Fern Leaf Hinoki Cypress?

Hello again everyone,

I bought this monster at a nearby nursery for $10. And to be honest, I went at first to look for a Cotoneaster, so shame on me. The tree is about 3 feet tall and has a nice 2 inch plus trunk. It also has a large amount of backbudding going on on the old wood (this can be seen in the last picture). Which goes against what I have read about these trees. I would like to chop it down low when the right time comes. Would the correct time for a Hinoki be in the spring? And sorry for the pictures, it was hard to get a clear one of the trunk through all of that foliage. Comments?








Ryan

Thats not backbudding, that looks like old growth which has been retained lower down from when the tree was younger. This growth is usually weaker than that on the edges of the tree, but by allowing light into the centre of the tree and pinching back the stronger stuff during the growing season, you might be able to coax it to develop.

You can prune in autumn or early spring, but don't remove more than 1/3 of the foliege when you do. They like a bit more water than other conifers.

Are you sure that's hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa?) It looks like Lawson's Cypress (C. lawsonii).

Cheers

RichLewis wrote:Thats not backbudding, that looks like old growth which has been retained lower down from when the tree was younger. This growth is usually weaker than that on the edges of the tree, but by allowing light into the centre of the tree and pinching back the stronger stuff during the growing season, you might be able to coax it to develop.

You can prune in autumn or early spring, but don't remove more than 1/3 of the foliege when you do. They like a bit more water than other conifers.

Are you sure that's hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa?) It looks like Lawson's Cypress (C. lawsonii).

Cheers

Very interesting, thank you!

It keeps falling down as it is very top heavy. I definitely want to remove a large portion of the top. Since it is autumn now you think I can remove a portion of the top and slip pot it into another pot?

About the ID, I'm not 100% sure if it is a Hinoki. This plant actually did not have an ID tag, but the one next to it did and it had the exact same foliage and trunk to it.

Unfortunately I don't know about your climate; i.e how cold the winters are. In light of this, I would be tempted to wait until spring to slip pot and prune back (no more than 1/3) of the top. If it's topheavy you'll have to tie the tree to it's new pot so it doesn't fall over.

For now, gently run your fingers through the foliege, from the bottom towards the top, to remove the brown foliege. Next year, feed it well and pinch back the tips of over vigorous growth. You might be right about the ID, either way all cypresses are similar in their care requirements. Once the tree has regained strength in future growing seasons, you can then think about styling and root work.

Cheers

That sounds great, thanks for your help!