Diseases in cypress trees are not that common. Nevertheless, you should always keep a close eye on your cypress hedge or the cypress in the garden or container in order to detect diseases in good time. Often something can be done to prevent the conifer from dying.
What diseases occur in cypress trees?
Cypress trees can be affected by diseases such as gray mold, root rot and fungal diseases. To treat this, you should cut off affected parts of the plant, ensure optimal water and light conditions and, if necessary, use fungicides.
Diseases that can occur in cypress trees
- Gray horse
- Root rot
- Fungal diseases
Identifying and treating gray mold
Grey mold mainly occurs on cypress trees in pots. The infestation can be recognized by a dense, gray layer on the needles. If the branches are moved, they appear to collect dust. In addition, a foul smell is noticeable.
The causes of gray mold are a location that is too dark and the soil dries out. Place the pots in a bright place and water them regularly, even in winter. Choose a day when it is not freezing.
Cut off affected plant parts and dispose of them in household waste.
Root rot occurs due to waterlogging
The cypress does not tolerate waterlogging at all. If the tree is too moist, the roots will rot. The rotting process continues into the trunk and the cypress dies.
Before planting, you should loosen the soil deeply and improve firm soils with sand.
When keeping cypress trees in a pot, put a drainage layer at the bottom so that the roots of the tree are not directly in the water.
Treating fungal diseases
Fungal diseases such as Phytophthora cinnamomi are manifested by the needles turning brown. Too much or too little moisture is also responsible for this disease.
Cut off infected branches as soon as possible. If you wait too long, you run the risk of the cypress dying. Treat the tree with fungicides suitable for cypress.
Always throw the plant remains into the household waste so that the fungal spores cannot spread further in the garden.
Prevention through clean tools
When cutting and caring for cypress trees, only use garden tools that you have previously cleaned. This helps prevent the spread of disease.
Tip
If brown or yellow spots appear on the cypress after winter, it is rarely frost damage. Diseases caused by excessive drought are primarily responsible for this.
