Just a few years ago, tree species were considered unsuitable for growing indoors. Gradually, the opinion began to change, and many residents of the cottages began to grow them in their homes, over time, this idea migrated from private houses to apartments and offices. One of these plants is a cypress.
About the history of appearance
The cypress tree is described as an evergreen plant. The homeland of these conifers is considered North America. It is in this region that you can meet the Cypress family in the wild.
Cypress
Cones in plants are brownish and spherical. Their size is small, the diameter of the largest cone is only 1 cm. A characteristic feature for the cypress is a raid on the cones of a gray shade. A large number of varieties of this species are known, most of which are frost-resistant.
More than 200 years ago, the cypress tree was brought to Western Europe, from where it spread throughout the continent. During this time, new varieties were developed that easily adapt to certain conditions, even the most severe.
Cypress needles
Cypress and cypress: what is the difference
The cypress tree has thin, flat needles; in the lower part or along the vein, a manifestation of a light band can often be observed. With age, the top of the cypress becomes drooping.
Cypress is a tree with an oval-cone-shaped crown. The needles have a light green tone with a golden hue. In cypress, the distinguishing feature of cypress is the color of the trunk - it has a grayish tone.
Important! Externally, the plants are very similar to each other, but the cypress has larger branches, but the fruits are much smaller. In both plants, the cones are the fruit.
Common varieties for growing in a pot
Cypress is one of the varieties of plants that feel good indoors. They can be used both for landscaping balconies and for large rooms.
Cypress include 7 species, they all grow in mountain forests, on the coasts of the seas and in marshy zones. They tolerate waterlogging and cold well. These trees are capable of reaching a height of up to 25 m (pea cypress), some grow even higher than 60 m (Lavson cypress). Also, breeders have developed low-growing varieties that do not exceed 5 m, some are dwarf varieties - up to 1 m.
Beginners in the cultivation of this plant should give preference to low varieties, for example, the variety of cypress pea-fruit Baby Blue. You can also take for the first time a stupid cypress Nana Gracilis. Over time, these varieties can be planted in the ground, where they will continue to develop.
Lavson's cypress
The highest representative of the Cypress is precisely Lavson. Some varieties are able to reach a height of up to 70 m. When they are grown, they try to reduce the height due to the fact that the growth point (crown) is pinched.
Lavson's cypress
Popular varieties:
- Golden Wonder. Not very tall tree (only 7 m) with a conical crown. The branches of the variety are very powerful, grow by 15 cm per year. The needles of young shoots are tightly pressed, has a golden hue. It develops poorly on poor soils, does not tolerate drafts. In landscape design, it is often used for single landings.
- Columnaris Glauka. A tree with a pyramidal crown shape, can grow up to 10 m. It develops rapidly, shoots grow by 20 cm per year. The needles are bluish or metallic in color, with the onset of cold weather it changes color to gray. A great option for landscaping a balcony or terrace.
- Elwoody. Cypress Elwoodi grows in height only 2 m. Attracts many with its compact form of the crown, slightly drooping down. A bright moment in the variety of cypress Lavson Elwoody is an unusual shade of needles - bluish-gray. Some inexperienced summer residents, confusing the variety of plantings, call it Elwood cypress.
Lavson Alwoody cypress
- Globose. This is another undersized variety representative of the Lavson species. Only 1 m in height grows. Due to the arrangement of branches (horizontally) it resembles a shrub with greenish-blue needles.
Cypress dumb
It is also called stupid. Many representatives of this species do not exceed a height mark of 2 meters. Among all varieties, the most popular for growing in the suburbs are:
- Drat (Dracht) is a shrub that grows in height from 1.5 to 2 m. Every year, it can add only 5 to 10 cm in growth. It has a compact conical shape of the crown. The needles have a grayish-green hue.
- Rashahib. Dwarf shrub with a sprawling crown shape. The branches are not closed, so the crown looks loose. The shrub has a bright green tone, on which there are cones of brownish or reddish hues.
- Nana Gracilis is a stunted shrub. A bush is capable of growing only up to 60 cm. It has a wide crown that has a conical shape. A great option for growing at home, because plant with beautiful dark green needles.
Pea cypress
The cypress grows to 3.5 m in height, is able to reach 2 m in width. To grow it, you need space, with a lot of light. With prolonged shading, the needles lose their natural tone.
Some varieties:
- Pheasant Nana - pea cypress, able to grow up to 2 m in height. In the first 10 years it reaches only 50 cm in height. The shoots are thin, form a falling crown. The branches slightly resemble greenish ropes.
- Boulevard is a variety of cypress, whose tree grows in height to only 2 m. It was bred specifically for small winter gardens that use a mix of flowering plants and dwarf evergreen trees, including cypress Boulevard (another version of the Russian name of the variety).
Cypress Boulevard
- Sangold is a small spherical shrub. It is able to grow up to 50 cm. It has gained popularity in home gardening, thanks to soft needles with a greenish-golden hue.
Cypress Boulevard
Evergreen (Cupressus sempervirens)
Evergreen cypress has scaly leaves that are located on the shoots. The location is non-standard - cross-opposite. Cones on cypress form large, with clearly visible tubercles. The needles have a dark green color, is a compact columnar shape.
Kashmiri (Cupressus Cashmeriana)
A medium-tall plant with a pyramidal crown shape. The plant is very demanding on growing conditions. The temperature and watering conditions must be observed. For the winter, the tree needs to be moved from the balcony or loggia (especially from the open) to the heated room.
Large Leaf (Cupressus macrocarpa)
Gained its popularity due to the unusual aroma - lemon. A prominent representative of the species is the Goldcrest Wilma variety - cypress with lime needles. Despite the fact that it does not bloom and does not give cones, it is still used in landscaping residential buildings, offices and plots.
Caring for a cypress house
The main care of the plant is regular watering with spraying. When growing these plants, it is necessary to take into account some nuances.
Lighting
Cypress love the light, so you have to take care of this. They easily tolerate short-term shading, it is better not to contact plants with direct sunlight, as this will affect the condition of the needles and the entire tree.
Temperature
In the summer, for the Cypress trees, the optimal temperature is considered to be from 23 to 25 degrees, in the winter - from 11 to 15. If in the room where the cypress grows very hot, it is worth opening a window or turning on the air conditioner.
Watering
It is advisable that the earthen lump is always wet.
Useful! The plant is demanding on moisture, so you need to water it regularly, preferably every other day, on hot days - daily.
Spraying
The spraying procedure should be carried out more often than watering. Throughout the day, you need to walk several times with a spray bottle along the branches and needles of cypress.
Humidity
Cypress trees do not tolerate aridity in the air. To create optimal conditions for plants, it is necessary to carry out regular spraying of water in the air. It is required to monitor the air humidity indicator, it should not fall below the 50% mark.
Priming
The best option would be to purchase a finished substrate for coniferous plantings in the store. Before planting a cypress in a pot, you need to fluff the soil a little so that it is saturated with air. Cypress trees do not like crushed soils. If the substrate is being prepared on its own, the proportions required are: turf soil (3 parts), peat (1 part), leafy soil (1 part) and sand (1 part).
Top dressing
Cypress trees always respond well to mineral as well as organic fertilizers. When feeding, you should alternate between these two types. An ideal option would be ready-made dressings for bonsai and ornamental plantings.
During rest
In winter, the number of irrigations is reduced, feeding is not carried out. The requirement for air humidity remains. In winter, a tub of cypress can be put away from the window, it will feel fine even in the far corner of the room, rather than being near the window where the heating pipes are.
How cypress propagates
There are three ways to propagate cypress. Each of them is labor-intensive in its own way; to achieve a result, it is worth trying each of them.
Seed germination
The most energy-consuming way. Seeds must be collected, before sowing, carry out stratification, which lasts about 3 months. Seeds are placed in a room where high humidity and temperature are maintained (up to 7 degrees).
Useful! Later, they are sent for germination, carried out at a temperature above 22 degrees. After that, the seeds are sown in the ground.
Rooting cuttings
Cuttings of 9-11 cm are cut, placed in a special greenhouse (where the temperature is maintained at 22-23 degrees), where wet sand is poured over the nutrient soil. Cuttings are “planted” at an angle and left there until the roots appear. Inspection and watering of the site are regularly conducted. After 2-3 months, the first rooted cuttings should appear.
Air lay
The escape is being processed by Epin. After the roots appear at the processing site, the shoot is cut off and planted in the nursery until completely rooted. Then the seedling can be planted in a permanent place in open ground or a pot.
Transfer
Since many representatives of the Kiparisovs develop very quickly, they need to be transplanted at least once every couple of years. You need to plant plants in a spacious container, be sure to arrange drainage (pebbles or expanded clay). Soil preparation is described above. After planting, if the mixture was prepared independently, plants should be fed.
Cypress planting
Possible problems in growing
Due to non-compliance with the rules of care, problems may arise that will inhibit the plant, or even lead to its death.
The needles turn yellow and fall
Frequent during the heating season. If the plant begins to turn yellow, it is urgently necessary to move it further from the battery, water and spray it. Also, such a problem occurs when direct rays hit the needles, then the cypress tree must be shaded or moved away from the window. A plant may turn yellow due to a lack of watering or mineral nutrition. To identify a lack of soil, you should shed plenty of lump and observe the plant for several days, not forgetting regular watering and spraying.
The needles dry
This is a sign that the plant does not receive the necessary amount of moisture from the soil and air. Therefore, to restore it, it is necessary to carefully remove the damage, shed the plant and sprinkle the needles of the cypress, especially the nutkansky, which has weeping shoots.
Cypress, planting and care
Pests
Like other indoor plants, cypress are damaged by pests. A big problem for him are the scabbard and spider mite. The first damages the trunk, the pest can be noticed immediately. Brownish or yellowish tubercles will form on the trunk and shoots. A tick damages the needles themselves. If a cobweb appeared on the branches, and the needles began to fold, this is a sign of the appearance of this pest on the plant. The most optimal way is to process the tree with an actelik.
Useful! There are analogues of Actellik, but practice shows that this drug is the most effective. Constantly processing only they can not - it will cause addiction in the pest.
Such nuances of caring for the representatives of the Cypress are available when they are kept in room conditions. If you want to grow an interesting, slightly resembling thuiform shrub, plant in your apartment, you should study in detail the growing conditions of a particular variety. Despite the fact that many of them have high winter hardiness and unpretentiousness, all of them, when grown indoors, require special attention.
