The Golden Mop plant is also known as the Golden Mop Cypress, Golden Mop False Cypress, Japanese False Cypress belongs to the Cupressaceae family. The plant is native to Japan and is known for its bright colors that carry a greenish-golden hue throughout the year. Gold mop cypress scientific name is Chamaecyparis Pisifera that could be a beautiful addition to your home garden as it adds glowy colors to your garden. While taking care of this plant is quite easy, the gold mop cypress pruning process is also not very complicated.
The Golden Mop is a slow-growing shrub and you will witness only 2-3 feet growth in the first 10 years. However, once the golden cypress shrub gets matured, it can cover an area of 5-7 feet and attain a height of around 5 feet. The needle-shaped leaves of this shrub cover all the branches and the gold mop cypress plant does not bloom with flowers. The plant can be grown both indoors and outdoors but you need to take a little care about the to ensure good growth.
How to Prune Gold Mop (Chamaecyparis Pisifera)?
Gold Mop is a slow grower but this is an evergreen plant that keeps on growing for years. They grow a lot of branches and in those branches, you will find so many other sub-branches which are covered by pointed leaves. While looking from a distance you won’t be able to identify any branches as they are covered with the foliage. This is why trimming gold mop cypress bushes is important otherwise it will keep on spreading.
Another question that concerns the pruning process is when to prune golden mops? Basically, the pruning process is carried out before the springtime or you can make it happen during the summers. Here are simple steps related to gold mop cypress pruning:
- You can start the pruning process by sterilizing sharp scissors or cutters to avoid any infections to the plant.
- Locate the dead and the infected parts of the plant, then use your sharp tool to cut them off.
- Now, the time has arrived to prune the branches and leaves that will help you provide a shape to your Gold Mop plant.
- You can craft any look you desire but most people choose the pyramid shape as it looks appealing.
Pro Tip – Wash the pruning tool with disinfectant, and hot water at your home and make it dry after using. Keep the edges of your tool sharp, free from nicks, and replace inexpensive tools every year.
How to Care for Gold Mop Cypress?
- Light: The plant is fond of good sunlight and prefers to stay in the full shade of the morning and partial shade during the afternoon. If you do not put the plant under enough sunlight throughout the day, you may not be able to see the golden glow of the leaves. If you are growing them indoors make sure you put them in a spot that receives bright indirect light for at least 6 hours.
- Soil: The Gold Mop plant thrives in different varieties of soil like sandy, loam, or clay. There are certain prerequisites that you need to take care of like the soil should be well-drained and hold the nutrients within it. They thrive well in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soils. You can make your own soil by adding cocopeat, pumice or perlite, organic matter, compost, and mulch.
- Water: The Gold Mop is not very likely to thrive in conditions when it is overwatered or kept under water for prolonged periods. Although they are said to be drought-tolerant shrubs, they cannot resist being in a dry condition for a long time. You need frequent watering sessions when they are small and when they get matured, you keep the soil moist and never let it dry.
- Temperature: They are very familiar with cold conditions but need to be saved from prolonged frost outside. If you fail to do so, you will see the golden mop cypress turning brown. You can grow them in areas that go down to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. They even thrive well in slightly warmer conditions.
- Fertilizer: It’s not a hard task landscaping with golden mop cypress plant. Make sure you provide them the nutrients while they are thriving and that can be done through sessions of fertilization during the growth period. These nutrients help them to retain their striking golden foliage. Check for the deficiency of nutrients in the soil and feed the plant with those lacking nutrients only.
Reasons to Prune Gold Mop
- Better Growth: Pruning helps in increasing the growth rate of the branches and leaves. If you are regularly pruning your plant every year, you will see better growth every year. Better health and growth even ease the process of transplanting gold mop cypress to another pot or place.
- Safety From Infections & Diseases: As we know plants are prone to several infections and insects that cause diseases. While pruning you can directly cut out the infected part or the part of the plant that is completely dead due to insects. This helps the plant to stay healthy all year round.
- Appealing Look: While you cut off the unwanted branches and leaves that are spreading out, you create a more appealing look for your plant. This is one major reason why people prune the plant to make it more attractive and give it a shape of their choice.
Gold thread cypress vs Gold mop cypress
Both are close acquaintances but do not confuse them to be the same. They both need well-drained, nutrient-rich soil and both have colorful bushes. Gold thread cypress is however bigger than Gold mop cypress as Gold thread cypress can reach 6-20 feet tall while Gold mop cypress reaches 3-5 feet only. Again the Gold thread cypress requires more water obviously due to its bigger size. The spread area of the Golden thread cypress is 6-7 feet while the other one has a spread area of 3-5 feet. You can find Gold thread cypress and gold mop cypress for sale on online platforms but you can even check the nearby garden store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is the reason behind golden cypress turning brown?
Conditions like root rot, lower watering, overwatering, low light, and deficiency of nutrients in the soil make the beautiful foliage brown.
Q2: What are the most common problems with the golden cypress plant?
The golden cypress plant is mostly attacked by Spider Mites, Bark Moths, and Tip Miners. Apart from that, they are prone to Root Rot and Cypress Cankers.
Q3: What is the maximum height the gold mop cypress can attain?
Gold mop cypress can attain a maximum height of 5-6 feet once it matures under favorable conditions.
