Golden Cypress Tree – How to Grow & Care for Golden Leyland Trees?

I decided to grow a Golden Cypress tree in our backyard, but it started turning brown and looked dry. You won’t believe it, I had been watering them every day and ensuring they received enough sunlight. They were dying, and I couldn’t find a definite reason.

Someone told me I was overwatering the Golden Cypress Tree. Like, really? What was this? Without any delay, I studied all the basic requirements so that I wouldn’t fail in the future.

To help you, plant lovers, I have listed all the basic requirements and care you need to provide to grow this tree successfully. Read on to see if Golden Leyland cypresses are right for your garden.

Key takeaways:

• If you are the kind of person who likes showy golden foliage mixed with evergreen lightness, guys, you can go for the golden cypress.
• It is so as it has yellow scaled leaves with vibrant colors involved in it, with lots of greenery.
• If you are a nature lover person then this golden cypress tree is best for you.
• The cypress tree is an evergreen conifer of the Cypress family that can be grown faster.
• This is a great choice for Christmas as the tree grows fast. Wind can be blocked by this tree.
• You can use branch pruning to grow new cypress trees.

What is a Golden Leyland or a Golden Cypress Tree?

The golden Leyland cypress is a specimen that adds a special touch to the landscape. These plants make great hedges or stand-alone details. The trees form a natural pyramidal shape with little need for shearing and slightly arched branches that draw the eye to the lime-green interior. Golden Leyland has golden-yellow leaves that maintain color in sunny winter months. 

Common Name	Leyland cypress
Botanical Name	Cuprocyparis leylandii
Family	Cupressaceae
Plant Type	Tree
Mature Size	60–70 ft. tall; 10—15 ft. wide
Sun Exposure	Full, partial
Soil Type	Moist, well-drained
Soil pH	Acidic, alkaline
Hardiness Zone	6–10 (USDA)
Native Area	Cultivar, no native range
Toxicity	Toxic to humans, toxic to pets

How to grow the Golden Cypress tree?

Guys as you come to know about the meaning of golden Leyland trees so let us know how to propagate these trees with the cuttings. Below are the following steps: 

Step 1- Take the cuttings from 6-8 inches long. 

Step 2- Now, you have to immerse the stem’s end in that rooting which is used for the wooden trees and plants.

Step 3- You need to plant them in the area where there are some pores. 

Step 4- Once done with this, you ought to maintain your cutting in hot weather.

Step 5- If you see that roots are developing, you can transplant the plant into a container that should be spacious.

Step 6- You can use the plant for planting outdoors after 8 to 9 months. 

Hence, your plant is ready for your purpose. This is how you are done with the process of growing the golden Leyland trees just like the growing of golden willow. 

How to care for  Golden Leyland Tree or Golden Cypress?

Planting the golden Leyland tree was easy but now let us know how to take care of them with the help of the below caring tips: 

Sunlight requirements 

What do you think about the sunlight used by these plants? Folks, While the Leyland cypress can bear light conditions, it does not bear shade nicely. 

For more such plant-related articles, you may also read, What are Astilbe Plants? – How to Grow & Care Astilbe Plants?

Soil requirements 

The soil taken by these trees needs to be fertile, well-drained, and evenly moist. It can bear other soil types too such as clay, loam, and so on. So, it is easy for you to use the soil. 

Water requirements 

Cypress trees need proper watering though they can bear the drought. But for the proper growth of the plant, you have to water it regularly, especially in the summertime.

Fertilizer requirements 

Guys, make sure to Fertilize the Golden cypress tree at the start of spring so that you can maintain the new growth. You can outspread a 10-10-10 all-purpose fertilizer.

Types of Leyland Cypress:

There are many times in which the official classification has been changed as in horticulturists having debate on which genus the Leyland Cypress belongs and what is the parent age. The plant has been listed asCuprocyparis leylandii, Callitropsis × leylandii, x Hesperotropsis leylandii, ×Cupressocyparis leylandii, or Cuprocyparis x leylandii.  In 2019 the official name according to the integrated taxonomic information system was Cuprocyparis leylandii. Many gardeners used to use the scientific name of the plant.

Here are several cultivars which are named according to the color of the foliage.

‘Leighton Green’:

Consists of dark forest green foliage which makes it perfect to be used for decorating a Christmas tree or holiday. 

‘Silver Dust’:

It consists of a leaf structure that is similar to Leighton Green having white variegated splotches on the foliage.

‘Naylor’s Blue’:

They are popular for having attractive blue-gray foliage. It is used to grow up to 60 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. The needles of plants vary depending on different seasons.

‘Castlewellan’:

They are used to grow in conical shape having delicate, lacy foliage during winter the tree is used to turn a gold hue and the inner part remains green.

‘Robinson’s Gold’:

They are used to grow to have yellow golden foliage which is the best golden variety. It is used to grow upto 25 feet. 

Propagating Leyland Cypress:

The Layland cypress is a hybrid tree so the seeds produced are sterile. In case the seed is fertile it will result in a different-looking tree than the parent plant. The following are steps for propagating Leyland cypress in your garden:

• You need to use sterilized pruners so that you can take 6 to 8-inch semi-softwood cutting from a tree that is less than 10 years old during February or March.
• After this, you need to dip the stem in rooting hormone and then plant it in a small pot which is filled with a potting mix for example perlite blended with one part peat moss which will help in providing nutrients and grow quickly.
• You need to maintain the stem cutting during warm, humid environments for that you can cover it with shade cloth to protect it from direct sunlight.
• Make sure to keep the cutting moist. 
• Mostly the rooting is used to appear within 6 to 10 weeks. After which you can transplant the plant into a gallon-sized container.
• The plant will be grown in six to nine months for planting it outside during spring. 

Common Pests & Plant Diseases:

• The chances of getting infected with disease or attracting any pests are high, which is why many gardeners do not recommend planting this plant in your garden.
• You will see a very serious problem in planting leyland cypress is bagworms that is able to strip a tree of foliage so you need to pick off all the silk nest bags as soon as possible after noticing their growth.
• In case you find the infestation of Spider-Man on the tree then you need to spray the tree with Neem oil.
• The plant is used to get infected by root rot which is used to cause Amillaria and Phytophthora fungi.
• Cankers is also another disease that occurs during the period of dryness.

Wrapping up the context 

In this article, you come to know that the Golden Cypress tree is an evergreen conifer of the Cypress family that can be grown faster. It has recently become a very popular choice for Christmas trees because it grows faster and requires less maintenance. I hope this article will be helpful for you all. 

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