Bringing the distinctive features of a cypress tree, rules for indoor cultivation, recommendations for reproduction, pest and disease control, species. The cypress (Chamaecyparis) belongs to the genus of monoecious conifers that never shed their foliage. All of them are attributed to the Cypress family (Cupressaceae) and the age of the oldest of them is estimated at 117 ± 10 years (a specimen of pea cypress). They take tree-like forms and reach 70 m in height, but the most famous is Lawson's cypress, whose height is close to 81 m. The native habitat is in the eastern lands of Asia, and it is also common in North America.
The appearance of this plant is very similar to its "green brother" - cypress, and people who do not know often even confuse them. The differences between the cypress tree are that its branches have more flattened contours, and the cones, which mature over the year, are smaller in size and are located on each of the scales in only two seeds (cypress has more of them). Almost all varieties are frost-resistant. It happens that among the people it bears the name of false cypress, indoor cypress, hamecyparis or hamaecyparis.
The crown of the cypress is cone-shaped, which is very similar to the thuja, and the skeletal branches grow open or drooping. In indoor conditions, the plant has miniature (compared to natural) indicators in height - only 2 meters. The color of the bark covering the trunk is brownish-brown; there are scales and cracks on it. The leaf blades (if you can call them that) or needles are placed opposite, and their arrangement is crosswise placed. They very much resemble small scales. When the plant is young (or in some varieties), the needles take on needle-shaped contours (juvenile) or some intermediate shape between the scales and needles. The color of the needles is green, dark emerald, yellowish green or bluish smoky. The leaves are tightly pressed against the branches, and there is a sharpening at the top.
The plant is monoecious, the shape of male cones (they are called microstrabils) is oval, small in size. Women's (megastrobilis) with rounded contours, they have scales that are very reminiscent of scutes, there are 3-6 pairs of such scales. The size of the cones is measured in the range from 0.5 to 12 mm. The seeds (a pair or five units) have wide wings. Usually the seed material ripens in the first year (the exception is the nutcan cypress).
Recently, breeders of Japan, America, as well as European countries have bred more than 200 cypress cultivars, which differ among themselves not only in the shape of the crown, but also in various shades of needles (yellowish, gray, bluish, gray and even variegated), as well as the growth rate of such plants are very different, there are other important differences.
How to grow a cypress at home?
- Lighting should be bright but diffused. Sills of windows "looking" to the east or west will do. In winter, you will have to carry out backlighting.
- Content temperature. Although the plant grows in its natural environment in southern latitudes, cooler conditions are more suitable for indoor cultivation. Even in the summer, it is desirable that the temperature does not exceed 20 degrees, and in winter for the chamaecyparisovik it is required to maintain a heat range of 8-15 degrees.
- Air humidity. It is recommended to carry out frequent spraying of the crown of indoor cypress in the spring and summer. If in the winter months the plant is in a room with indoor thermometer readings (20-24 degrees), then regular spraying or shower washes are carried out, twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. When spraying, the water should be well-separated and warm, otherwise the needles of the chameciparis will begin to turn yellow and fly around. The plant is usually sprayed once a day, especially if the thermometer readings are above 15 degrees. If you forget to carry out the above actions at least once a day, this will lead to the death of the ephedra.
- Watering. For normal cultivation of cypress, it is required that the soil in the pot always remains slightly moistened. But it is impossible to allow stagnation of water in the pot holder. In summer, such watering is carried out daily, and with the arrival of winter, humidification is performed once a week. The water should be soft, free of lime at room temperature (20-24 degrees). With the onset of winter, especially if the plant is in low heat conditions, you should put a pot of chamaecyparis in a deep and wide container, at the bottom of which expanded clay, pebbles or chopped sphagnum moss are poured. A little water is poured there, but it is important to make sure that the bottom of the pot does not touch the liquid. Regular soil mulching will also reduce moisture evaporation. Following the advice of experienced flower growers, pieces of ice placed in a pot will help to raise the humidity level, since, when melting, it will moisturize the substrate and the air. As soon as in the autumn-winter period the soil in the pot dries out from above, then it should be watered.
