Bald Cypress Fall Growth - IB2DWS - October 2024

Six years ago, I planted a tiny Bald Cypress tree.  It was a TINY tree.  I mean...tiny.  Pencil-thin trunk with a leader that was four-feet-tall or less.  If you go look at the photos from this post, you can BARELY make the trunk out.   But, that didn't last long.  This tree has grown and grown and grown.  I'd say that this is probably the BEST OUTCOME of any small tree we've planted over the years - and there's more than 100 of them. 

I've chronicled this tree's growth over the years - as recent as last September when I noticed HOW BIG IT HAS GOTTEN.  Two years ago - September of 2022 - the tree was filling out and growing up.  

Over the years, I have barely touched this tree.  However...when I planted it, there wasn't a driveway RIGHT NEXT TO IT.  There is one now.  So, starting this past Winter, I gave it its first dormant pruning - limbing it up just a little bit.  But, mostly just 'shortening' the bottom branches.   The time to do even more pruning is coming as this tree has just continued to grow.

Like my backyard Dawn Redwood, this decidious conifer has experienced a flush of late-Summer/early-Fall needle growth.    There are a few photos below showing this new cluster of needles that have flushed-out late in this Summer/Fall.  They're a more-true green vs the existing needles that have taken on a green/brown color. 

As for the overall tree, the photo below shows the current look - including branching all the way down to the base of the tree.  My plan is to limb-up this tree during the late Winter/early Spring to take off the branching from the ground until about five-feet-up.  There's a peony under there that needs a little relief from the branches full of needles.

To say this tree has thrived here is an understatement.  It provides screening between our properties, but also provides for a softening of this (potentially) *hard*, thin area.