Question
QUESTION: Jim, did you mean 101-10-10 or 10-10-10 fertilizer?

Here is a close up of the odd reddish brown cluster growth on some of the trees, instead of the normal, flat green leaves. These threes, with this odd looking growth, are also the ones that have not been growing  

http://i369.photobucket.com/albums/oo140/iseebeauty/ItalianCypressabnormalgrowth

ANSWER: Yes 10-10-10 fertilizer sorry finger sometimes get stuck.

The brown maybe the male cones of the cypress. See web link. IF so it is a sign the trees are under stress and trying to produce off spring. http://www.arbolesyarbustos.com/index.php?id_img=1&id=21&lang=en

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mr. Hyland, Comparing the reddish/ brown clusters with the picture on the link of the male seed pods, the reddish/ brown clusters are not seed pods; just abnormal growth.

One thing I failed to mention was that the trees that have been lagging behind, with the reddish/ brown cluster growth, had their new, normal growth effected by a "hundred year" hard freeze in early Feb, 2011. These trees had been putting on new growth very early, whereas, the other trees (which do not now have the reddish/ brown clusters) put on new growth after that hard freeze.

What is your take? Should I prune off the reddish/ brown cluster growth, to maybe encourage healthy growth?

If if I should prune them off, what time of year should I do that? Now?

I will indeed rate your responses, if I hear back from you. You have been very helpful.

Tomorrow, because a moisture meter indicates dry soil down 12 inches, I will water in a generous amount of granulated gypsum, per advice I got from a Phoenix, AZ nursery. Gypsum is supposed to help condition the soil and also makes it easier for roots to get through any hard, packed caliche that may be way down. I had already mixed in Gypsum with the native soil when I planted the trees, but the nursery said adding additional gypsum is very beneficial. I run water, 6 gal per hour, for 3-1/2 to 4 hours this time of year, once a week, if we do not get any monsoon rain. And I water in the morning when the water is cooler.

One gross mistake I think I made with these trees when I planted them, was planting them too deep. I only learned after I planted that conifers like to have their root collar at, or above, ground level. There is nothing I can do to fix this now, is their? I could remove the soil to expose the root collars. Would you advise I do that?   

Walt

Answer
I would not advise trying to remove soil around the root collar. You can cause more damage than it is worth. Just removing soil around the trunk will not help --the root system         was planted too deep. But this is not a mortality causing problem but can slow the growth as you have noticed. The gypsum should help but it will take some time for it to interact with the soil. Most added fertilizer and mineral do not show up in growth until he next year. But it should help.