Gold mop cypress problem(?) - Ask Extension
I planted 3 gold mop cypress in late April where globe arborvitae had stood successfully for years before becoming overgrown. The area gets morning t...
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Gold mop cypress problem(?) #917653
Asked September 16, 2025, 8:12 AM EDT
I planted 3 gold mop cypress in late April where globe arborvitae had stood successfully for years before becoming overgrown. The area gets morning to midday sun during the summer. I watered early on, then stopped watering after the rains started in May/June. In mid-July I noticed the browning at the top of the shrubs; I was told by a local nurseryman that it looked like drought damage, so I set a weep hose to deliver 1.5 gallons of water every other day since. Do you concur with the drought damage assessment? Now that fall is upon us, would you suggest in terms of watering gone forward? Thank you in advance for your help.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Be aware that 'Gold Mop' Chamaecyparis matures large over time (it's slow-growing, but isn't going to stay very small long-term), so these plants would best be relocated further from the wall/deck/fence that we see behind them while they are still young and easy to dig. Pruning will not keep the plants significantly shorter, as they cannot handle being trimmed heavily (it ruins their appearance). A mature 'Gold Mop' can reach over 10 feet tall and 6 or more feet wide.
The ideal sun exposure for Chamaecyparis is a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun in the summer. Less than that may be tolerated, but can dull the foliage color of golden-leaved varieties to more of a lime-green. Drought stress can cause browning on the uppermost foliage, especially during periods of hot weather.
Shrubs and trees in their first few years of establishment are best monitored for watering needs regularly, feeling the soil about six inches deep next to the root zone and watering thoroughly once that layer becomes somewhat dry to the touch. Watering every other day is too frequent in most cases; depending on soil texture, a thorough soaking tends to keep a plant's root zone hydrated for about a week at a time, even in midsummer. (By "soaking," we mean any amount of water that re-moistens the soil down to that 6-inch monitoring depth. For young shrubs, that might be about 3 or 5 gallons per watering.) Soaker hoses are a good way to water a plant slowly, but how long they need to be run can depend on factors like water pressure and hose design. You might find that a soaker hose needs to run for a couple hours to deliver enough water.
Fall has been very dry some years here in the mid-Atlantic. Right now, many areas of Maryland are back into drought status, despite last year's significant drought being abated by rains earlier this year. Evergreens in particular need to remain hydrated as they prepare for, and enter, winter dormancy, or else foliage damage may result. If we have mild spells in winter when there hasn't been much rain or snow, they should be checked for water even then, as getting too dry in winter can have consequences of branch dieback or entire plant death that might not manifest until spring.
Miri
The ideal sun exposure for Chamaecyparis is a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun in the summer. Less than that may be tolerated, but can dull the foliage color of golden-leaved varieties to more of a lime-green. Drought stress can cause browning on the uppermost foliage, especially during periods of hot weather.
Shrubs and trees in their first few years of establishment are best monitored for watering needs regularly, feeling the soil about six inches deep next to the root zone and watering thoroughly once that layer becomes somewhat dry to the touch. Watering every other day is too frequent in most cases; depending on soil texture, a thorough soaking tends to keep a plant's root zone hydrated for about a week at a time, even in midsummer. (By "soaking," we mean any amount of water that re-moistens the soil down to that 6-inch monitoring depth. For young shrubs, that might be about 3 or 5 gallons per watering.) Soaker hoses are a good way to water a plant slowly, but how long they need to be run can depend on factors like water pressure and hose design. You might find that a soaker hose needs to run for a couple hours to deliver enough water.
Fall has been very dry some years here in the mid-Atlantic. Right now, many areas of Maryland are back into drought status, despite last year's significant drought being abated by rains earlier this year. Evergreens in particular need to remain hydrated as they prepare for, and enter, winter dormancy, or else foliage damage may result. If we have mild spells in winter when there hasn't been much rain or snow, they should be checked for water even then, as getting too dry in winter can have consequences of branch dieback or entire plant death that might not manifest until spring.
Miri
