Bald Tree Diseases
Bald cypress trees, part of the conifer family, have been around for millions of years and can withstand extremely wet conditions. They grow well along rivers and in swampy areas, and they also have an extremely long life. Some specimens show a life span of 1200 years. But there are several diseases and infestations that affect the bald cypress. Does this Spark an idea?
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Characteristics
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Bald Cypress is a coniferous or cone-bearing tree that grows in wet, swampy areas of the southeastern United States and Mexico. It has been scientifically shown through fossil records that the bald cypress, which consists of three species, was abundant in North America, Europe and Asia during the Tertiary period, which was 60 million years ago. These trees have thickened, vertical extensions of the trunk. The tree's root systems are also unusual, as are meant to secure the tree in the moist soil. Knees or pneumatophores are cone-shaped growths that exist above the anchor roots. It is a deciduous tree and its needles turn brown in the fall and it can reach a height of 148 feet.
Chlorosis
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The bald cypress can develop chlorosis, which is a yellowing of the needles (this typically occurs mid-growing season) due to lack of iron in the soil, or the iron is in a form that the tree cannot access. When this happens, the tree may need a more acidic soil so that it can draw available iron into its system. To treat this problem, add peat moss, sulfur or even used coffee grounds to lower soil pH to a more acidic level.
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Cypress Moths
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If the needles of the tree are marked with lines and webbed together, this is a sign that the cypress moth is present. The larvae of the moth feed on the needles of the bald cypress by tunneling into the tissue. At the end of the summer, as a result, the needles are bound together in webbed bunches. Recommendations for treatment of this infestation include using products that prevent caterpillar infestation, though the moth webs may make it difficult to spray.
Rust Mites
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The rust mite is microscopic and is generally active during warm periods; the warm weather increases its reproduction. This mite will cause the needles of the bald cypress to brown. It is recommended that you treat the tree with carbaryl, dicofol and oxythioquinox. Do not use horticultural oils to control rust mites; the bald cypress is extremely sensitive to these oils.
Twig and Needle Blight
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This is yet another disease of the bald cypress and other conifer trees. It is a fungus that generally attacks when the trees are weakened due to extremes in temperature conditions and/or watering conditions, such as a drought, or if mites are present. The signs of twig blight are spots on the needles, cones and bark. Some twigs may die back during a wet season. This problem, though unsightly, generally does not require treatment. The main thing to remember is to try to keep the tree from becoming stressed.
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