What's eating my pond cypress?

Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens) is generally pest-resistant but can be attacked by cypress moth borers, gall mites, and spider mites. Cypress tip moth causes shoot dieback. In the US South, gall-forming mites distort new growth. Deer occasionally browse young saplings. Healthy trees growing in moist to wet conditions resist most pest damage effectively.

Foliage turns reddish-brown at branch tips as larvae mine inside; dead shoot tips scattered across canopy. Prune and discard infested shoot tips before adults emerge. Apply spinosad or bifenthrin spray targeting adult flight in early spring. Maintain tree vigour.

Resin-soaked pitch tubes on stems; larvae girdle branches beneath bark; branch dieback. Remove and destroy infested branches. Preventive pyrethroid trunk sprays in late spring. Reduce stress by ensuring adequate soil moisture.

Yellowish-bronze stippling on foliage in dry summers; fine webbing; premature needle drop. Forceful water sprays. Neem oil or bifenazate miticide applied at the first sign of stippling in hot weather. Water trees adequately.

Browse damage to lower branches and foliage of young trees, especially in winter and early spring. Tree tubes or wire mesh guards around young saplings. Deer repellent spray applied monthly. Fencing in high-pressure areas.