Well we had snow last night in Nanaimo and it appears one of the approx.2-3 yr old Leylandi cypress trees has fallen over and broken at the stump. These trees are planted approx. 3 ft apart and have not been staked . I am surprised that this one has broken off ! Should I stake these trees now ? They are all about 4-5 ft tall. Or do I prune them to make them stronger ? Thanks, Kim in Nanaimo.
This is fairly common with these as they grow fast and do not always have strong stems as a result. They are also often rootbound as a result, growers not keeping them potted on in a timely manner. And where successful they eventually become large and hulking - too big for most modern dwellings - unless sheared annually into formal hedges. Unless you have them planted in a location where they will be in scale or plan to shear them I would suggest starting over with another kind of plant altogether.
