Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Thursday - July 11, 2013
From: Spring Branch, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Watering, Trees
Title: Watering a Montezuma Cypress in Spring Branch, TX
Answered by: Larry Larson
QUESTION:
Live near San Antonio, and have a Montesuma Cypress, 15 ft tall. Great soil. Planted in April, should I keep it moist??? The foliage is getting brown.ANSWER:
You should most certainly keep Taxodium mucronatum (Montezuma bald cypress) moist! I checked its plant record and it said that the Montezuma Cypress is:
Large, needle-leaf, aquatic tree with tall, straight trunk and broad crown of spreading branches and drooping twigs, evergreen or nearly so. Trunk enlarged at base with ridges above; sometimes small knees project from submerged roots.
And for growing conditions it gave:
Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Wet
Now, in a more general sense, here is a set of YouTube videos on watering young trees and also some previous Mr Smarty Plants question/answers. These are aimed at trees that have much more modest water needs, so the routines mentioned here are good, but you should consider this a minimum for a Taxodium mucronatum (Montezuma bald cypress)! You should plan that this one will need a lot of water to be successful!
YouTube Instruction Videos:
Watering Young Trees
Tree Watering Tips for Texas
Mr Smarty Plants Question/Answer Pairs:
Georgetown, TX
Live Oaks in Katy, Texas - Note this paragraph:
"To water, especially in the very hot weather we are experiencing right now, push your hose deep into the (hopefully) soft soil around the roots and let it slowly drip until water comes to the surface. Unless you are getting frequent rains, do this twice a week.
From the Image Gallery
More Trees Questions
Need a shade tree to plant in Houston, TX
November 18, 2013 - Hi, i'm looking for a shade tree to plant on the southwest side of our house, both to make our backyard more enjoyable and to improve energy efficiency. We really like Live Oaks, but they just take t...
view the full question and answer
Transplanting a blue spruce from Pingee Grove IL
August 30, 2012 - Transplant 18" Blue spruce from 5 gal. bucket to ground.
view the full question and answer
Looking for a Privacy Barrier Plant for NC
August 21, 2014 - I am trying to determine the best plant for a privacy barrier for my area in NC that has clay soil. I have a 6 foot high fence but need something 12 feet or taller. It has to be something that does no...
view the full question and answer
Looking for juniper trees (Juniperus ashei) for sale
December 05, 2008 - Does anyone know anyone that sells Juniper trees in pots - the central Texas kind.
view the full question and answer
Powdery Mildew on Monterrey Oak
July 30, 2015 - Monterrey oak developing gray-white patches on some but not all leaves leading to wilting. could this be powdery mildew?
Tree not stressed. Thanks. Best treatment?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |