Muscle cypresses differ from other cypress species in that they grow much slower and do not grow as tall. The care is a little more complex. What you need to consider when caring for a mussel cypress.
What tips are important for caring for a mussel cypress?
When caring for a mussel cypress, you should make sure to water regularly, but avoid waterlogging, fertilize the plant twice a year outdoors and every six to eight weeks in the pot, transplant young plants if necessary and protect against diseases and pests. Only partially hardy varieties can overwinter outdoors.
How to water the mussel cypress?
The substrate must never dry out completely. On the other hand, the mussel cypress does not tolerate any waterlogging.
Always water when the surface has dried out to a depth of about two centimeters. When caring for the pot, you need to water more frequently.
Use rainwater, because mussel cypresses do not tolerate calcareous water well.
How often does it need to be fertilized?
When caring for outdoors, fertilize twice a year by adding compost or conifer fertilizer (€8.00 on Amazon). The best way to care for potted plants is to add liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water. Halve the amount stated on the fertilizer packaging. A fertilizer application every six to eight weeks is sufficient.
When is it necessary to prune mussel cypresses?
Basically, you don't have to cut mussel cypresses at all. If you cut, it's better to cut only a little and more often.
Do you need to transplant mussel cypress trees?
You should only transplant young mussel cypresses outdoors if you cannot avoid it. Potted plants need to be repotted every two to three years.
What diseases and pests can occur?
- Root rot
- Aphids
- Leaf miners
- Mites
Why do the needles turn brown?
It is a normal process for the needles to turn brown inside. Just shake them off so the tree gets more light inside.
If the outer shoot tips turn brown, root rot, a poor location or too much or too little moisture may be responsible.
How is the mussel cypress overwintered?
Most species of mussel cypress are not hardy. They must be kept indoors at least five degrees over the winter. 16 to 18 degrees is ideal.
You can only plant varieties outdoors that have been shown to be partially hardy. A protected location still makes sense. A blanket of mulch that you spread under the mussel cypress provides quite good protection.
Tip
Propagate mussel cypresses is not easy and takes a very long time. Cuttings and grafting are possible methods for propagation.
