Pencil Pines have large sections of dead foliage

[mina]

Hi, Our Pencil Pines (Cupressus Glauca) are almost 8-10 meters tall. They all have large sections of dead foliage. I am getting an automatic sprinkler system reconnected on Monday as they have suffered from under-watering. They are in full sun most of the day. We are in Adelaide so the summer can be hot and dry. I am thinking of getting them cut down to about 5 meters to help them get stronger. 

Do you have any advice on how best to bring them back to health? 

Thanks, Mina

[Jason]

Hi @mina,

Many thanks for joining in the discussion on Workshop. We are really pleased to have you join us and trust that you'll get loads of helpful advice for your projects around the house and garden from our amazing members. 

Let me tag the wonderful horticulturalists @Noelle, @Adam_W and @DonnaE who might like to provide some assistance with how to care for your pencil pines.   

Thanks,

Jason

[Noelle]

Hi Mina

Pencil pines are naturally tall and slender. You could cut the tops out of them to limit their height - this may destroy their natural symmetry but it will force them to produce multiple stems, so they fill out. Pruning of this type would have been more effective before they reached the height they are now - when they were a little taller than the fence. They would then have created more of a hedge that could have been allowed to increase gradually in height.