Cypress Tree Has Few Needles

Question From: Nederland, Texas, United States
Q: My cypress only have a few needles. It is like 20 ft. tall but last spring it was slow getting needles but they finally came. This year it is middle of August and still just about 1/8th of the tree has needles. I put fertilize and new potting soil around a few weeks ago. We have been getting a lot of rain lately but a while back it was dry. The tree is very special to me. I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help the needles open on up.

A: At this point there is little you can do. The time to act was last spring. Needles produce food for the tree. It has been starving all summer. Fertilizer is not food. The best you can do now is to keep the tree watered so the soil says moist but not sodden. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy