Spring Pruning of Privacy Trees: Murray & Leyland Cypress
Early Spring, late March and early April in Kentucky is a great time to prune the privacy evergreens.
Although Murray Cypress grows faster than the Leyland Cypress, the Leylands are a better candidate for pruning as it has longer branches than the Murrays.
By this time in early Spring the Cypress have put on several Inches of new growth which will show at the tip of the branches in lighter green color on non-woody stems.
There are 3 main reason to prune Cypress planted for privacy:
- Keep it growing in a preferred direction.
- Increase density as it will bring several new branches where it has been pruned.
- Increase the Sun’s penetration into the center of the tree so the center remains green.
Important note: for inexperienced gardeners it may be a good idea to prune no more than a dozen 12” branches from a 5-6’ tree.
Established Cypress will put on around 4’ of new growth a year, so even if a tree was pruned wrong, it will recover within a few months.
So go ahead, grab a pair of pruning knives and cut off a few small branches! Your tree will be denser, greened and will grow in the direction where you want it!
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