Deciduous swamp cypress

[Beano]

Does anyone have any photos of their swamp cypress “being” deciduous? I have two, one in a bonsai pot and one in a colander in the ground. The one in the pot looks like it’s dying to me. It has struggled for about 9 months since we got a possum but has always shot back green. The one in the ground is ok but has slowed down a lot.

It has been cold. I’m wondering if the potted one is just going dormant. It is still green under the bark.

[shibui]

Swampies turn bronze as they lose leaves.
one of mine has started but others are still green.

P1190142.JPG

Sunburnt swampies tend to go grey/brown instead of red/brown.

It has been cold. I’m wondering if the potted one is just going dormant. It is still green under the bark.

Any tree that loses leaves at this time of year should be considered dormant rather than dead. Don't give up on them until early summer.

[Tambrand]

Tropics here.

Swamp Cypress from Louisiana since 1980, but I have never worked it.
An English friend grew a cutting but I don't know if it still alive on the
island and he left for the UK back in 1983 or so.

Goes Dormant from Christmas and awakens around late February
to mid March.
Laters.
Tambrand

[Raging Bull]

Hi Beano,
I've had my Swampy for just over a year now. In Queensland they do turn colour a little, but mostly just go a bit dormant with very little growth for 2-3 months, so I didn't take any photos of it. Over summer it then grew like topsy and I was continually rubbing off the new shoots where it was back-budding on the trunk. With yours being cooler and and perhaps going dormant I would suggest to cut back on the watering. Keep it moist, but don't have the pot standing in water until spring. They are quite tough and if it's well established a slightly drier regimen wouldn't be detrimental. Any way that's my worth going by my own experience with mine.
Cheers, Frank.

[Beano]

Thank you everyone for the replies, I really appreciate ut. I wanted to post a picture of mine yesterday but it was raining most of the day.

The one in the browny-yellow pot is the one I’m worried about. It was starting to bronze, as it’s been cold, but the new shoots we’re still coming in green. Then we had 3 days of temps around 35, so more green new sprouts, but now it’s all sort of shrivelled. It’s not crispy and shrivelled, the dying green and bronze leaves are still soft.

The other tree is my healthier looking one in the ground, which is only showing bronzing on the lower branches.

[shibui]

I also have some browning leaves on some smaller ones that dried out last weekend while I was away. From the colour of those leaves my guess is that yours has also dried out during that those hot, windy days.
Never give up hope, especially in late summer. Many deciduous trees under stress just go into early dormancy and will shoot as normal in spring or sometimes a little later. I always wait until December before declaring any deciduous trees officially deceased.

[Watto]

One of the great bonsai sayings is appropriate here -
ONE MORE SPRING!

[Beano]

Haha! Thanks Shibui and Watto! I will soldier on with it until December!


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[Beano]

Did a trunk scratch... I think it’s dead. I’ll keep it until summer. The other one is killing off a branch but the rest is still green. This was one of the trees I sprayed aeroguard around the base of to kill weeds, perhaps it didn’t like that (the other trees that got the same treatment are all fine)

[Swampie]

Hi Beano

I wouldn't be too worried about your Swampies at this stage, I live up in the Hunter Valley where the climate is sometimes harsher than Death Valley and mine have also gone the same path as yours a couple of times, just when you are about to read them the last rights and wheel over the green bin they start to shoot again. Two of my Swampies are currently showing similar signs with browning off and looking like they're on their last legs (again) but I'm confident they will bounce back come spring time so it's just business as usual until then (and a hope that I haven't just jinxed myself with overconfidence). I keep my trees in trays of water for about 8 months of the year and they seem to love the hot, humid weather around here, they are still sucking up most of the water tray on a daily basis, these things are absolute sponges.

Cheers
Swampie

[Dean]

Hi Beano

I wouldn't be too worried about your Swampies at this stage, I live up in the Hunter Valley where the climate is sometimes harsher than Death Valley and mine have also gone the same path as yours a couple of times, just when you are about to read them the last rights and wheel over the green bin they start to shoot again. Two of my Swampies are currently showing similar signs with browning off and looking like they're on their last legs (again) but I'm confident they will bounce back come spring time so it's just business as usual until then (and a hope that I haven't just jinxed myself with overconfidence). I keep my trees in trays of water for about 8 months of the year and they seem to love the hot, humid weather around here, they are still sucking up most of the water tray on a daily basis, these things are absolute sponges.

Cheers
Swampie

Taxodium distichum deciduous,Taxodium mucronatum evergreen,yours looks like it's dried out.

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[Jake fowler]

Hey Beano just wondering if there was an update on this cypress? Did it survive? Cheers

[Beano]

No it was dead. I have my other one still and it seems to be doing ok. It’s still having trunk taper built but is just about ready in that regard.

[Jake fowler]

Oh bummer! mine got a bit crispy in the heatwave. I am in Adelaide we had a very hot week late summer. Some of the foilage is still green but some is brown. It has pushed some new green buds but they haven't extended so I hope it has just shut down until spring. Time will tell I guess