Lemon or indoor cypress on Latin called Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa). It can be successfully grown indoors, as its presence adds a fresh lemon scent every time you rub it against the growth of coniferous branches.
But many gardeners complain that indoor cypress needles begin to turn yellow and the tops dry out. Why does this happen, and how to save the plant? Why does indoor cypress dry out?
For successful cultivation in room conditions indoor cypress requires special care, so to preserve your plant for a long time, follow the recommendations below.
Step 1 - Lighting
Place the indoor cypress tree in a brightly lit window, but with shade from direct sunlight. The plant needs 10 hours of lighting, and if this is not possible, then install additional light in the form of a special lamp for indoor flowers. Step 2 - Temperature
Indoor cypress prefers more low temperatures, and in the hot climate of the room, the needles begin to dry out, especially if the room is closed and poorly ventilated. In summer, it is better to allocate a place for this conifer on the street or balcony, so it will receive more light and fresh air.
Step 3 - watering
Due to lack of moisture, cypress needles may also begin to dry out and turn yellow. But this plant should be watered only when upper layer The soil will feel dry to the touch. Overwatering is very harmful to the root system of indoor cypress. When watering, make sure that water flows through the drainage holes and does not stagnate at the bottom. Root rot, the result of overwatering, is a very dangerous disease, because once you destroy the roots, you are unlikely to bring the cypress tree back to life. In winter, watering should be done a little less frequently. Several times throughout the year, you can spray the needles with a very weak solution of soapy water (using tar soap) for prevention from spider mite and others indoor pests and then rinse the plant clean water. To water your home cypress, it is better to use melt water, but if this is not available, you can leave tap water for 24 hours. You cannot water the plant with tap water, because lime, metals and other compounds in such water negatively affect the condition of the plant, which can cause the needles of your home cypress to begin to dry out.
Step 4 - Fertilizers
Indoor cypress dries out due to lack of nutrients in the soil. Fertilize your coniferous plant 2 times a month with liquid 
fertilizer for coniferous plants or granules having a slow-release formula. That is, the nutrients will gradually dissolve in the soil, and the plant will be able to be provided with all the necessary substances for growth for 14 days before the next feeding. If you have just transplanted it into fresh soil, then the plant will feed directly on substances from the soil and you do not need to feed it for a long period of time.
Step 5 - Trimming
Pruning not only gives an aesthetic appearance to your green pet, but also stimulates the growth of new shoots. Since cypress grows very quickly, it should be trimmed once a week during the summer. Indoor cypress can be shaped into interesting shapes such as spiral, ball, cube and others. The main thing is to choose the figure that you like and will suit the interior of your home and garden. Although for lovers of the classics, you can allow the cypress to grow naturally, without pruning, but in this case the growth of side shoots will be slow, and the plant will stretch upward.
Step 6 - transplant
Due to excessive growth of the root system, the needles of indoor cypress begin to dry out, the tops and side shoots turn yellow. This happens because the roots do not have enough nutrition and the pot is too small. It is advisable to replant the large-fruited cypress shrub every two years. To do this, grab the base of the trunk and, turning the pot upside down, carefully pull the plant out of the container. Get rid of the soil around the roots and fill the pot larger diameter fresh soil about 5 cm. Then place your plant vertically in a pot and fill the voids between the roots with soil. It is better to compact the earth a little so that the cypress is more stable. And finally, water your plant with warm, settled water, draining the excess from the pan.
Here simple rules care for indoor cypress, following which you can avoid yellowing, drying and falling of the needles.
Please tell me how to save my cypress. I bought it quite recently, but in 2 weeks the cypress has almost dried up, the needles are falling off faster than I can do anything. I spray the cypress 2 times a day, but I can’t stop the process. Victoria Lepeshenkova.
Unfortunately, despite the assurances of sellers, it is quite problematic to keep it beautiful and undamaged at home. Like all conifers, cypress is a cold-resistant plant. Dryness of apartments and warm wintering disastrous for him. After all, in winter, nature is supposed to “rest” at 5-15°C.
The reason for the drying out of cypress there may be hypothermia during transportation, violation water regime, but, as practice shows, incorrect conditions winter maintenance is the main reason for the death of such plants.
