Pruning the Bald Cypress Trees
Time for some pruning and maintenance on the trees at my Bedford, New York farm.
As the owner of a working farm with many gardens, groves, and allees, I am constantly looking at all the plants and trees, making sure they are in perfect condition. Pruning is one of our biggest and most important tasks. Pruning is about more than just looks; proper pruning improves the health of the plants, prevents disease, and encourages better flowering. There are different pruning strategies for different times of the year, but overall the goals are the same - to control the shape, to keep bushes and trees fresh and open, and to allow for better air circulation through the center of the specimen. Yesterday, my gardeners "limbed up" the bald cypress trees - pruned back the low branches to keep them from hitting any cars on the carriage road and to allow enough light to filter down to the plants below.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Across from my winding pergola is a row of towering bald cypress, Taxodium distichum – a deciduous conifer. Though it’s native to swampy areas, the bald cypress is also able to withstand dry, sunny weather and is hardy in USDA climate zones 5 through 10. These trees do so well here at the farm, but they were in need of some good pruning.
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- The leaves are compound and feathery, made up of many small leaflets that are thin and lance-shaped. Each leaflet is less than two inches long, alternating along either side of a central stem. They are a medium green now and turn russet brown in fall. Like trees with leaves, bald cypress trees drop their needles in the fall leaving the tree – well, bald.
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- The bark of the bald cypress is brown to gray and forms long scaly, fibrous ridges on the trunk. Over time, these ridges tend to peel off the trunk in strips.
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- Here, one can see the ribbon-like bark stripping off this bald cypress trunk.
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- These tall, majestic trees have seed pods that are round and about the same size as a walnut.
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- One of the most interesting characteristics of the bald cypress is its knees. Known by the scientific name pneumatophores, these growths are specialized root structures that grow vertically above the moist soil near the tree. It is believed that these structures aid the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in the roots. Looking carefully at the ground, one can see many of these unique knees.
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- Here’s another knee. Some protrude from the ground more than others. They are called knees because they look like a bent human knee when viewed from the side.
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- On one end of the grove, nestled under the canopy of foliage is my Basket House. I had this small structure built shortly after moving to my Bedford farm, so I could have a place to store my large basket collection.
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- Here is a view looking up through the foliage.
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- This carriage road by the bald cypress grove leads to my Winter House driveway. I instructed Ryan and Bryan to limb-up the trees and remove any low inner branches that could get weighed down after heavy rains and brush against passing cars. It was also important not to block any sunlight from the plants below or disturb the open and airy appearance.
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- For pruning the bald cypress, Brian uses this telescoping pole pruner from STIHL. It has a quiet, zero-exhaust emission, and is very lightweight. Plus, with an adjustable shaft, the telescoping pole pruner can cut branches up to 16 feet above the ground.
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- Brian starts by cutting the most obvious low growing branches and checks for dead, broken, and diseased branches that also need to be removed. This can be done at any time of year.
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- He also checks for any crisscrossing branches that need cutting.
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- Regular and thorough pruning gives the branches more circulation and room to grow. Here, Brian cuts the branch at the collar. It’s important to make the cut on the outside of the branch collar, so the wound can heal properly and form a callus.
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- Here, Ryan uses the STIHL GTA 26 garden pruner, which offers impressive high cutting performance, quiet operation, excellent ergonomics, and long battery life in a small hand tool. This mini saw fits right in the palm of one’s hand and is great for smaller jobs and tight spaces. For this branch Ryan makes two cuts to safely remove the limb without stripping any bark. The first cut should be about a third to halfway down the branch. Cutting in sections also prevents splitting and allows the large portion of the branch to fall and not tear into or damage the tree.
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- Then he cuts off the remaining branch by cutting back to the branch collar.
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- It is important to always use sharp tools whenever pruning so that the cuts are clean. Dull tools are difficult to use and could even damage the tree. A straight, clean-cut promotes quick healing of the wound and reduces stress on the specimen.
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- As branches are removed, they’re gathered close to the road, so they can be collected for chipping.
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- Ryan and Brian stop often to assess the shape of the tree and to check where more pruning is needed.
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- Here is a photo from 2010. One can see the bald cypress trees on the left. They are under than 20-feet tall.
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- Here they are in 2013 – much more full in appearance. These trees are slow growers, but they fill out very nicely.
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- And here are the bald cypress trees in 2015. These trees have developed so well over the years.
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- After pruning yesterday, these newly limbed-up bald cypress trees look so much better. Now, there is more space and no inward branches that can block airflow and sunlight from reaching healthy plants below. The bald cypress tree can survive for centuries. These trees will get taller and taller for roughly 200 years, reaching heights up to 150 feet. It is definitely worth all the effort to have well-manicured, healthy trees.
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