds are laid out at a depth of about 1 cm in light, moist soil and covered with polyethylene with holes. At a temperature of about + 20 ° C, seedlings most often appear after 2-3 weeks. Germination is usually around 50%.
The sprouts can be planted in separate containers when they reach a height of 5-6 cm. Usually 3-4 year old plants are transplanted into open ground.
Cypress cuttings are cut from semi-lignified shoots that have a small area of bark from an older branch (“heel”). The lower needles are removed by 1/3 of the shoot and left for a day in water with the addition of Epin or Kornevin. Then they are placed 4-5 cm deep in a light nutrient mixture, moistened and covered with a glass jar on top. Under favorable conditions of heat and humidity, the cuttings will take root within a few months.
It is even easier to propagate cypress trees by layering. To do this, choose a seedling with branches close to the ground. They make a cut in it, insert a piece of polyethylene into it and dig it into the ground, not allowing it to dry out for several months, when roots should form from the cut.
Diseases and pests
With proper care and the right planting site, cypress will not hurt at all, since parasites are repelled by the smell of resin from its wood. But if it is over-watered, it can be affected by fungal diseases. For prevention, regular treatments of young plants with phytosporin are used.
Of the insect pests, the most dangerous are spider mites and scale insects. Treatment with Actellik, Fitoverm or any other insecticide will help.
Conclusion
Arizona cypress is a very beautiful tree that can bring southern flavor to any area. At the same time, it is not difficult to grow it; you only need to take care of its shelter for the winter in the first years.