In your case, you can try to revive the cypress.
Free the plant from the pot and, shaking off the soil, carefully examine the roots of the cypress. If they are still alive, plant the cypress in a new soil substrate (mixture for conifers) with the obligatory drainage layer and a hole for water drainage. After replanting the plant, cover its crown with a transparent in a plastic bag, thereby building a mini-greenhouse. Ventilate the plant daily, preventing condensation from accumulating on the bag, and spray the crown with water with the addition of a biostimulator until young growth appears. Also don't forget to support for cypress high humidity air - twice a day, spraying the crown and placing the pot with the plant in a pan of water. But be sure to place it on a stand so that water from the pan does not flow into the drainage hole, but, by evaporating, maintains the desired level of humidity. In the spring, with the onset of stable positive temperatures, do not forget to take the cypress tree out into the open air.
Cypress, which grows in a room, is small in size and was bred specifically for growing in an apartment. How to properly care for this plant so that it feels good in home conditions that are not entirely typical for it? What to do if a miniature tree dries out for unknown reasons? The answers to these questions can be obtained after reading the article and viewing the photographs.
What kind of cypress can be grown indoors?
Large-fruited cypress, grown in a pot on a windowsill, differs from its counterparts from subtropical groves only in size. In its homeland, in California, the tree reaches a height of 25 m, and in indoor conditions its maximum height is 2 m. Home cypress has the shape of an elongated cone, shoots densely covered with small leaves-scales and fruits - ovoid cones.
Attention! Very often indoor cypress is confused with cypress tree. You can distinguish them by the color of the needles - the first one is dark green, the second one is light green.
It has been proven that growing cypress indoors has a positive effect on the human respiratory system. This is due to the release of phytoncides into the indoor air - volatile substances that have a detrimental effect on microorganisms, including pathogenic ones.
Caring for indoor cypress
If you care for the cypress properly, it will delight you with its beautiful appearance for many years. The main thing is to create conditions for it that are close to those in which it grows in nature.
Lighting. Cypress is a native of the southern regions, so it prefers good lighting. However, direct sunlight can cause significant damage to the tree. IN natural conditions only adults strong plants can withstand the sun. So best windows for indoor pets, those that face east or northeast.
Choose an east window for cypress
Room temperature. In order for large-fruited cypress to grow and develop well, it needs warmth in the summer months and coolness in the winter months. In summer, home cypress requires a temperature of + 20°C and above. The plant feels very good in the yard or on the balcony.
Advice. A room with a growing cypress should be well and often ventilated. Conifers really don't like stagnant air.
In winter, the temperature in the room with the growing tree should not exceed +15°C. Better conditions for him this season is +8..+10°C. Such a place can be found on an insulated apartment balcony or an unheated extension of a private house. If you leave a cypress tree to winter on a windowsill with a heating radiator located under it, the tree will die.
Advice. To prevent cypress roots from freezing in a cold room in winter, you can insulate the flowerpot by wrapping it in several layers of thick fabric or covering it with foam plastic.
Watering. From spring to autumn, cypress needs to be well watered. The higher the room temperature, the more often you need to do this. The soil in the flowerpot should not be allowed to dry out, but excess moisture is also unnecessary. Therefore, when landing, you need to ensure good drainage.
In winter, cypress needs to be watered every 7-10 days. In summer, even if the plant is placed outside, to maintain required humidity it must be sprayed periodically.
Fertilizing the soil. Feed indoor cypress with liquid mineral fertilizer need regularly once every month and a half. During the period when it is actively growing, that is, in the spring, you should fertilize the soil once a month.
Advice. It is advisable to feed cypress growing indoors with half the dose recommended on the package. Otherwise, its growth may exceed the expected size.
Transfers A. Young plants require annual replanting spring period, and older ones - as needed. To avoid damaging the roots, the cypress needs to be transferred along with the soil into a larger pot.
Young cypress needs to be replanted every year
Reproduction. Indoor cypress can be propagated by seeds and cuttings. In the first case, seeds can be purchased at the store. They need to be placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 months (stratified), and before sowing, soaked for 12 hours in warm water with the addition of growth stimulants.
