Expert: Jim Hyland - 9/25/2006

Question
Yes I just bought four - two foot cypress trees and planted them about three feet away from the side of our house. My wife thinks this was a bad idea since the root of the tree grows very aggressivly. she feels it will eventually damage the foundation around the area. Is she right? and if this is true where would be the best place to plant these trees? We moved to El Paso, Texas several years ago the weather here is mostly sunny.

Thank you in advance for you help.

Dave

Answer
By all means move it. This is a fast-growing evergreen when young and will quickly outgrow its space in small landscapes. It is an excellent choice for quick screens, hedges and groupings, especially on large properties. This tree will grow 60 to 70 feet tall and 12 to 20 feet wide. Heights of 70 to 100 feet are not uncommon. This tree prefers sun to part shade and well-drained fertile soil. It is very adaptable, however, and tolerates acidic or alkaline soils and poor drainage on occasion.

Here is a web link to information on transplanting trees.
http://www.gardenline.usask.ca/trees/moving.html