How to grow cypress at home
Before growing cypress at home, you should know the features of this plant. Only by owning such information can you get a healthy and incredibly beautiful tree that will delight the owners for many years.
Description of cypress
Cypress grows as a bush or tree. This plant forms a spreading crown, but more often has the shape of a pyramid. Young evergreen specimens have small, needle-shaped leaves. With age, they bend more tightly to the branches, covered with small scales. Since this is a representative of monoecious plants, there are female and male cones on one individual. They ripen only in the second year, forming small seeds attached to the underside of the "wings" of the cones.
The homeland of cypresses is the territory of the tropics and subtropics. But there are also frost-resistant varieties. At home, a large-fruited version of the plant is bred.
Cypress is even mentioned in the Bible. This is one of the trees that adorned the Gardens of Eden. Christians consider cypress to be a symbol of eternal life.
In shops selling indoor flowers, you can most often find the Goldcres variety. It has yellowish needles with a golden tint. A neat compact tree does not take up much space and is suitable even for small apartments or office spaces. With the right care, it will help create a corner of the Garden of Eden anywhere.
Indoor cypress is very beneficial for its essential oils. Due to its specific smell, this plant is able to repel various insects. The oil is extracted from the cones by distillation. Many diseases can be cured with it. Also, oil is an excellent prophylactic agent.
Cypress Oil Properties:
- copes with unpleasant odors;
- eliminates inflammation, heals wounds;
- has a calming effect;
- is a good tonic;
- stops blood and heals cuts;
- relieves headaches.
Also, cypress oil evens out hormones. It helps to cope with colds, viruses, heals bleeding gums. Cypress oil is an excellent cosmetic product. It eliminates dandruff, helps oily and problem skin, relieves rashes.
Plant care at home
This plant is not so whimsical as to cause a lot of trouble for its owners. But despite this, there are certain rules for caring for indoor cypress at home, which are important to know and follow.
Nutritious soil with high breathability
A home tree grows quickly, so it is important for it to provide a sufficient amount of minerals and organic matter... The soil for the cypress should not be dense. This can lead to the accumulation of large amounts of water. Excess liquid often causes root rot, which is dangerous for the plant.
Before how to care for a cypress in a pot, you should carefully study the information about it.
Good lighting is the key to the health of the cypress
The plant loves bright sunlight. Otherwise, its foliage will begin to turn yellow and crumble.Cypress trees shade only in hot summer. In the warm season, it is taken out into the fresh air for sunbathing, and in winter it is provided additional illumination with lamps.
Gentle watering and no overflow
In the summer, it is necessary to maintain a moderate humidity in the pot, while in the winter the soil in it should be drier. When overflowing, cypress roots are quickly damaged by rot. An evergreen plant responds well to frequent spraying, especially in hot summers.
A cool environment is the best option. Conifers are not very fond of high temperatures. Cypress is no exception. A room with 8-10 degrees is most suitable for him. Such conditions are difficult to create in an apartment both in winter and in summer. The only way to help cypress is to spray more frequently and ventilate the area regularly.
When growing cypress at home, do not forget about feeding it. Regular application complex fertilizers will provide the plant with a healthy appearance and strengthen the immune system.
Caring for indoor lemon cypress includes a transplant. This procedure should be carried out in the spring. If you want to suspend the growth of a tree, then when transplanting, you should trim the tree roots a little.
How to Grow Cypress from Seeds?
Before growing a cypress from seeds, you should know some rules, namely when it is best to sow grains. The optimal period is April-May. These can be store-bought seeds or self-picked from ripe buds.
To do this, you need to prepare a mixture in the following proportions:
- earth with leaves - 2 parts;
- peat mixture - 1 part;
- turf - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part.
Before planting cypress seeds, pots need to be covered with prepared soil. Then water the substrate a little and tamp. Planting material is laid out on top, covered with a layer of earth up to 1 cm high. The top ball of soil is sprayed from a spray bottle. The pots are removed to the greenhouse. Shoots should appear after a couple of weeks.
When transplanting sprouts into permanent pots, good results will be obtained by applying complex fertilizer with long exposure. It is designed for two years and will provide complete feeding of the cypress during this entire time.
The mini-greenhouse must be periodically opened; as the seedlings grow, this should be done more often. Over time, the greenhouse is removed. When growing cypress from seeds at home, you need to monitor the moisture content of the soil, but do not overflow the plants.
When the sprouts reach five centimeters in height, they are transplanted into separate containers:
- For these purposes, large half-liter plastic glasses are suitable.
- A hole must be made in the bottom of the glass and a layer of expanded clay is poured for drainage.
- For planting, use the same soil as for germinating seeds, but add more sand (two parts).
- Every month the plants need to be watered with fertilizers, and after a year they can be transplanted into pots.
For growing cypress trees, it is preferable to use narrow and tall pots with a good layer of expanded clay drainage at the bottom.
For the first week after transplanting, it is better to hold the tree in diffused light, and then place it in a fairly bright place. North and east windows are well suited for a coniferous plant. If the balcony is glazed, and the temperature there does not drop below 15 degrees, in winter you can keep the cypress on the loggia. The first fruits on the tree appear at the age of five.
Propagation of cypress by cuttings
For this method of reproduction of cypress at home, April or the end of June is suitable. To begin with, choose a healthy mother tree. Cuttings must be taken from the top of it, from branches that are no more than three years old. Shoots selected for grafting are not cut, but plucked with a sharp, quick movement. In this case, a piece of bark should remain at the base. The cutting height should not exceed 20 centimeters.
Propagation of cypress by cuttings is the most effective way.
Cypress Rooting Methods:
- The needles on the bottom are removed. The branches are kept in a growth stimulator for about a day.
- They are planted in boxes prepared in advance. They are filled with sand, which is disinfected with a 3% solution of potassium permanganate.
- The container should have a fairly large number of drainage holes. They put it on a support (legs) so that air can freely access the bottom.
- The branches are not deepened much, only 2-4 cm, covered with foil or placed in a greenhouse.
- The optimum temperature for root formation in cypress cuttings is about 20 degrees. At lower rates, the film is required. If the air temperature exceeds 20 degrees, then it will be enough to cover the branches with gauze.
- Twice a day, the cuttings are sprayed. In this case, watering as such is not carried out.
- The cuttings under film, cans or plastic bottles are periodically ventilated.
When the twigs have good roots 10 cm long, they can be replanted. It is better to use slightly acidic soil with the addition of peat. After two to three years, the trees are planted in their permanent place.
Indoor or outdoor cypress is a real decoration. With proper planting and care at home, a decorative tree will delight its owners and purify the air in the apartment, and slender green pyramids of large varieties will help create alleys or a hedge near a country house.