Indoor cypresses are very popular houseplants because of their delicate foliage. In general, the plants are very robust and do not require much care. Every now and then the needles or shoots turn brown. This is usually due to care errors or illnesses.
Why is my indoor cypress turning brown?
If a room cypress has brown needles or shoots, the causes can be a location that is too sunny, incorrect moisture conditions, excessive fertilization or fungal diseases. Optimal care and the right location prevent browning.
Causes of room cypress turning brown
- Too sunny location
- too little or too much moisture
- wrong fertilizer
- Fungal disease
If you see the indoor cypress directly at the window, too much sun can cause the brown spots. In strong sunlight, the window glass acts like a burning glass and burns the delicate needles. Although the indoor cypress has to be very bright, it cannot tolerate too much sunlight.
The indoor cypress does not need as much water as other types of cypress. It must not dry out completely. Before you water, do the finger test. If the top soil is about two centimeters dry, it's time to water.
Avoid waterlogging. Always plant indoor cypresses in pots with good drainage and a sufficiently large drainage hole.
Do not fertilize indoor cypresses too often
A common care mistake is fertilizing the indoor cypress. If you repot the plant regularly every two years, you don't need to fertilize it at all.
Giving it too much fertilizer can also cause the leaves to brown.
If you really want to fertilize, just add some liquid fertilizer (€8.00 on Amazon) to the water every few months.
Fungal diseases of the indoor cypress
Cypresses often turn brown because they are infected by Phytophthora. This is a fungal disease that causes the leaves to wilt.
If you want to be absolutely sure, take the indoor cypress out of the pot and rinse off the old soil completely. Then place them in fresh substrate.
Cut off all browned plant parts generously and dispose of them in the household waste.
Put indoor cypresses outside in summer
Indoor cypresses thrive better if you don't keep them indoors all year round. In summer you can place the plant in the pot in a very bright, but not too sunny location.
Tip
Indoor cypresses are not hardy. They need to be kept in a cooler place in winter. A hallway window or a spot in the bright, unheated winter garden is ideal.