Taxodium distichum
Swamp/Bald Cypress

ERIKA KOHLER

Growth Habit:
Tall tree up to 50 metres. The young trees are conical in shape but as they age the lower branches are lost and the tree becomes round-headed.

The leaves are a fresh, pale green and spirally arranged but are twisted at the base so that they appear to be on a flat plane.

The tree is deciduous and the foliage turns a beautiful reddish-brown in Autumn.
My trees tend to keep their dried leaves right up to the time for new leaves to appear in early Spring.
A curious thing is that some leaves stay just leaves, whilst others grow into branch lets; some branchlets become branches that stay on the tree, whilst others are deciduous and drop with the leaves.

In wet and swampy conditions the trees produce 'knees' up to 1 metre high to assist in root aeration.

Swamp cypresses are long-lived and can reach 500-600 years old. The wood is soft yet durable, not prone to fungal attack.
The flowers are small catkins, followed by small, scaly cones 3cm long.

Potting:
I prefer to work on the Swamp cypress in the dormant period. It does not 'bleed' during this period and the structure of the tree can be seen more clearly.
I also repot in late Winter when all the leaves have dropped and when the new buds will swell and emerge very quickly.
If repotting is done now (early Summer), there is a risk of losing the new buds. It will bud again, but in my opinion, precious time is lost in that way.

The Swamp cypress is a very forgiving tree and will survive very harsh treatment. The only thing that will surely kill your tree is being dried out severely. I lost a beautiful tree that way during a holiday and learned a valuable lesson. If you have to be away, rather place the tree in water for the duration of your absence. Unlike lots of other trees that could get root rot with this treatment, no harm will come to your Swamp cypress.

Normally your Taxodium may be kept outdoors in full sun or semi-shade. Give it lots of water.

Roots:
I have mentioned that in swampy conditions the tree develops 'knees' or breathing 1O0tS. These may be replicated in a pot in the following manner:-

1. Take a root of approximately 1cm in diameter.
2. Shave the underside.
3. Fold it double and tie securely with the shaved undersides touching.
4. The bend should be sticking out above soil level, whilst the end of the root is planted.
5. Secure the fold with cable ties, tape or raffia. An elastic band does not work well because it will become brittle and break.
6. After 6 months check the bent portion to see whether it has fused.

More than one 'knee' may be formed on a root, but remember that the tallest 'knees' are closest to the trunk.

Styles:
Trees are mainly trained in the formal upright style, however other styles are also possible and trunks can be bent while trees are young. To create taper, side branches are bent down in succession and new apices are created out of the up-grown shoots.
The result is a conical shape.

Carry on in this manner until the tree is the desired shape and height.

Trimming of Branches:
Trimming may be done all Summer long. I pinch out the leaves and new shoots as one would do with a juniper. Simply pull out the tips of the new leaves and shoots with your thumb and forefinger.

Twigging is difficult. because the tree has deciduous branchlets. You may think that you are creating twigs but are disappointed to see that in Winter they simply drop off.

Branches form abundantly but tend to stay thin if you keep them all. Select the branches you need and rub off all other buds emerging from the trunk. This removal of new shoots may continue right through the growing season.

Wiring:
Wiring is done through Autumn and Winter. During the active growing season, branches are just trimmed. They thicken very fast. during this time and wire damage will occur too soon and sometimes go undetected.

Repotting:
Repotting is done every two to three years but it also happens that a vigorous tree may start pushing itself out of the pot after only a year - it is obviously then repotting time.

Soil Mix consists of equal parts of loam, sand and compost. A little bone meal may be added.

Organic fertilisers are used every two to three weeks throughout the growing period with a rest in Winter.

It is a lovely tree to grow and is generally pest-free. Air-layering is possible.
I have tried ground-layering with great success and have also succeeded with cuttings. This is particularly useful if you want to create a forest and need small background plants.

[Balance of article can be found in Treeview Vol. 25, No.2, April 2003]