Does a Podocarpus Bush Need a Lot of Water?

Identification

• Native to southern areas of China and Japan, podocarpus is also known as the bigleaf podocarp, Buddhist pine, Japanese yew, yew pine, southern yew and yew podocarpus. Although it usually grows to between 20 and 40 feet in cultivated settings, it's capable of reaching heights of 50 feet and a canopy width of 20 feet. Its foliage is soft-textured and shiny, usually dark green in color. It does not produce flowers, but 1 1/2-inch-long berry-like cones grow during the second year and from then on. Branches grow naturally erect, with a high canopy, but may be trimmed for an even higher one.

Water Needs

• Podocarpus appreciates a moderate amount of water, but will not grow in wet soil. It is drought tolerant once established, but prefers consistently moist soil. If you're forced to choose between overwatering and underwatering, water less, because the plant will not adapt to consistently wet conditions. Before establishment -- about three years for most plants -- try to keep the soil around the tree’s planting site consistently moist, otherwise it may not develop a healthy root system.

Culture

• Choose a sunny, well-drained spot to plant podocarpus. Never plant it in an area where you cannot ensure good soil drainage, even for short periods of time. Although the tree will grow in both full sun and partial shade, it grows in a denser formation in a sunny spot; in shade branches may be looser and less well-formed. Podocarpus is well adapted to urban conditions and can grow as a shade tree along sidewalks and driveways; confining conditions around its roots do not bother it.

Garden Uses

• Although it has no flowers, podocarpus attracts wildlife, especially birds, to the garden with its small, fleshy fruits. These fruits do not pose a litter problem, so you can grow the tree near sidewalks or other walkways. The plant looks good with the lower branches trimmed off for a higher, shade-giving, open effect, or left on for a spruce-like look. For a specimen that will stay smaller, try growing Podocarpus macrophyllus var. maki, which usually won’t grow more than 6 to 8 feet in 10 years. Podocarpus, once established, is a good tree for sites that don’t receive a lot of moisture. It is also used as a bonsai.