Bald cypress trees are long-lived and relatively easy to care for plants. If you've decided on this tree for your yard, you're probably wondering how to plant it. It will be essential to give your new trees enough room to grow to their full height. So, how far apart should you be planting your bald cypress trees? We've done the research and can tell you more about this critical information.
You should plant bald cypress trees anywhere from 15 to 25 feet apart. Placing them closer can create a tall hedgerow if you're planning to grow more than two bald cypress trees. If you don't want the branches of your bald cypress to touch, then you should plant them more than 25 feet apart.
Correctly spacing your bald cypress trees can save you time on transplanting or cutting down your plant later on. Keep reading to learn more about how much room this tree needs to grow, if cypress roots can cause foundation trouble, and more!
Bald Cypress Spacing
When you plant your bald cypress trees at least 15 to 25 feet apart, you give them ample room to grow without competing for soil nutrients and sunlight. Before deciding where to plant your trees, it's essential to know how big they will be once fully grown.
Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) will typically have a canopy spread of around 25 feet. Planting your trees farther apart will ensure that the branches of each tree don't touch. Doing this can help prevent diseases from spreading between the trees.
Planting them closer to 15 feet apart will cause the branches to touch. However, as the trees grow, they will create a hedgerow. Hedgerows are trees or shrubs that are planted close together to form a fence. Hedgerows are popular in European countries and rural locations.
But keep in mind that putting your plants too close together can cause a few problems for your trees.
Dangers Of Planting Them Too Close
Planting trees close together will cause them to use the nutrients in the soil more quickly. Bald cypress trees are susceptible to chlorosis. This disease is when the tree's leaves turn yellow because of a lack of iron. Planting your bald cypress trees too close together can make them more susceptible to this disease.
Another problem is that diseases and pests are more easily spread between the trees. Planting your bald cypress farther away will allow you to correct any issues before it infects your other plants. This can be helpful for quick-acting problems like twig blight and cypress tip moths.
Benefits of Planting Closer
Of course, planting your bald cypress trees closer has its advantages. Trees grown closer together are good for blocking wind, creating more shade, and can make the trees less likely to take wind damage. This is also an easy way to mark property lines.
How to Plant Bald Cypress Trees
Now that you've determined how far apart to plant your trees, it's time to start planting.
Be sure to pick an area that gets at least eight hours of sunlight each day. Bald cypress trees can be grown in many types of soil. However, they do best in moist, acidic soils. Bald cypress grown in alkaline soil are more likely to have an iron deficiency.
To plant a young bald cypress in your yard, you should first inspect the root system and remove any damaged roots. You should also remove any circling roots. This will help your tree grow more healthily.
Now it's time to prepare the ground. Dig a hole twice the width of the container it came in and the same depth. If your tree didn't come in a container, then dig a spot that is twice the width of the root ball.
Place your tree in the hole and fill it halfway with dirt. At this point, you should water the soil. Then, fill the hole the rest of the way and thoroughly saturate the ground again.
Using a watering ring will help keep the dirt surrounding your tree properly hydrated. This can be especially helpful for bald cypress trees because they have a high need for water. A layer of mulch will also help the soil retain moisture.
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How fast do bald cypress trees grow?
Bald cypress trees tend to grow quickly when they are young. Many bald cypress trees have grown to be 12 feet in three years when planted in residential spaces.
These trees can reach up to 68 feet in their natural habitat in 40 years. However, as they age, they tend to stop growing past a certain point. Most bald cypress trees that are 200 years old show little to no signs of growth.
Can cypress tree roots cause foundation trouble?
Bald cypress trees have a shallow root system. You'll typically find these roots within the top 24 inches of soil. The spread of the root system will depend on the tree's overall height. However, it's common for these roots to extend anywhere from 20 to 50 feet before turning down.
Fortunately, it is unlikely that your bald cypress roots will damage your foundation. The Forest Service actually noted that the roots of this tree are less likely to lift sidewalks or curbs as other root systems are.
Of course, just because they are unlikely to damage sidewalks or foundations doesn't mean you should be planting them too close to your home. After all, these are large trees that should be given plenty of room to grow.
Check out this post for more information: Do Bald Cypress Have Invasive Roots?
How much space does a bald cypress need?
In addition to being large, bald cypress trees also have a long lifespan. So, it's essential to be sure that you have the time and space to dedicate to these trees.
Bald cypress trees can reach heights over 100 feet in their natural environment. When used in landscaping, these trees will typically only reach heights between 50 and 75 feet.
Before planting your bald cypress, it will be important to ensure it has adequate space to grow. You should try to avoid planting them too close to any powerlines. Experts recommend planting trees with a mature height over 35 feet at least 50 feet away from any overhead powerlines.
How wide do bald cypress trees grow?
The width of your tree will depend on how tall it grows. However, on average, you can expect a bald cypress tree to have a canopy spread of 20 to 30 feet. These trees will also commonly have a trunk diameter between three and six feet.
It is also possible for bald cypress trees to produce cypress knees. The exact use of these features is still unknown. However, most cypress trees will make them if they grow in flooded environments.
These features can grow up to six feet in height. They can also appear far from the tree. Some knobs have been noted up to 15 feet away.
In Closing
Bald cypress trees will grow into plants that need a lot of room. In order to ensure these plants will thrive, you'll need to plant them anywhere from 15 to 25 feet apart. If you plant them closer together, you risk disease infecting multiple trees, but you'll also grow a hedgerow.
Planting the trees farther apart will lessen the likelihood of diseases spreading between them. Unfortunately, that will require you to have a lot more space to give these trees. Remember that they usually grow around 25 feet wide, so you'll also have to avoid any powerlines or buildings.
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