Cut top off cypress goldcrest?

Greetings all,

I have a cypress goldcrest I planted a few years ago randomly - it is now getting a little large (imagine that!), can I cut the top off and straighten it off to stop it growing? Or will this just kill it?

Thanks in advance

 

I have a couple in a tall pot. The top of one of them got snapped off somehow (I suspect foul play). It did not kill it, nor has it stopped it growing. Well the tip which was snapped off isn't growing, but all the points around it are

 

Won't kill it - but it will look odd. I've just removed a couple from my Mum's garden - the core of the plant is all brown wood - the green growth is a thin layer only on the outside - so if you do take the top off - make sure you can't see 'into' the top otherwise it will look awful.

 

Taking the top out of any conifer will not kill it. The rest of the tree can be successfully shaped as long as you don`t cut into brown wood.
PLEASE remember that the birds are still nesting at the moment. Later in the year is the best time for cutting and shaping to give our feathered friends half a chance of survival.

 

Thanks for the responses; don't worry about birds, I'd be amazed if any were nesting in this bad boy

 

I cut mine a few weeks ago I'm wanting to shape them in the future, I'm guessing yours are big mine are only little, I don't want them above the fence, I might make a ball on top of them in the coming years.