- General plant care. If it is necessary to reduce the growth of the crown, then at the very beginning of spring, the root system is pruned. It is recommended that the cypress tree be regularly rotated along the axis by 10-15 degrees so that its crown grows evenly, the regularity of such operations every 14 days. When growing in the bonsai style, a transplant is needed every 3-4 years.
- Fertilizers for homemade cypress, they are introduced from the beginning of spring days to the end of summer, with a frequency of once every two weeks. With the arrival of autumn, the tree is not fed. In order for the chamaecyparisovik to feel comfortable, they use preparations intended for conifers (complete mineral complex fertilizers for conifers) released in liquid form, but their concentration is almost halved, diluted with water. Before applying top dressing, it is recommended to loosen the substrate.
- Pruning it is carried out so that the crown acquires a magnificent and beautiful shape. In the spring, they try to remove all old twigs or overly elongated shoots. The selected branch is cut completely, it is important to remember that you cannot remove it partially or in half. You can also re-prune in the autumn to reduce the height parameters.
- Transplanting and soil selection. Since the cypress tree has a high growth rate, even adult specimens should change the pot and the soil in it at least once every 2 years. But since this process is quite painful for a plant, then transplantation is carried out by the transshipment method, without destroying the earthen coma. The trunk should not be deeply buried. The container is selected spacious, and a sufficient drainage layer is laid on its bottom. After transplanting, the cypress is placed in a shaded place so that it adapts faster. For the substrate, a composition with weak acidity is selected at pH 5, 5–6, 5. You can use ready-made soil for conifers or take universal soil. Also, experts recommend making a soil mixture yourself from sod, leaf and peat soil, mixing it with river sand (in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 1).
How to propagate a cypress on your own?
As with the propagation of cypress, you can sow seed or cuttings.
Before planting, seeds should be stratified within 3-4 months - it is recommended to place them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at 5-7 degrees. Then, in spring, they are soaked for a day in any growth stimulator (like Epin). After that, the seeds are scattered in a planting box filled with moistened sand or substrate for growing conifers. The container with crops is placed under glass or wrapped in a plastic bag. The place for germination is selected warm. Daily ventilation of crops and, if necessary, moistening of the substrate are recommended. As soon as sprouts appear, the shelter is removed. If a pair of true leaves is formed on the seedlings, and the height of young plants becomes 5–7 cm, then you can dive into separate pots with drainage at the bottom and more suitable soil for further growth.
For cuttings, you can use the remaining branches when pruning. It is desirable that there is a "heel" on the workpiece and its length is about 10 cm. Before sowing, you can put the cuttings in a solution of a root formation stimulator for a couple of hours. Then it is recommended to remove the lower leaves from the branch and plant it in a peat-sand mixture. The cuttings are covered with a glass cover or plastic wrap. Do not forget to regularly air the seedlings and if the soil is dry, then water the plants. When there are clear signs of rooting (young leaves are formed), then the shelter is removed and young cypress trees are looked after as usual.
Cypress pests and diseases
Often, the problems that arise during the cultivation of indoor cypress are associated with a violation of the rules of cultivation. Among them are the following:
- the tree began to stretch strongly - the illumination level is low;
- the needles began to turn yellow and dry, then this is a sign of an overabundance of lighting - the plant is transferred to a more shaded place;
- with insufficient watering or a lack of nutrients in the substrate, the needles may also begin to turn yellow;
- if the twigs began to dry on only one side, then it is possible this is the action of a nearby heating or heating device, watering and spraying should be increased;
- when the tips of the needles began to turn brown, this is a consequence of too dry air in the room or a low temperature - you should increase the frequency of spraying or increase the heat indicators;
- with regular filling of the substrate, improperly selected soil, or the absence of drainage in the pot, the cypress tree may begin to wither and this is most likely provoked by root rot - an urgent transplant is required with preliminary treatment with fungicides.
Also, a problem in violation of conditions of detention can be damage by harmful insects, such as spider mites or scale insects. It will be necessary to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations - Aktellik, Aktara, Karbofos or Fitoverm or agents with a similar spectrum of action.