Sown planting material in boxes filled with wet sand or sawdust, and as soon as shoots appear, the plants are transplanted into a soil mixture for conifers. The germination rate of large-fruited cypress seeds is not high - less than half of them germinate.
An indoor tree can also be propagated from semi-lignified cuttings remaining after the crown has formed. To do this, the lower leaves are removed and the branches are immersed in a solution of a growth stimulator for a day. Then the cuttings are planted in a box with soil and a greenhouse made of glass or polyethylene is installed above them. Rooting occurs after at least two months.
Reasons for drying out of large-fruited cypress
There may be several reasons for this change in appearance:
- very dry indoor air;
- water used for irrigation is of poor quality;
Adjust watering intensity
- the plant does not have enough lighting;
- the temperature regime is not observed;
- lack of nutrients in the soil.
In addition, leaf scales may turn yellow and crumble after careless transplantation.
Attention! The above reasons can not only spoil the attractive appearance of the plant, but also completely destroy it. Therefore, you need to immediately identify them and begin eliminating them.
Large-fruited cypress is a capricious plant that requires due attention. But, with proper care, it will purify the air and fill your home with the unique natural aroma of a coniferous forest.
Plant cypress (lat. Cupressus) belongs to the genus of evergreen shrubs and trees of the Cypress family with a spreading or pyramidal crown shape. The genus is so ancient that perfectly preserved remains of its representatives are found in strata of the Tertiary period. Today, according to various sources of information, the genus numbers from 14 to 25 species. Some researchers consider the Mediterranean to be the birthplace of cypress, others claim that these plants have long been found in the tropics and subtropics North America– in California, for example, and in Europe, cypress was brought from there. But the legend about Cypress, a slender young man who killed the horse of the god Apollo and for this was turned into a tree, dates back to the ancient Greek epic, which confirms the version of the Mediterranean origin of cypress. In nature, the cypress tree reaches twenty-five to thirty meters in height, but cypress grown at home is different small in size, since it was bred specifically as an indoor cypress - a potted or tub plant.
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Planting and caring for cypress (in brief)
- Bloom: decorative foliage plant.
- Lighting: in the morning - bright diffused light, in the afternoon - partial shade (eastern and northern window sills).
- Temperature: 20-24 ˚C in summer and 5-15 ˚C in winter.
- Watering: regular, moderate in summer, scanty (once a week) in winter.
- Air humidity: usual for residential premises.
- Feeding: in the spring-summer period - once a month with mineral fertilizers in a concentration twice as weak as recommended.
- Transfer: once every two years in April or May.
- Reproduction: seeds and cuttings.
- Pests: scale insects, false scale insects and spider mites.
- Diseases: due to improper maintenance and care, the needles turn yellow and dull, the branches dry out, and sometimes root rot develops.
Read more about growing cypress below.
Home cypress - description
Decorative cypress, that is, cypress grown in a pot, differs from a tree or bush growing in nature, for example, in our Crimea, only in smaller size. The same shape, the same soft shoots, covered on all sides with scale-like leaves shaped like an elongated diamond. The color of the leaves is dark green with a bluish tint. The fruit is an ovoid cone with shield-shaped scales, under which cypress seeds are hidden. Sometimes the home cypress (Cupressus) is confused with the similar cypress tree (Chamaecyparis), which has light green needles, but this does not harm either plant, since caring for the home cypress and the similar cypress tree is approximately the same. It is worth warning, however, those who want to grow cypress in their home that it is capricious and demanding.
Caring for cypress at home
How to care for cypress
Caring for cypress first of all means, as far as possible, recreating conditions close to natural. Cypress is a southern plant, so it needs good lighting - bright diffused light is best for it, but with shading in the midday hours. Eastern or northern window sills - the best place for cypress. In nature, cypress trees grow in full sun, but only mature plants can withstand it, while young plants hide in the shade big trees, and this saves him from the scorching rays of the sun.
A comfortable temperature for cypress in summer is about 20 ºC and above, and cypress needs to spend the warm season on fresh air- at least on the balcony. Outdoor plants They do not tolerate mustiness and stagnant air, therefore, if it is not possible to take the cypress tree out into the yard or onto the balcony, provide fresh air access to the room where the plant is located. If the summer is hot, you will have to spray the cypress up to three times a day. It would be a good idea to give him a shower from time to time and keep him on a tray with wet pebbles or moss.
