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Cypresses are often associated with southern cities and rows of peaked, handsome trees. Indeed, most cypresses are not only native to the south, but they can neither grow nor develop in the middle zone. Although the 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, in which there are also well-known thuja 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 highlands 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 in Northern Mexico. It lives at altitudes from 1300 to 2400 m above sea level, more northerly and colder conditions do not contribute to the survival of the young generation of cypress trees. Usually in nature, it forms mixed plantings with oaks, maples, pines, spruces and poplars. This type of cypress has been known since the middle of the 19th century, when it was first discovered for botanical science and described in detail by Edward Lee Green.
Over time, the Arizona cypress came to Europe, where it is often grown in culture. And as a natural habitat, I chose the Crimea and the Carpathian Mountains. In 1885, the seeds of this cypress variety came to Russia, where they are still cultivated, mainly in the southern regions.
Trees are characterized by fairly rapid growth, especially in young years. At the same time, life expectancy is high, the age of some Arizona cypress trees is estimated at hundreds of years and reaches 500-600 years. But such specimens are rare, since trees are prone to fires, which are common in their homeland.
The trunk of the Arizona cypress tree is straight in its youth, 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, the color changes to brown. It begins to stratify vertically along the trunk into narrow plates. In adulthood, the trunk of the Arizona cypress can reach a diameter of 50-70 cm.
The crown in the first half of life is rather thick, many compare it in shape with pins. But with age, she can become more disheveled and shapeless.
Despite the fact that cypresses are conifers, their leaves bear little resemblance to needles, but rather scales. They have a very tiny size, up to 2 mm long and tightly pressed 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 the fall, since the seed ripening period can last up to one and a half years.But they open only in spring. Despite their microscopic size, male flowers can still be seen. They look like small egg-shaped spikelets at the ends of twigs, a couple of millimeters long. At first, female bumps are completely invisible, have a kidney-shaped shape. After pollination, they grow in 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 mature, they change their color from greenish gray to brown.
Ripening of cypress seeds is quite long, it can last up to 24 months. And even after disclosure for a long time, they do not leave the branches of their parents. All this time, the seeds of the Arizona cypress remain viable.
Of all the cypress trees known to science, it is the Arizona subspecies that has the maximum resistance to frost: they can endure up to - 25 ° C. Of course, this applies primarily to adult specimens. Young seedlings are not as frost-resistant. It is for this reason that they most often do not survive in nature in more northern regions. But in culture, young plants of the Arizona cypress can be protected up to a certain age and, thus, promote their distribution in relatively northern latitudes.
In addition, growing young seedlings from seed initially under harsh conditions can help develop even more frost-resistant cypress trees.
An interesting feature of Arizona cypress is a very heavy, dense and durable wood that can only be compared with walnut. It has a light shade and is often used in joinery and construction. The wood is resinous, so it is not afraid of rotting. And various insects also bypass products from the Arizona cypress side.
Arizona cypress trees have good resistance to arid conditions, but in high humidity they can be attacked by rust fungus. They are quite light-requiring, but young plants can tolerate some shading.
Arizona cypress in landscape design
Cypresses will be welcome guests on any site due to their exquisite look with an exotic shade. Arizona cypress is the only tree from the representatives of its family that can be used for landscaping areas in the middle lane.
These trees are easy to cut from a very young age. Therefore, they can be given any shape and used as a hedge.
About 17 cultural forms of the Arizona cypress are known, among which the most popular are:
- Conica - trees with an elongated crown shape, sensitive to frost and growing no more than 5 m in height.
- Compacta - a variety, which is a shrub with a rounded crown shape. The scales are bluish-silvery.
- Fastigiata - a slender tree, distinguished by smoky blue needles and rather large openwork cones. One of the most frost-hardy and resistant cypress varieties.
- Glauka - trees of relatively low height (up to 4-5 m), with a columnar crown and silvery needles. It does not differ in particular frost resistance.
Planting and caring for an Arizona cypress
Arizona cypress is distinguished by its unpretentious growing conditions. The only difficulty is the relatively low frost resistance compared to other conifers (pines, spruces). Therefore, when planted in the southern regions, cypress seedlings will require minimal maintenance. Well, in the middle lane, at least 5 years after planting, it is necessary to carefully cover young trees for the winter.
