I had two bald cypress trees die last summer from what appeared to be root rot. One had just bee restyled, the other repotted. Both died with sudden branch loss that progressed down the trunk. no help from antifungals.
I am currently growing a test BC that is about 5 years old and was repotted this spring in akadama/shale/pine bark mix. Did not get a big flush of growth this spring, some growth at the apex. It did not respond well to defoliation with only moderate regrowth, mostly at the apex.
Is this typical for Dallas or am I missing something? Thanks
Probably not enough water, I live in San Antonio and the enviroment is comparable. I lived in Dallas as well as Houston all for about 10 years each city. I keep mine alive through the summer by placing it in a basin of water, I use an 14" oil pan that I bought from AutoZone for about $2. Cypress love water and they require a lot of it… Thats why Ryan uses 100% akadama mix in Oregan, water retention. We ve been have 100+ temps for about 10 weeks and just for the past few days have we had temps in the high 90s. My BC has not skipped a beat despite the heat. Also, I would not routinely defoilate a BC it stresses them a lot. They are hardy and resilient, and will bounce back if defoliated but the growth slows tremendously. If your BC is in any state of development then that would not be ideal. Just my 2 cents.
I don’t think it was lack of water, symptoms were more typical of root rot and died in late spring. I have concluded defoliation is not a good idea. Thanks
There’s a lot of talk about submerging BC, …and that makes sense knowing where they come from. I read a book once on BC that mentioned that they grow faster in drought conditions …and are very drought tolerant.
Defoliation of bald cypress works best on the healthiest trees. I don’t live in an area that freezes during the winter, so I cannot say how that affects the trees.
BCs seem to thrive in summer heat only of well watered. Every BC I see if not getting adequate water will drop their leaves and go into dormancy. When it rains for a few days they’ll flush out again. BCs tend to grow near a water source pond, creek, lake, river… Basically they are geared to grow when water is plentiful., they even have adaptations to grow in standing water. Its almost impossible to over water them. That’s why I have mine submerged in a basins of water spring through fall. Never seen a BC flourish through a drought unless it was near or in a water source.