As the shoots grow, the cypress is pruned to give it the desired shape. Trimming in progress in early spring, before the start of active growing season.
How to care for home cypress winter time? In winter, it is necessary to keep cypress in a cool room at a temperature no higher than 15 ºC, but it is better at 8-10 ºC. To grow cypress, it is very important to observe the signs of seasonality: it should be warm in the summer, cool in the winter. Therefore, wintering on the windowsill, under which there is heating radiator, can destroy the plant. Find a place for the cypress on an insulated balcony or loggia, and if you are afraid of the roots freezing, insulate the flowerpot by wrapping it in rags or covering it with polystyrene foam.
How to water a cypress
From spring to autumn, cypress is watered abundantly; in winter, watering is reduced to moderate: the plant reacts painfully to both waterlogged soil and insufficient moisture, so with regard to watering it is best to follow this scheme: the warmer the room, the more often you need to water. For example, if the room temperature is +8 ºC, you need to moisten the soil once every 10 days, but if the room is warmer, +12-14 ºC, watering is carried out once every 5-7 days.
How to fertilize cypress
During the active growing season - from May to August - cypress is fed monthly with liquid mineral fertilizer for indoor plants; in winter, feeding is carried out once every month and a half.
Cypress transplant
Young plants are replanted annually in the spring, in April or May; older cypresses are replanted less frequently, as needed. Since the root system of cypress trees does not tolerate any interference, much less disturbance of the earthen coma, replanting is carried out using the transshipment method: in other words, only the soil that is shaken off from the roots of the plant removed from the old pot is replaced. The composition of the soil for cypress is approximately this: one part each of sand, peat and turf soil and two parts leaf soil. At the bottom of the pot, you first need to place a layer of drainage material a few centimeters deep, then a layer of fresh soil, on which the cypress root ball is installed, and then enough soil is added to the pot so that the pot is filled, but so that the root collar of the cypress remains above the ground.
Indoor cypress - propagation
Growing cypress from seeds
How to grow cypress from seeds? Before planting, cypress seeds purchased in a store or collected must undergo stratification (cold treatment), for which they are kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 months. Before sowing, cypress seeds are soaked for 12 hours in warm water, or better yet, in a solution of root or epin. Then they are planted according to a 4x4 pattern in boxes with a mixture for coniferous plants, under which a two-centimeter layer of crushed bark is first laid as drainage. Instead of soil mixture, you can use sand or sawdust to germinate seeds, but as soon as the seedlings appear, they will still have to be replanted in the soil. The box with the seeds should be kept warm and slightly damp, but at best only half of the seeds will germinate. When the seedlings reach 5-6 cm in height, plant the bushes in separate pots, trying not to bury the neck of the seedling in the ground, and care for them as described above: water, be sure to spray, feed, provide them with a bright place to grow and normal development. Over the course of a year, the bushes will grow to 20-25 cm.
Cypress propagation by cuttings
You can grow cypress not only from seeds, but also from apical or semi-lignified cuttings obtained by pruning the plant. Select those of the segments that have a “heel”, remove the lower leaves from them, place them, like a bouquet, in a root solution for about one day, and then, after washing and powdering the cuts with crushed coal, plant the cuttings in a soil mixture for coniferous plants, deepening them at 1/3 height. Now saturate the soil well with moisture and cover each cutting with a three-liter glass jar. 2-3 times a week the jar will need to be removed for an hour or two to allow the cuttings to breathe. After a couple of months, the cuttings will take root.
Pests and diseases of cypress
Insect pests
Of the pests, cypress is most often annoyed by scale insects or false scale insects, sucking the juice of the leaves, and spider mites, which arise due to dry air in the room. Both insects will die after spraying with Actellik solution (1-2 ml of the drug per liter of water). If the symptoms of the presence of pests do not disappear, repeat the treatment of the plant with the same preparation after a week.
