Gardening Question from Debbie:

We live in the vineyard area in Temecula and have a Mediterranean style property with a long winding driveway and thought planting Cypress along both sides would be a nice focal point leading up to the house.

Here are my questions for you:

• Re: water requirements; I have read two conflicting issues; one I read said that newly planted cypress need to be watered once PER day for the first month to help the root structure; another article said once per month for newly planted Cypress. ??? Which is correct?
• Do we need to stake newly planted cypress? I have read both ~ to stake and not necessary to stake? Which is true Pat?
• Which variety should we get for our area? and what size is best? I like the smooth looking slender variety,,,
• I heard that we should top/prune the tree top when young to produce a stronger root system???? Won’t that damage the tree? I thought “topping” is a no-no.
• Lastly, how far apart should we plant the trees for a long drive?

Thank you in advance for your expertise; always appreciated.

Photo by Sangre-La.com

Answer from Pat:

I love the idea of planting Italian cypress along your long winding driveway. This would be reminiscent of Tuscany and it would be lovely also to plant a grove of olive trees nearby on the hillside so you could look through them to the view beyond.

All trees need frequent deep watering after planting. Also check the drainage in the planting holes prior to planting and additionally soak the holes again before putting in the trees. This avoids the problem of dry surrounding soil pulling water out of the root ball of the trees. if you are planting in heavy clay, be sure to dig about half a coffee can full of gypsum into the earth on the bottom of the hole to increase drainage. It’s also a good idea to place some slow-release plant tabs (such as landscapers use) on the bottom of the hole to fertilize the tree during it’s first year of life. Be sure to loosen up the roots prior to planting if the plants have been in the cans for some time.

My recommendation for watering are no different than for any other tree: Water deeply after planting. Water again the next day deeply and again the next day if rain doesn’t fall. Then water 3 times a week for the next week, twice a week for the following two weeks and after that you can water once a week deeply for the first year or two. After that you can lengthen out the irrigations. In clay soil you might not need to irrigate as much as this but you want to make sure the water goes deeply into the ground since these are deep-rooted trees. Most people err on the side of under-watering newly planted trees and then wonder why they don’t take off as they should.

If I were you I would not stake these trees. if you notice them leaning after a wind, stick them upright again, but this usually won’t happen once the roots are out in the ground. Allowing the trunks to blow about a bit greatly strengthens them. If you have to stake, make sure to do so in three directions so the trees can move. But I don’t think you will need to.

I am glad to hear you like the smooth slender variety since that’s the one that’s easier to get right now. I recommend you purchase ‘Mondale’ Italian cypress—a compact variety but eventually it will grow tall— and make sure your nursery orders them from Monrovia Nursery. If you want to see these, go look at Rogers Nursery and tell them I sent you. You could also go look at Briggs Tree Farm and see what they have matched of the size you want. If I were you I would not purchase any larger than 5 gallon size.

I would not pinch back the tops of these trees until and unless they have reached the height you want. Finally, regarding the distance apart to plant them, that’s up to you. Some people like to create a wall of trees, but I think it looks better to allow for space between them and a chance to look out through them at views and also through them as you look at the drive winding up the hill. I suggest looking at photos, for example in books on Tuscany, and also viewing other similar avenues and see how you like the look. I hesitate to make this choice for you but suggest at least 8 feet apart might be a good choice for this compact variety. Six feet apart might look a little too close as the trees grow, but ten feet apart would fit the old wider variety better than this one. Before deciding I would try to view some similar avenues if I could do so.

Pat

Photo by Francesc_2000