Question
we live lakeside,Burnet County near Austin TX. Normal wateredge depth of 3-4 feet.  The lake level has been lowered for a 2 month period to allow for maintenance work.  What success would I have planting an 6-10 ft cypress(your suggestion on variety) & have it survive? There is an old growth cypress stump there now, but no idea on why it died or how long ago. Suggestions please?

Answer
You will have very good sucess with Bald Cypress.
Bald-cypress likes an acidic soil and will develop yellowing of the leaves if grown in neutral or calcareous soils. Young trees grow rapidly, but they can live 500 years or more.
Light: Young seedlings and saplings can tolerate light shade, but they will need full sun to reach their maximum potential.
Moisture: Although they occur naturally in the wettest of places, bald-cypress will thrive in normal, even dry soil. I long ago learned from an old forester that plants don't grow where they grow best; they grow where they can get away with it. Bald-cypress is just about the only tree that can survive long periods of flooding. But, it will grow faster, larger, and be healthier if not subjected to flooding at all. Bald-cypress doesn't often get the chance to grow in rich, well drained soils because other trees (that can't tolerate prolonged flooding) out-compete it. Established bald-cypress trees are surprisingly tolerant of drought.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5-10.
Propagation: The seeds of bald-cypress germinate in moist soil, but not under water. If you see bald-cypress growing in standing water, you can be sure it was dry when the seed germinated.


The best time to plant bare-root cypress seedlings is while they are dormant (November to March). Freezing temperatures should be avoided because the roots are sensitive and will die if frozen. Containerized cypress seedlings can be planted year-round.

The most important consideration is avoiding the exposure of newly planted cypress seedlings to drought. Seedlings should be planted when the soil is moist or shallowly flooded and likely to remain so for several months. Planting cypress in water is fine provided that the seedlings are not completely submerged

Bare-root cypress seedlings should be planted well in advance of drought periods and containerized seedlings can be planted either well before the dry period or once the wetlands have flooded again. Successful plantings on these sites are more likely if you wait until the rains begin, and then you plant containerized seedlings to allow sufficient establishment before the winter-spring drawdown.