Unlike cypress trees grown in the garden, diseases of home cypress are almost always associated with violation of the rules for maintaining and caring for the plant. Sometimes, due to chronic waterlogging of the soil, cypress is affected by root rot. In case of disease, the plant is transplanted into new soil, having previously removed all rotten areas, providing the cypress with good drainage and reducing the frequency of watering and the amount of moisture to normal levels for cypress.
Cypress dries
If the tips of your cypress leaves turn brown and dry, this is a sign that:
- the air in the room is too dry;
- you do not moisten the soil enough or water the plant with bad water;
- poor lighting in the room;
- the room is too cold.
Eliminate these reasons, and you will not have to complain that the cypress has dried out.
Sometimes cypress leaves turn yellow due to lack of nutrients in the soil. Read again how, when and with what you need to feed cypress, correct mistakes, and after a while appearance leaves will be restored.
Types and varieties of cypress
More recently, it was believed that cypress trees cannot be grown in ordinary housing, but there were flower growers who refuted this misconception. Conifers are increasingly becoming inhabitants of city apartments, not to mention the fact that in private houses with extensive galleries and terraces, cypress trees are one of the most popular living decorative elements. We will present to you the most famous species of the cypress genus, grown as indoor plants.
Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica)
A light-loving and drought-resistant species, reaching a height of 15 m in nature. The bark of young shoots gray, old ones – dark brown, peeling off over time. The leaves are finely pointed and gray-green in color.
Evergreen cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
IN wildlife Only the horizontal form of this species is widespread. Drought-resistant, cold-resistant (if we're talking about about short-term cold snaps). The crown is pyramidal, the branches are short, ascending, tightly pressed to the trunk. Does not tolerate excess moisture. Has high decorative qualities, widely used in garden design and in the design of premises. It has two widely used varieties in culture:
- pyramidal cypress (f. pyramidalis, f. stricta) - with a very dense narrow pyramidal crown of ascending branches pressed to the trunk. The needles are arranged crosswise and pressed tightly against the shoots. The cones are round, 2-3 cm in diameter, similar to a small soccer ball;
- horizontal cypress (f. horisontalis) - its branches extend vertically from the trunk, and then rise upward, due to which a wide pyramidal crown is formed.
Lusitanian cypress or Mexican cypress (Cupressus lusitanica)
It is distinguished by a wide pyramidal crown and hanging branches. The bark is red-brown, the branches are tetrahedral. Sensitive to cold, does not tolerate dry soil and air, and has many decorative forms.
Cypress is an excellent “forest substitute” that can be grown both in a room and on a plot. The aroma that comes from this small tree is reminiscent of walks in the fresh air in coniferous forests. Cypress – evergreen, a representative of the cypress genus. It has two crowns: spreading and pyramidal. Nowadays, the species has 14-25 varieties.
Did you know?The plant got its name from the legend of the young man Cypress, who killed Apollo’s horse and for this offense was doomed to live in the form of a tree.
An adult tree can reach 25 meters in natural conditions, and in home or indoor tree, of course, smaller in size. Today we will talk about what to do if the cypress dries out and how to prevent this.
Basic mistakes in caring for cypress
Cypress trees dry out most often due to improper care. The Mediterranean is considered to be the birthplace of cypress. That's why, In order for cypress to feel comfortable in your home, you need to provide it with a warm, humid place.
Lighting and temperature
As already noted, cypress loves warmth, but the temperature should vary depending on the season. In summer mature plant feels most comfortable at a temperature of 20-30 degrees, and in winter the temperature should be reduced to several degrees with a “+” sign
Important!Cypress does not need straight lines sun rays. Even if you are growing it in an area rather than in a room, it is best to plant it in light shade.
In order for the cypress to feel comfortable in the room and its branches not to dry out, it is better to place it so that the lighting is bright but diffused.
Watering and fertilizing the plant
Cypress needs to be watered correctly, maintain sufficient air humidity and properly fertilize the plant. Due to the fact that in its homeland cypress grows in damp places and often near bodies of water, at home it also needs to be provided with good moisture. If the cypress tree begins to dry out, it does not have enough water. Therefore, the plant is sprayed with warm water or periodically “bathed”.
