How to maintain a healthy Cupresseus tree?

[Woodflower71]

💫 Hi all and wishing you all a wonderful Christmas in keeping with the true spirit of this season🎄Speaking of seasons and it being Christmas last week I bought a wonderful living 🎄 and yes I purchased this beauty from Bunnings it’s a Cupresseus and it has a noticeable lemon fragrance…she’s about 1.3 m…I’m wondering how to keep her looking wonderful long term…I’ve not brought such or owned such a beautiful tree before and I want to keep it healthy…one question I have in particular is how will I know when she needs re-potting before she gets too potbound?

Another is with regard to citrus trees… we have a fabulous Myer lemon which has fruited continuously this season she has slowed down considerably…I gave her a good but not harsh pruning early winter..would that be the prob…OR could it be the sweet potatoes I planted at her base two seasons ago to keep the ground cool during Perth’s very hot dry summers?

thank you for reading my post…I’d be 

[EricL · Accepted solution]

Hello @Woodflower71,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your question about how to maintain your newly purchased Cupressus. 

I suggest reading this excellent guide - How to pot a plant by @Noelle. In it, you will get a very good idea of how big your pot should be when you decide to re-pot your tree. Taking care of your Cupressus is straightforward. Make sure to water it thoroughly but allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings. Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly during active growth. Prune the branch tips to maintain their shape and size. 

By keeping the tree pruned, the demands on the root system of the tree will not be so great and it will delay root growth. The larger the tree the more the roots grow. In regards to your Meyer lemon, Poor drainage, lack of sunlight, improper irrigation and lack of care can slow the growth of your lemon tree, causing poor production of fruit. It doesn't help if the soil nutrients are being taken by another plant close to it. I propose moving the sweet potatoes to another location.

I suggest using Scotts Osmocote 500g Citrus & Fruit Controlled Release Fertiliser to replenish the nutrients in the soil. Since you've already pruned the plant, I suggest giving it a chance to catch up and sprout new branches and leaves. Keep your watering habits steady, but make sure not to waterlog the soil.

Let me tag our experienced members @Adam_W, @BradN, and @Noelle for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[BradN]

Hi @Woodflower71 ,

As @EricL said, your lemon tree won't be enjoying the competition from the sweet potatoes. You have the right idea in terms of trying to cover the soil around the tree to keep it cool and moist, but it's better to do it with a mulch, such as lucerne, sugar cane, cypress or wood chips. The mulch will slowly add nutrients to the soil as it decomposes, but the sweet potatoes will suck up water and nutrients very quickly. 

By the way, keep the mulch a good few inches away from the trunk of the tree. If you have mulch piled around the trunk it can keep the trunk too wet and cause fungal disease.

Cheers,

Brad 

[Woodflower71]

Cheers Brad,

Thanks for your replies to my enquiry…for clarifying…what you say makes loads of sense…the Myer Lemon  has been such a heavy producer I had thought that maybe it was just exhausted…but was concerned abt the sweet potatoes presence…your mulching alternative suggestions sound terrific 

Best

Louise

[Woodflower71]

Good Morning Eric,

thank you so much…great advice…I’m hearing you on both counts…makes loads of sense…and I’ll follow up on the link…

Crikey, I now have a next question if you don’t mind …how and when to prune the Cupressus?

Such helpful folk here.

have a top day.

Best

Louise🎄

[Jason]

Hi Louise (@Woodflower71)

Eric will be back on the site tonight to assist, but in the meantime you might find this resource helpful - How to grow and care for conifers.

Hope that helps,

Jason

[EricL]

Hello @Woodflower71 (Louise)

It's perfectly alright, you can ask as many questions as you like, we're here to help. Pruning your Cupressus is more art than science. If you were a hairdresser your objective would be to give your tree a haircut without anyone noticing that it's been given a haircut. 

• The best time to prune your tree is at the end of winter.
• Look for dead branches, dry leaves for a start.
• Cut overly long branches, but don't cut any fresh green shoots.
• Prune from inside the tree in the thick foliage. Always leave your cuts angled up.
• Trim to your desired shape but don't over prune or the tree will get stressed and die.

It takes time to learn the growing pattern of your tree. As time passes you will get a very good idea of how your tree is growing and when and where to prune. Start conservatively, once the tree has established itself you can then make more cuts when necessary. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Eric