Seedling and planting plot preparation
Arizona cypress does not have any special requirements for the soil. It grows quite well on a variety of its types: and on loam, and on sand and even on stony soil.
It is only important that the site for its planting is on a hill and not flooded in the spring by melt water. The groundwater level should also not come close to the surface, since trees frankly cannot stand swampy lowlands.
Lighting can be anything other than deep shadow. However, cypresses usually grow long enough to be planted in the shade of something. And with young seedlings, they will quite easily tolerate the shade, especially in the afternoon.
You should not plant Arizona cypress near noisy and gas-polluted roads - in such conditions it will be difficult for trees to take root. It is best to use seedlings with a well-preserved earthen ball, since, like most conifers, these trees cannot tolerate exposing the roots.
Landing rules
A hole for planting an Arizona cypress is dug so that it is twice the size of an earthen coma in depth. 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 rubble. A small layer of ready-made soil is poured over it. It can be composed of equal parts of humus, peat, clay and sand. Cypress will be highly appreciated 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 lump is placed in the planting hole together with the Arizona cypress sapling and a wooden stake is stuck, to which the cypress trunk is tied for the first two to three years. The pit is completely covered with ready-made soil and lightly tamped. It is necessary to make sure that the root collar of the cypress is not buried in the ground, but not too bare.
When planting cypress hedges, the distance between neighboring saplings should be about 1.5 m.When planting detached trees, it is better to leave at least 3 m distance between them and the nearest buildings or plants.
Watering and feeding
Water the young cypress immediately after planting. A few days later, when the earth settles slightly, it is watered again and, if necessary, slightly filled 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.
Young Arizona cypress seedlings need to be fed fairly regularly for good and even growth. During the active growing season, they are watered once a month with mullein infusion (2 kg per 10 l of water) with the addition of superphosphate (20 g). It is often convenient to use specialized complex fertilizers for conifers. After the cypress turns 5 years old, it is enough to feed it 1 time per season, in the spring.
The trees of the Arizona cypress will also react well to the periodic spraying of the needles with water, with Epin or another growth stimulant dissolved in it. Young seedlings can be sprayed with water even at intervals of 2 times a week if the weather is hot and dry.
Mulching and loosening
To protect against weeds and add additional nutrients, mulching of the trunks of the planted cypress is used. For this, the bark of many trees, and fallen needles, and ordinary straw, and peat, and rotted humus, are useful. It is advisable to renew the mulch layer annually in the spring or autumn, after slightly loosening the soil under the crown.
Pruning
Pruning Arizona cypress should not be started 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 mandatory, during which dry or frozen shoots are removed.
Formative pruning is performed by trimming the tips of the branches by no more than ¼-1/3 of their length. Otherwise, the tree can do more harm than good. But after properly 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 by pruning.
Preparing for winter
When growing Arizona cypress in 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 trunks should be carefully insulated with any organic matter in order to free the trees from it at least half in the spring.
For tall cypress trees, a thick snow cover can also pose some danger. It can break branches, so if possible, you should periodically clean them of snow during winter.
Reproduction
This type of cypress is relatively easy to propagate by seeds, cuttings and layering.
When growing Arizona cypress, many young plants are obtained from seeds at once, which, moreover, can be hardened from birth and taught to frosty winters. For germination, seeds need a stratification period of 2-3 months at temperatures around + 2-5 ° C. The seeds can be placed in wet 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 a light moist soil, covered with polyethylene with holes. At a temperature of about + 20 ° C, seedlings most often appear in 2-3 weeks. Germination rate is usually around 50%.
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, which have a small section of the bark of 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 it is placed 4-5 cm in a light nutrient mixture, moistened and covered with a glass jar on top. In favorable conditions of warmth and humidity, the cuttings will give roots in a few months.
It is even easier to propagate cypresses by layering. To do this, choose a seedling with branches close to the ground. An incision is made on it, a piece of polyethylene is inserted into it and dropped into the ground, preventing it from drying out for several months, when roots should form from the incision.
Diseases and pests
With proper care and the right planting site, the cypress will not hurt at all, since the smell of resin from its wood scares off parasites. But with waterlogging, it can be affected by fungal diseases. For prevention, regular treatments with phytosporin of young plants are used.
Of the insect pests, the most dangerous are spider mites and scale insects. Treatment with actellik, phytoverm or any other insecticide will help.
Conclusion
Arizona cypress is a very beautiful tree that can bring a 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.
