The Italian Cypress is an excellent decorative tree for the garden. If you have any concerns regarding the beauty of your garden, you can plant some Italian cypress around the garden. They will beautify your garden with an aesthetic look.
I always prefer to grow some Italian cypress around or around the corner of my garden. I don’t need to invest in growing flowers or other unnecessary trees to decorate the garden. If you want to know about the root system of this plant, keep reading.
Italian Cypress Root System Explained
Most Italian Cypress has a fibrous root system which is not invasive. It’s a shallow root system that will try to be near the surface. But some Italian cypresses might go deep into the soil and will be an excellent choice for the gardener. It will not take the space by the roots.
Although this plant has a non-invasive root system, you cannot expect it to control the root system without planning. You must have a plan for deep-rooted Italian Cypress that might be an excellent choice for you.
When you have deep-root system cypress trees, they might be invasive to some extent.
Notably, Cypress with 12 inches or more deep roots might have an invasive root system. You may not be allowed to plant these trees in an open field; you must be careful regarding the invasive root. So, it’s always a safe practice to plant these trees in a closed container.
It will not have any flexibility to go deeper and spread like the invasive tree. You can also follow some precautions to buy the non-invasive types of Italian Cypress. You may ask your seller to be sure about its root system so that you can plant it accordingly.
You don’t have any chance to control the invasive root systems if they grow and multiply in number. That’s why you must be careful about its growth and root system.
Luckily, you won’t have too wide varieties of Italian Cypress; therefore, you can expect to get the standard type of Italian Cypress.
Here, I found two types of Italian Cypress that people mostly grow in their gardens. If you think of growing any of them, you should know their root system. So that you will have a clear picture of them and you can decide which one you should avoid and which is your perfect match.
Blue Italian cypress:
The blue Italian Cypress is considered the regular and the best quality cypress tree. They will decorate your garden as you want and will be your best tree. However, the blue Italian Cypress has a deep root system which will be fibrous.
But you must protect your blue Italian Cypress from spite mite and overwatering. These two are the worst foes of growing any cypress in your garden. Besides, the cypress trees will have non-invasive roots, which might be good for you.
Dwarf Italian Cypress:
The dwarf Italian cypress root system is also fibrous and large enough to consider a deep-rooted garden plant.
Although its size is small and will have a low growth compared to other cypress trees, you cannot expect to have a different root system.
It will be the same as the blue Italian Cypress, which is non-invasive. That means it will not spread or multiply in number, but it will spread its roots on a large scale. So it’s better if you plant in a closed container.
Does Italian Cypress have deep roots?
Italian Cypress has deep roots. They will go deep into the soil, but they are not invasive. If you look at the root system of your Italian Cypress, you will find a completely new root system which is deep but not invasive. So, it will not dramatically spread the roots.
You must be careful about the overgrowth of your Italian cypress trees since their roots can go deep but will not have enough space. When you plant the Italian Cypress in an open space, its root will go much deeper and more than 12 inches.
Sometimes, the root might behave like an invasive.
Particularly, when you find some roots are increasing in size and try to occupy the nearby area, you can’t help but stop the growth. Some Italian cypress tends to overgrow and behave like an invasive root system. If you have such a root system, you must be careful about its growth.
If you ever find these root systems, you won’t be able to control them unless you grow them in a closed container. So,Italian Cypress is good for a closed pot to control the root. They will not have enough chance to go much deeper into the soil.
How Deep Are Italian cypress Roots?
Italian cypress roots can have a depth of 5 to 7 feet. Italian Cypress has a shallow root system. The taproot of the Italian cypress tree reaches many feet below the soil’s surface.
Putting mature Italian cypress trees a minimum of five apart from a foundation or pipes is recommended.
Additionally, they have lateral roots that spread uniformly through the soil and grow quickly.
Italian cypress trees also need to be watered frequently, and they typically need an irrigation hose or approximately an inch of rain per week. Water your Italian Cypress tree at least twice weekly, but more frequently if necessary, in hotter areas.
But be aware that if you leave the roots of your tree in water for a long time, they could have root rot.
When planning a tree planting, there are several additional things to consider besides the fact that Italian cypress trees need a sizable, fibrous root system to live. Think about your planting place first.
Italian cypress trees can grow close to buildings and other natural barriers, but you should place them several feet away from your home.
Do Italian cypress spread or multiply?
Italian Cypress does spread from the seed. The pollen from male blossoms fertilizes female blossoms and produces good seeds. Italian Cypress is one of the monoecious plants; it produces male and female blossoms.
Next, the trees create their male and female blooms, coming about in seeds after a couple of months. The Italian Cypress produces seeds yearly, but there’s better-than-average seed generation every three to five a long time.
The male blooms shed their most important pollen, and the female blossoms are at that point pollinated. The conelets start to look brown, and as time goes by, the seeds start developing.
After that, the developed seeds break apart from the conelets. Then they tend to fall over the surface. Little birds and insects take the seeds as their food and give a few seed dispersals by thumping conelets to nearby areas.
However, most insects and birds don’t even bother with the seeds.
The common environment of the bare Cypress gives the components fundamental for seed dispersal and germination. The seeds will, at that point, be able to grow and develop.
Are Italian cypress Roots Invasive?
Most Italian cypress roots are not invasive. Because the Italian Cypress has a fast growth rate, it may develop significant height, although the roots of the Italian Cypress are not known to be invasive. Very few cypress trees don’t have a shallow root system.
As expected, Italian cypress trees do not have any difference in the root structure.
Their roots generally try to come out equitably through the soil, making a tangling organize within the beat layer of soil. The roots of Italian cypress trees do not tend to go as deep. It can only go as low as a couple of feet.
How deep it can go depends on the soil and container size. The roots of Italian Cypress don’t go as deep.
Unlike tap roots, the root of the Italian Cypress is not spread out under the soil. Still, it gets enough support above the ground to survive strong wind or natural calamities through minimizing stretch on its root structure.
Can Italian cypress roots damage foundation or pipes?
Italian cypress roots cannot damage foundation or pipes. Italian cypress roots are more tolerant of wet soil than many other tree species. You should also remember that, like any other tree, oxygen is essential for the Italian Cypress to thrive.
Therefore, the Italian cypress tree growth is relatively slower during times of submersion.
Italian cypress roots don’t grow very deep into the ground, so foundations are less damaged. Despite the shallow roots, the Italian cypress tree tolerates storms and strong winds well. They are never invasive in nature.
Almost all trees can clog sewers, but some are sewer friendly. Italian Cypress is one of them.
Final Thoughts
Although it has a deep root, the Italian Cypress has a fibrous root system that is not entirely invasive. They will not occupy the nearby area; instead, they will go deep and become slightly invasive. Especially if you allow them to grow at their will, they will take as much space as possible.