How to Plant Cypress? The Latest Cypress Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Cypress is the general term for plants of the cypress family. Cypress includes multiple genera such as Chinese arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis), Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis), false arborvitae (Thuja), and false cypress (Chamaecyparis). Its cultivated range covers almost the entire country, and it is an excellent landscaping tree species. The entire plant is a treasure: the resin, tree oil, fruit, branches and nodes, leaves, seeds, roots, and bark can all be used as medicine, giving it high planting value. Now let us take a look at cypress planting techniques!

Ecological Habits of Cypress

Cypress belongs to the gymnosperm phylum and is mainly distributed in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It likes light, but seedlings and young trees have a certain shade tolerance. It generally grows on the shady side of mountains. It is relatively cold-resistant, has poor wind resistance, is drought-tolerant, likes moisture but is not tolerant of waterlogging, and is tolerant of poor soil. It can grow in soils ranging from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.

Cypress Propagation Methods

Cypress seeds can be stored for about 2 years. They are generally harvested in November, dried in the sun, and stored while strictly preventing moisture. In spring, soak the seeds in warm water at 50-55°C for about 1 hour before sowing, and they will germinate after 2 weeks. Sow in rows or in individual spots, or broadcast sow. First level and irrigate the nursery plot, then sow in individual spots when the surface soil is slightly dry, or broadcast sow after irrigation once the water has seeped down, and then cover with soil. Autumn sowing is also possible, with seedlings emerging the following spring.

Cypress Planting Techniques

When planting, choose smaller seedlings; generally the seedlings should not be taller than 1.5 m. When planting, bury them deeply, water sparingly, and use a wooden stick to help support them. Water once more after a week, and remove the wooden stick after one month. The first leaves produced by cypress are needle-like leaves, later scale-like leaves appear, and after 2 years all are scale-like leaves. Generally, growth is faster in the juvenile and young stages, medium to slower after maturity, and even slower in old trees.

Cypress Pest and Disease Control

1. Chinese arborvitae giant aphid

① Use natural enemies: such as the seven-spot ladybird, harlequin ladybird, sunfly, aphid wasp, large gray hoverfly, green lacewing, and aphid fly. When outbreaks in spring are not severe, try not to spray chemicals; spraying clean water to wash off the insects can protect the reproduction and development of natural enemies later.

② Chemical control: when outbreaks are severe, spray 25% thiamethoxam water-dispersible granules or 20% acetamiprid soluble concentrate at 5000 times dilution. About 20 generations occur each year, the body size is relatively large, and it causes damage year-round. For control, spray 1.2% nicotine and sophora flavescens emulsifiable concentrate at 1000-1500 times dilution, or spray 10% imidacloprid wettable powder at 2000 times dilution.

2. Chinese arborvitae red spider mite

① When it does not affect tree growth and ornamental value, spray clean water to wash them off or spray 0.1-0.3 degree lime sulfur mixture to wash them off.

② Evenly scatter the granules at the bottom of the ditch, cover with soil, and water thoroughly. Or pour 100 times diluted 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate into curved ditches (or open mounds), applying 2-3 kg per cm of trunk diameter, then seal the mound after it seeps in. The effective period is long, the effect is good, it does not pollute the air, and it does not harm natural enemies. For spraying, use acaricides such as 800 times diluted 20% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate or 2000 times diluted 73% propargite emulsifiable concentrate. When spraying, be sure to seize the early outbreak stage, spray evenly, and strive to spray once in early May and once in early October each year, which can basically control mite damage.

3. Chinese arborvitae leaf blight

① In autumn and winter, sweep up diseased leaves under the trees and burn them to remove the source of infection. Eliminate overwintering pathogens and reduce the first infection.

② From May to August, spray 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture once every two weeks for prevention. Pay special attention to strictly controlling primary infection; when primary infection centers are found, block them to prevent spread.

③ Overly dense cypress forests should be appropriately thinned to improve ventilation and light penetration in the forest and reduce conditions for disease development.

4. Chinese arborvitae caterpillar

① Agricultural control: strengthen forest management, prune and fell in a timely and appropriate manner, ring-bark the trees during the pest's overwintering period, burn the bark in a centralized manner, and manually capture the caterpillars when larvae outbreaks occur.

② Physical control: based on the adults' phototaxis, set up black light lamps to trap and kill adults.

③ Biological control: this pest has many natural enemies. When the population is not large, try not to use chemical control, and pay attention to protecting natural enemies, such as releasing parasitic wasps.

④ Chemical control: when larval density is high, treat early. Use aircraft low-volume spraying of 25% chlorbenzuron No. 3 to control larvae, with 23-45 g of pesticide per mu and a spray volume of 10.5 kg; the control effect can reach 98%. Aircraft control should be carried out in sunny weather with wind force below level three. For manual spraying of 25% chlorbenzuron No. 3, a 1:1500 dilution can control larvae with an effect of over 90%. Generally, control should be carried out during the 2nd to 4th instar stages, and a small amount of pyrethroid pesticides can be added as needed.