You need to water as it grows: the older and more perfect the root system, the more water it needs it, so when the top layer of the substrate dries, the cypress is watered. If it’s summer outside, we water more, in winter – less. The main thing is not to overfill, because humid environment– a great place for the development of fungal diseases.
If you notice that your cypress is crumbling and you don’t understand what you did wrong, you should think about whether you are fertilizing your plant correctly. For fertilizer, it is better to use fertilizers based on mineral substances, and not those that contain a large number of nitrogen (it can dry out the roots). When spraying in summer, do not use liquid fertilizers.
Trimming errors
Pruning cypress is necessary to rejuvenate plants and prevent diseases, as well as simply to give them a new, more decorative look. A mistake when pruning is to cut off too many branches in the first year, which will not have time to recover. You need to prune gradually, removing all yellowed branches and old shoots, since they do not allow light to pass through. It is necessary to use only sharp pruning shears and do this with quick and sharp movements.
Cypress dries out after transplanting
It often happens that the cypress dries out after transplantation. What to do to prevent this from happening.
Cypress should not be replanted too often; replanting as it grows is sufficient. It is better to replant the plant in the warm season. Even if it was purchased in winter, it is better to replant in the spring. Often the cypress dries out after replanting due to the fact that the roots were damaged during removal from the pot.
Did you know?To avoid damage root system When replanting, the pot of cypress can be placed in water. The soil will get wet, and the plant will easily slip out of its previous “place of residence.”
It is important to plant the plant correctly new pot: the root collar should not be completely in the ground, because this contributes to the death of the plant.
Cypress diseases, all about treating plant ailments
As we already know, cypress is grown as indoor plant and as an outdoor plant. Most often, cypress diseases appear as a result of improper care.
Fusarium
Fusarium is also known as tracheomycosis - a disease that begins with rotting of the roots and then affects the entire plant.
Important!If the shoots of your cypress have turned yellow and the bark of the stem has become a rich brown color, this is a clear sign fusarium.
Very often, the disease is already present in seedlings, seeds, or can be stored in the soil. The best prevention This disease will be prevented by timely ventilation and loosening of the soil; you should also disinfect all material and tools that you use when working with plants.
More often sick plant it is impossible to cure, in which case it is simply uprooted and disposed of. If it is less than 60% affected, you can try to save it by rooting the cuttings. For a cutting, the top shoot is usually selected, treated with Fundazol, and left for eight hours in its solution with a small amount of Epin. If the cutting has taken root, the disease has passed. By the way, "Fundazol" is also excellent for the prevention of fusarium.
Brown Schutte
Brown schutte is a typical disease for conifers. Most often it appears on young plants immediately after the snow melts, when the plant is still very weak. External signs are darkening of the plant and a coating similar to a cobweb. This disease loves shade and waterlogging. For treatment you need to use lime-sulfur preparations - "Abiga-Peak" or Bordeaux mixture. Spraying should be carried out in the spring and must be repeated in the summer.
Fungal diseases
Fungal diseases can lead to withering and drying out of branches and damage to the bark. In order to avoid fungal diseases, it is necessary to promptly remove dead shoots, loosen the soil and remove fallen leaves (if we are talking about street cypress) from under the plant, because most fungi live in such places. After you remove the diseased plant, you need to treat the soil and nearby plants with Abiga-Peak or Bordeaux mixture.
Did you know?If a cypress grows on the street next to deciduous trees, this increases the risk of plant disease.
Pests of outdoor and indoor cypress
The main pests of indoor cypress
Cypress must be constantly “inspected” for the appearance of pests and damage by them. Most often these are aphids, scale insects and spider mites.
You will notice the presence of spider mites on your plant if white cobwebs appear on the branches. Insecticides are used to combat it. For example, "Vermitek", "Aktofit", "Fitoverm". You may have to reuse these medications. Will be effective in the fight folk remedies type of soap solution.
Important!Medicines have not yet been invented separately to treat scale insects, so any remedy for indoor insects can be used to combat this insect.
The scale insect sucks the juices out of the plant, and the tree dries out. Brown spots on the trunk are the first sign of scale insects. The fight against this insect consists of treating with soapy water and any of the insecticides. You can collect insects by hand, but be sure to do this with gloves.