Product Description:
Also commonly referred to as the Goldcrest Monterey Cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’ (also known as Hesperocyparis macrocarpa) is a Monterey cypress cultivar. The unique color of the lemon cypress can play off darker greens of other conifers, while texture can be experimented with by placing the shrub next to boulders and fencing. Most often, cupressus is used as a decoration of the landscape in a country house or in a personal plot – the tree fits perfectly into the composition of alpine hills, flower beds. It can simply decorate the entrance or replace the New Year tree. You can plant cypress in the open ground and decorative pots.
Light:
The tree requires a good amount of light. Outdoors, it should be planted in full sun to partial shade. Indoors, it needs five to six hours of indirect sunlight or morning sun.
Soil:
Planting this tree in soil that is too rich invites trouble. The cypress is adapted to grow in poor, sandy, well-draining soils that are low in organics and not very fertile.
Water:
As an outdoor shrub or tree, once established, the lemon cypress needs little supplemental watering. To allow the plant to establish itself, water once a week during the first season.
Temperature and Humidity
A lemon cypress prefers cool, moist climates. Temperatures above 80 degrees F in dry areas will tax the plant, while temperatures lower than 20 degrees F may cause tree damage or death.
When used as a houseplant, the lemon cypress needs to be kept in a place that has sufficient humidity.
Fertilizer
Fertilizing this shrub is not suggested.
Propagating:
The best time for propagating cypress from cuttings is in the winter.
- With a sharp knife, cut a piece of stem about 4 inches long.
- Strip the foliage off the bottom part of the stem so the first 2 inches are bare. Moisten the cut end and dip it in rooting hormone.
- Have a pot filled with moist, well-draining potting mix ready.
- Cover the pot with a plastic bag and use sticks to keep the plastic in place.
- Place the pot in a warm location but away from direct sunlight. Water it as needed to keep it evenly moist.
- When the cutting has developed a good root system—you’ll know it’s there when the stem does not move from you gently tugging on it—it’s time to remove the plastic bag and move the pot to a sunny location and let the sapling continue to grow in the pot, or transplant it outdoors.