Step 1
A fast - mature evergreen plant tree , the Leyland cypress ( X Cupressocyparis leylandii ) is an attractive landscape painting Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that get 60 to 70 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet wide-eyed in a pyramidical shape . The Leyland cypress tree grows best in full sun exposure and in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 through 10 , enjoy spicy summers and milder winters that do n’t experience temperatures colder than -5 degrees Fahrenheit . Leyland cypress tree can look very similar to other coniferous trees , but analyze its leave aid to make a confident recognition of the correct tree diagram specie .
Notice the leaf type to identify the Leyland cypress . This Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has scale - similar foliage that ’s evergreen and has phonograph needle in flatten out nebuliser of " branchlets " along the stems .
Step 2
Identify Leyland cypress tree leaves by how they ’re arranged on the stems . Leyland cypress trees have needle - like leaves that are arranged opposite each other in pairs along the stem .
Step 3
await at the color to recognize Leyland cypress provide . Leyland cypress tree tree diagram have diffuse - green needle leaves that turn bluish - green to moody aristocratic - green as the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree matures .
Step 4
take the length of the scale - like leaves . Leyland cypress tree trees have leaves that are less than 2 inch long , fine and feathery with pointed needles .
Tip
you’re able to also beat the Leyland cypress tree diagram ’s leaves between your fingers to aid discover them . When bruised , the leave should give out an aromatic fragrance .
Warning
Do n’t bedevil the Leyland cypress leaves with those of the Arizona cypress ( Cupressus arizonica var . arizonica ) , which bet rather like because they ’re both scale - like . But the Arizona cypress ’s leave overlap each other intimately and circulate around the branchlets , as well as have a grayish - green , duller coloring .
How to Prune Overgrown Leyland Cypress
write out overgrowth using pruning shear . slenderize the works by up to one - third of its height to further slow , sound growth .
Discard the pruned material , and rip out any vine that may have mire the shrub .
Trim smaller stems using hedge trimming capacitor , fine - tuning the shape as you work . Keep the base of the plant life wide so light reaches all voice of it . The plant should constrict as it goes up into a straight - topped A - anatomy .
How to Care for a Leyland Cypress
opt a smear in your yard for a Leyland cypress tree . They prefer full sun . Soil type does not matter , as the Leyland cypress can brook most soil varieties .
Plant your Leyland cypress in the fall . savvy a hole about three feet rich and two to three feet broad . Place the source orb in the hole and hard fulfill with soil .
While the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is young , water your Leyland cypress two clip a week for ten minutes each lachrymation . Once it is established , water supply it once every two to three weeks for ten minute each watering .
Fertilize your Leyland cypress in the springiness and fall with one loving cup of body of water soluble 10 - 10 - 10 .
Step 5
crop your Leyland cypress in the springtime and downslope . bump off any over reaching or deadened limb and garnish to your desired shape . Most Leyland cypresses are cut back in a columnar configuration .
Soil Conditions for a Leyland Cypress
Importance
right soil circumstance assure that Leyland cypress tree will achieve maximum outgrowth , full branching and structural strong point . Good soil preparation ensures a deep , warm base body structure , maximizing the chances that this often shallow - rooted tree delay hard in place .
Soil Structure
Leyland cypress is well - suited to many soil conditions , tolerating clay , sand and either alkaline or acidic filth . In loose filth , the tree diagram will do good from the addition of a remains - based topsoil . Leylands planted in fleshy soils are more likely to stay in place during high jazz than those found in loose , sandy ground .
Moisture Retention
Leyland cypress ' capacity to endure drought is good , but logical wet will bring forth a quicker - growing flora . Sandy grease amended with compost will improve urine retention . During dry spells , water supply deeply and less often , rather than shallowly and often , to upgrade deep root growth . Mulching hold back wet and shades root .
Nutrition
Leyland cypress tree ' want for nutriment is not great , but it still benefit from a light lotion of evergreen plant tree fertilizer in late free fall to advertise fast growth , good fork and unattackable ascendant growth .
Soil Maintenace
Mulch should be replenished each spring so soils do not dry out . Leaf mould or compost can be used as mulch to retain wet and nourish tree as it offend down .
How to Control the Height of a Leyland Cypress
Find the central leader at the top of the Leyland cypress tree diagram . This is the main vertically originate outgrowth , usually in the center of the tree diagram .
Cut off the central leader with the pruning hook pruner , removing approximately 4 in of height from the branch .
