Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Maintain Cryptomeria Trees
How to Maintain Cryptomeria Trees. Cryptomeria japonica trees are tall evergreen conifers that grow up to 60 feet tall with a narrow spread of 20 to 30 feet. A fast-growing and easily maintained conifer, cryptomeria japonica is ideal planted as a specimen tree in the landscape or used to create a tall wind break or visual screen. Maintaining...
Cryptomeria japonica trees are tall evergreen conifers that grow up to 60 feet tall with a narrow spread of 20 to 30 feet. A fast-growing and easily maintained conifer, cryptomeria japonica is ideal planted as a specimen tree in the landscape or used to create a tall wind break or visual screen. Maintaining cryptomeria trees requires minimal maintenance, but as with all landscape trees, a little attention a few times a year will result in a healthy, attractive landscape tree.
Things You'll Need
Mulch
Trowel
Fertilizer
Pruning shears
Tree saw
Spread a 4-inch layer of wood chips, bark or seasoned manure on the soil in a circular area that extends out 2 feet past the outer tips of the branches. Keep the mulch layer 6 inches away from the trunk of the tree.
Reapply the mulch layer under the cryptomeria trees once a year in the spring after the ground thaws. Add enough mulch each year to bring the total mulch layer up to 4 inches.
Water newly planted trees once a week for the first three months with 1 inch of water at each application.
Water established cryptomeria trees when the top 3 to 4 inches of the soil is dry. Dig down 4 inches with a small trowel at the base of the tree to check the moisture levels in the soil. Apply 1 inch of water on a slow soaker setting at each watering.
Fertilize only if the limbs are sparse and the needles are brown or thin looking. Fertilize cryptomeria trees in the spring using a 10-8-6 fertilizer and apply it on top of the mulch layer. Check the fertilizer package to establish the right amount to use.
Soak the mulch layer thoroughly after fertilizing so that it will leach into the ground and penetrate the soil around the cryptomeria roots.
Prune branches that are broken or damaged any time of year. Remove the branches close to the trunk of the tree. Avoid additional pruning to allow cryptomeria japonica to grow into its natural tidy cone shape.
Tips & Warnings
Cryptomeria trees grow well in full sun, partial shade or full shade and deep, nutritious soil with good drainage. Rocky or poor soil is acceptable as long as there is good drainage.
