The Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress, otherwise known as the Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ or Sawara Cypress ‘Golden Mop’, Japanese Cypress ‘Golden Mop’, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and slow growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its yellow-colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
The basic care guidelines you need to remember for your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress are the following:
- Water: The Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
- Light: Keep your Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress in soil with moist but well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Description and Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress belongs to the Cupressaceae family, the genus Chamaecyparis and the species Pisifera, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ (kam-e-SIP-a-ris pee-SEE-fer-uh).
Other popular Cupressaceae plants include species like Blue Star Juniper, Japanese Cypress ‘Curly Tops’, British Columbia Cedar ‘Fluffy’, Japanese Cypress ‘Filifera Aurea’, Chamaecyparis ‘Nana Gracilis’, Grey Owl Juniper, ‘Fernspray Gold’ Hinoki Cypress, Juniperus x media ‘Hetzii’, President Grévy French Lilac, Savin Juniper, or Decumbent Juniper ‘Nana’, White Cedar ‘Danica’, Cupressus Sempervirens, Juniperus Chinensis ‘Hetzii Glauca’, Blue Chip Juniper and Blue Rug Juniper.
As with other Chamaecyparis’s, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
| Name | Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress (Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’) |
| Watering | Once per week |
| Light | Full sun preferably |
| Soil | Well-draining properties |
| Temperature | See USDA zones 4-8 |
Growing Region
The Chamaecyparis Pisifera is native to Japan.
You might be wondering why your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 1 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a and the ideal climate zone is between 2, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, A3.
Growth and Size
In terms of size and growth, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress is a relatively slow grower, which makes things easy for any plant enthusiast.
But, what size of Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
How big does a gold mop cypress get?
The Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ can grow up to 1′ – 5′ (30cm – 150cm) tall and 1′ – 5′ (30cm – 150cm) wide.
These dimensions make the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress a relatively large shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 60″ (150cm) free so the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress can spread to its best extent.
Watering
In terms of watering, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress is a fairly simple plant to take care of. This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress in soil with moist but well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress prefers to have soil with good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress requires soil with clay, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral to acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Pruning
You can’t really prune it heavily without ruining its unique appearance. The best way to deal with an overgrown false cypress is to cut it back by about 1/3 of its height every other year. This will help keep it under control and maintain its shape.
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress will be present year round in your garden. But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Foliage
The leaves from the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress have a beautiful yellow color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a needles arrangement in its leaves.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress is well known for its tolerance to drought conditions, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ will be fine.
Garden
Does your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Chamaecyparis Pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most asian/zen gardens of all types. Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, prairie and meadow, city and courtyard, informal and cottage, and in traditional garden styles.
In particular, the Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress’s best location within your garden is in hedges and screens, others use it for landscaping in a specimen, rock garden, container, border, hillside, mass planting, or a urban garden.
Companion Plants
Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Buxus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Weigela will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Golden Mop Threadleaf False Cypress to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
Related Questions
What are the main types of Threadleaf False Cypress?
There are four main types of Threadleaf False Cypress: Golden Mop, Filifera Aurea Nana, Sungold, and King’s Gold.
- Golden Mop is a compact shrub with yellow-green leaves that turn gold in the fall.
- Filifera Aurea Nana is a slow-growing shrub with golden-yellow leaves.
- Sungold is a compact shrub with bright gold leaves that turn bronze in the fall.
- King’s Gold is a vigorous shrub with gold and green leaves that turn reddish-purple in the fall.
All of these false cypresses are deer resistant and thrive in full sun.
Can I propagate a Threadleaf false cypress?
Threadleaf false cypress is an attractive, easy-to read tree that can be propagated through hardwood cuttings. Here’s how you can do it:
- With sharp shears, cut a four-inch section during winter and remove all leafy parts from the bottom two inches.
- Dip the end in rooting hormone to promote healthy development of roots
- Place simple but well-drained soil over cutting
- Keep it warm with frequent watering
- When roots form (which could take one month), transfer newly sprouted wood onto the waiting planting site.