Interesting facts about cypress
Like its popular "brother" the cypress tree has long been known to people, it gives the owner a positive and rather strong "masculine" energy. Phytoncides that purify the air in the room are extremely useful for the respiratory system. They can suppress the development of pathogenic microbes, and also successfully destroy E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Often inhaling the aroma of cypress needles serves as the prevention of bronchitis and colds.
Cypress species
- Lawson's cypress (Chamaecyparis Lawsoniana) is an evergreen plant with a shrub or woody form of life, and needles are formed instead of leaves. The native area of distribution falls on the lands of North America and Asia. Back in the middle of the 19th century, this variety was exported outside the American continent and began to spread widely throughout Europe. A tree usually has a narrow conical crown, in conditions of natural growth it reaches 81 m, resembles a thuya in its outlines. However, unlike the latter, its top consists of small twigs, horizontal or hanging. The bark has a black-brown tint, covered with scales. The needles are also distinguished by scaly contours. If the flower is male, then its color is purple-red, while female flowers are greenish and they grow at the ends of the branches. The cones have spherical outlines, at the very beginning they have a green color, they fully ripen in September, while they open and small seeds fall out of them, which are carried by the wind through their wings.
- Blunt cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) which bears the name Hinoki and has a woody form of growth and a height of 20-30 m. It is an endemic plant of the islands of Japan, that is, it is not found in the wild anywhere else on the planet. The crown of the plant is in the form of a cone, the branches grow at a distance from the trunk. The color of the bark is red-brown, the surface of the trunk is smooth. The leaf plates are obtuse, pressed against the branches, shaded with a light green color scheme. Female cones have a ball shape.
- Pea cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera) has a woody form of growth. Indicators in height vary within 25-30 m. Crown outlines - conical or narrow-pointed. The branches grow outstretched in a horizontal plane. The bark has a reddish-brown or red-blue color, its surface is smooth, it departs from the wood in thin strips. Branches with flat outlines, hanging, they are densely covered with leaves. Leaf needles are tightly adjacent to the shoots, the tops are outgoing, on top they are glossy, with a dark green color, the underside has a whitish spot and stripes. The needles have a faint aroma. The shape of the planar leaves is ovate-lanceolate, they have a piece of iron, and those located on the sides are distinguished by strong compression, the apex is pointed, the length of the leaves is equal. Male cones consist of 3-5 pairs of finger sacs of brownish color, while female cones are small, the number is large, these megastrobils have short petioles and a rounded shape, with a size of 6-8 mm in diameter. Their color is yellowish brown or dark brown. Bumps ripen in the first year. The number of seed scales varies from 8 to 10 units, they are soft, thin, devoid of woody appearance, have an elongation in width, and when ripe they become concave. Their upper side is wrinkled, the tip is slightly pointed, the edge is notched. The scales usually have 1-2 seeds with a thin and transparent wing. Its outlines are rather wide, there are 5-6 glands on each side that secrete resin. The plant is endemic to the islands of Japan and prefers to grow on a moist substrate. The wood of this variety is of high quality.
- Nutkan cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis). The native distribution area is in the Pacific coast. The plant can reach 40 m in height. The bark on the trunk is grayish-brown, the needles have a dark green shade, it has a rather unpleasant odor. The cones have spherical contours, their color is brownish, there is a purple tint.
- Thuate cypress (Chamaecyparis thyodes). The area of natural growth falls on the lands of the east of North America. The plant has soft green needles with a bluish tint, which has the property of becoming silvery in the spring period, and acquiring a bronze tone with the arrival of autumn. The tree can be up to 25 m in height.
- Mourning cypress (Chamaecyparis funebris) its "roots" of origin is similar to the territory of China. Possesses needles with a grayish-green color and dark brown cones. This plant is from all genus and is often used in bonsai cultivation. His crown is pyramidal, with the cones the scales are turned down and has a slight curvature. The trunk is straight.
For more information on the homemade cypress, see the video below:
