Dormant Pruning A Bald Cypress - IB2DWS - February 2024
I've been thinking about creating a post that features a list of hard-learned 'Garden Rules' that are absolutes in how I approach working in the garden and yard. That list ebbs-and-flows each season, but one of the items that I KNOW (with certainty) will be on the list is this: Leave newly planted trees alone. Don't prune them for years. Just don't touch them. Don't 'limb-them-up'. Don't do anything. I've learned this the hard way. Thinking that I'd give the tree a better shot at growing up/out faster, I've pruned trees when they were small. Eliminating far too much canopy in one go. That means, for the past five-or-so years, I've followed my own advice and left young trees alone. That includes the small Bald Cypress that I planted IB2DWs back in Fall 2018 . But, a time comes when a young tree needs to get cleaned up. And, this weekend was *that time* for our driveway Bald Cypress. Below is a 'before' photo sho