Hello everyone! Happy New Year!
I have an Arizona cypress and I’m wondering if I should treat it like a Monterey cypress, as in pruning, watering, potting media and repotting timing. It seems to have been growing through fall and even winter so far. Ryan’s video on the Monterey said to repot in late January before new growth, but it hasn’t seemed to stop. Also, it seems like it would want less water than a coastal type. Anyone else cultivating these? So far I like it -seems to behave in a predicable manner.
Hi @sunnspot
I don’t grow any Arizona cypress, so I can’t give you any silver bullets. I would take cues from the Monterey video, but be careful not to follow them religiously. Rayan talked about how they deal with a specific tree growing in a specific place in Oregon. I think it is up to us to take that information and the look at our trees and ask “what does the tree want? What do I want to achieve?”
It is tricky, but as I am sure you are aware, you can have 3 trees of the same species next to each other on the same bench, with different needs.
Hi @sunnspot. I have a couple I started from seed a number of years back. They grow fast and have surprisingly fine roots. I use a slightly smaller particle size than for my other conifers due to the fine roots, but just lava and perlite so it drains well. I don’t have to worry about overwatering here in Northern Arizona because the air is pretty dry, but I wouldn’t worry too much. They grow along intermittent streams naturally. They seem to respond well to fertilizer.
One thing to look out for is the brittle branches. They can tear fairly easily, so wire when small. Mine are still pretty immature, so no good styling tips. Have fun!
Thanks for the input! Will take under advisement
I spent the morning amidst AZ cypresses so thought I’d share a few photos of their beautiful bark and natural propensity to form small pads. I would have taken better “whole tree” pics, but had a toddler on back who thought we were taking selfies the whole time. Not prime photo opps
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So cool! Thank you!! I’m really loving this tree.