Most shrubs do best with no additional fertilizer added to the soil. If your cypress are in containers or are newly planted or if you have very poor soil then the best way to feed them is with a slow release plant food such as Osmocote or a compost mulch on top of the soil. Evergreen shrubs that are fertilized too much can put on tender new growth that is damaged when winter arrives. Italian cypress are very susceptible to winter injury from wind and cold especially the first few years they are in the ground. Make sure they are growing in a location protected from cold winds. Your cypress are still young and small at under two feet so using just one half of a teaspoon of Osmocote around each plant in the spring is enough fertilizer. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti