How to Fertilize Cypresses: Our Method – Sembrar100
When it comes to good conifers, cypresses are sure to put a smile on your face.These are ideal trees for ornamental themes and are also useful for creating hedges in gardens.
Keeping them in perfect condition means giving them the care they deserve and here is the fertilizer for cypresses. Do you know how to do it, what fertilizer to use and how to detect symptoms that they lack nutrients?
If not, here we will tell you everything. We start.
Why is it important to fertilize cypresses?
Cypress trees can be fertilized for different reasons. The one that is usually the main one is to enhance their growth. These conifers tend to develop somewhat slowly which, in many cases, can make their growers nervous.
A proper fertilizer will help their structure form a little faster and if you are using them for hedges, for example, have the space covered soon.
Other reasons that lead to fertilizing cypresses have to do with the health of the plants, since the fertilizer helps keep them free of pests or diseases.
Also, even if the cypresses are planted in fertile land, continuous irrigation and rain will cause the loss of nutrients in the soil. This forces you to compensate them in the most convenient way and that, in short, is through subscriptions.
How often should we pay the cypresses?
For optimal results in the health of the cypresses, the proposal is to fertilize from the beginning of spring, pausing in summer and returning in autumn.
This is because the cypresses need enough nutrients to reactivate after the winter, since below 5º C they do not consume anything.
And if we add to this that spring is when the process of generating buds and flowers begins, even more so. Also, in autumn, they have to prepare for the arrival of winter.
Due to its characteristics, it is not necessary for subscribers to be made very frequently, but rather with sufficient planning. In addition, consider that it is an evergreen tree, so it will not have the energy requirements of the spring season starter that deciduous trees do.
What nutrients do cypresses need?
The main nutrients needed to have cypress trees in excellent condition are nitrogen (N) and magnesium (Mg). In the first case, nitrogen will be responsible for ensuring growth at a good rate and with the ideal characteristics.
Magnesium is strongly linked to the production of chlorophyll, so it will be essential to have very green and beautiful leaves. Potassium and phosphorus, as main macronutrients, are also essential for good nutritional status, especially to withstand winter.
However, being a tree that does not produce flowers or fruits with high energy consumption, they do not have a leading importance as in other species. The good news in all of this is that cypress trees (and conifers in general) are excellent resource managers.
This means that they are able to take advantage of everything they have and distribute it to get the most benefit. This makes it easier for the nutrients provided to them to be consumed according to the requirements of each season.
What type of fertilizers do cypresses need?
Cypress trees are good at responding to nutrients given to them, no matter what specific type of fertilizer they come from.
For this reason, you have the opportunity to take advantage of home-type fertilizers that you could make at home or buy in stores, such as organic matter such as manure, guano or humus.
Another option would be to opt for those commercial fertilizers that are special for conifers, as they will be able to offer the exact nutrients.
In this case, chemical fertilizers are usually more effective in quickly nourishing the cypresses and can be used safely because they do not produce consumable fruit.
These fertilizers can come for slow release, which makes it easier to add nutrients with each irrigation process, so you don’t worry about the task.
How do we prepare fertilizer for cypresses?
The preparation will depend directly on the type of fertilizer you decide to use.
Organic fertilizers
They are specially designed to nourish the soil thoroughly and it is best to open holes in the areas near the roots to incorporate. With this method, the cypresses will capture nutrients from the soil itself, helping both to strengthen it and to take care of the substrate.
chemical fertilizers
They are usually found in a granulated version that is ideal for cypresses. The idea is to open a small shallow area near the base of the tree and place it. This fertilizer must be covered with a little soil to prevent it from decomposing prematurely due to environmental actions.
The use of a chemical fertilizer can give the cypresses the necessary nutrients for up to 3 months.
How do we detect if the cypresses need fertilizer?
There are several conditions that cypresses show when they begin to manifest nutrient deficits that indicate that it is necessary to pay. Some are:
- If the leaves begin to turn brown for no apparent reason, it is probably due to a magnesium deficiency, since this is what is involved in the production of green color (chlorophyll).
- Slow growth may respond to a nitrogen deficit. Here there is an important caveat because cypresses are slow-growing trees by themselves, so you should look for the normal annual rhythm that they should maintain to have a clearer idea.
The fertilization of cypresses is a task that will take little time and in return will offer you many benefits. Thanks to the fact that they have roots that usually expand over a large area of land, you have a greater chance of reaching the nutrients.
So decide which fertilizer you want to work with, prepare the entire space and get ready to give your cypresses all the love they deserve and they will know how to reward you.
Bibliographic references
- Cypress with SALT (selection, fertilizer, light), J Figueres-Ferrer – sidalc.net
- Dendrological and germinative description of the cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa Hartweg) in three treatments in the Community of Puerto Acosta, Camacho Province, P Palli, G Angel – 2011 – sidalc.net
- Effect of three levels of organic fertilization Em Bokashi and two pre-germination treatments in cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) in nursery, IM Paredes Salinas – 2008 – repository.umsa.bo
- Development of a method to control the quality of seedling production in forest nurseries: case study with cypress (Cupressus lusitanica), S Sánchez, O Murillo – Costa Rican Agronomy, 2004 – redalyc.org
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