Cypresses can easily be grown in a pot on a balcony or terrace. But even outdoors, the conifers can only tolerate sub-zero temperatures for a short time - in a pot, however, the cypress is not hardy at all. It must be protected from frost.
Are cypress trees hardy in pots?
Cypresses in pots are not hardy and must be protected from frost. Overwinter them in a cool, frost-free room or a sheltered corner on the balcony. Water regularly to prevent the root ball from drying out.
Cypresses in pots do not tolerate frost
Cypress trees in pots are not hardy. The soil in the pot freezes very quickly, so the tree suffers severe frostbite if the temperatures drop very sharply.
A cypress must therefore be kept frost-free in a pot over the winter.
Winter cypresses properly in pots
- Wintering the bucket in the house
- Place the pot on an insulating surface
- Cover the tree with burlap (€11.00 on Amazon) or bubble wrap
- place in a protected corner on the balcony
- alternatively overwinter in a cool greenhouse
- water regularly
In order to get a cypress tree in a pot over the winter well, you have to set it up so that it doesn't get frost. Temperatures between five and ten degrees are ideal for wintering.
In the house, cool hallway windows or unheated entrance areas are good parking spaces in winter. A cool greenhouse or an unheated winter garden is even better.
If you don't have space in the house, place the cypress in a sheltered corner on the balcony or terrace.
Don’t forget to water
Dryness in winter is even more difficult for non-hardy cypresses than frost. The pot ball must never dry out completely. That's why you have to water the cypress regularly, even in winter. However, you are not allowed to fertilize them.
Always water when the surface has dried to a depth of about two centimeters. Make sure that the water can drain away so that no waterlogging occurs.
Remove cypress from winter quarters
When the days get longer again and it is no longer so cold, slowly get the cypress tree used to the fresh air again. Place them in the sun for hours.
Spring is also the best time to repot the cypress.
Tip
Cypresses in the garden can tolerate sub-zero temperatures of up to a maximum of 15 degrees for a short time. If the frost period lasts longer, there is a risk that the tree will die. In unfavorable locations, you should therefore plant false cypresses or thuja.