Shear the external edges of the Leyland cypress tree after cut back the primal leader . Remove up to 4 inches from the out-of-door edge of the tree with the hedging shears . This shearing will keep the tree develop in uniform symmetricalness between height and width .
Spray the entire tree liberally with the fungicide nebulizer directly after cut to prevent fungal infection while the tree recovers from the pruning . reiterate the crop-dusting every week for six workweek .
Step 6
Repeat the intact pruning mental process doubly per year in the spring and in the late summertime .
How to Feed a Leyland Cypress
utilize a granular dim dismissal fertiliser in either a 9 - calendar month or 14 - calendar month release full stop pattern . scatter the plant food around the roots arena and out at least a foot past the drip credit line of the cypress . lie down the fertiliser in the other spring to leave class - one shot feeding and repeat when the departure period has concluded . Use the amount recommended on the package label for the acreage to be covered .
Feed leyland cypress with an organic fertilizer , such as fish photographic emulsion , to supplement the work of chemic slow release plant food by add micro - food and stoking microbial action mechanism in the soil . Apply agree to the package focus at least twice , and up to six times , a year .
Water in each fertilizer lotion deeply to meld with the top land and begin the infiltration process of food down into the stain . Keep the grime around your leyland cypress thinly moist to moist at all time and do not allow for the soil to become sear .
Things Needed
Leyland Cypress Tree Information
Size
According to the United States Forest Service , Leyland cypress trees hit a altitude of 50 foot in the westerly United States , and grow somewhat shorter in the easterly United States . These Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree grow 3 to 4 feet per year and have a spread of 15 to 25 feet .
Geography
While Leyland cypress tree trees are n’t native to the United States , they can be witness throughout the western and eastern coast and in the southern central state . Leyland cypress tree tree are hardy in USDA geographical zone 6 to 10A.
Environment
Leyland cypress tree trees can grow in either full sun or part sun . They tolerate a wide range of soil conditions , including either acid or alkalic soil , and can withstand piquant soils . Leyland cypress tree tree are drought - tolerant .
Foliage
Leyland cypress tree Tree expose gentle green needles with a feathery texture . They do not flower , but they brook tiny dark-brown fruit less than 1/2 column inch in sizing .
Problems
Bagworm can strip a Leyland cypress of its foliage within a couple of week . tree diagram that have suffered drought may grow a canker ; this occurs primarily in California , according to the United States Forest Service . Leyland cypress trees can experience foliage fungus .
How to Fertilize a Leyland Cypress
Measure the diam of the Leyland cypress tree tree . Note the measurement in inches . This will maneuver you as to how much fertilizer your tree diagram needs .
Sprinkle a time - spill granular fertilizer with an NPK of 10 - 8 - 6 around the Leyland cypress Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . You will need 1 lb . of plant food for every inch of tree diam . For example , a Leyland cypress tree tree with a diam of 8 inches need 8 pound . of fertilizer .
Rake the granular plant food to immix it 1/4 in late into the stain .
irrigate the fertilized expanse of around the Leyland cypress tree tree . Watering the fertilizer aid it ooze deeper into the soil so that it can be utilized by the tree ’s roots sooner .
Wear gloves to protect your peel when working with a coarse-grained fertilizer .
The Southern Group of State Foresters does not recommend planting Leyland cypress in California , due to the many illustration of pestilence disease on Leyland cypress tree trees in that state .
How Big Does a Leyland Cypress Get?
A Leyland Cypress can get as big as 60 to 70 feet when fully mature . The spread of the tree ranges from 15 to 25 feet .
How to Germinate Cypress Trees
Place moist peat moss in the plastic bag . ensure that the peat moss is moist and not soaking . Place the germ on top of the peat moss and cover with another bed of moist peat moss .
seal off the purse and place it in the refrigerator for at least 10 weeks . arrest the moisture level of the peat moss periodically and add drops of water if it is too ironic .
Pour the seedling mix into the planting tray and water it well , allowing the excess water to drain from the bottom of the tray .
Plant the germ 1/2 inch into the soil and cover lightly with soil .
Place the tray in an expanse that obtain bright ignitor , but not direct sunshine . The amount of water supply the seedlings find is very important . Too much and too will kill the seed . Maintain a moist , not soggy soil .
Cypress seeds may take from 30 to 90 days to sprout . The seedling must maturate for another 3 months prior to plant permanently .
How Big Is a Leyland Cypress Root System?
The Leyland cypress Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has a shallow dual ascendent system . The main beginning spread out approximately 40 foot , with the minor roots extending 67 feet or more on a fully grown Lyland cypress tree .
