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Planting Dawn Redwood in Dry Zone 5 Location?

11 years ago

Okay, so there'a a Menard's near me that has 2 7' 20g? pots Dawn Redwoods (the greenish ones) on the discount aisle...soon they'll either be sold or sent to wherever unsold trees go.

I have a corner of my lot that is very open, and dry, with clayish and rocky soil. I'd like to put a large, fairly fast growing tree in it to eventually block winds. Within 20-25' are an asphalt driveway and roadway, no sidewalk.

My concerns are:

-Will the dryish area be a problem for DR, knowing they like moist areas?

-Do DR roots have problems with buckling pavement 15-20' away?

-Roughly how many years would it possibly take the DR to have a 20' spread on each side of the trunk? Pictured is a 70 or less years old norway spruce elsewhere in my backyard that has about 20' on each side of the trunk for comparison.

Yes, Ken, I'm thinking BIG again!

Thanks!

vince

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
they are treated no different than any other tree in my dry sand ... i would say they TOLERATE wet.. more than your comment of LIKING wet ... as always.. such comments.. are about fully established trees ... and where they plant themselves.. we really walk a fine line.. due the the issues of transplant.. where we mess it all up ...

and you understand.. a transplant that size.. can not dry out for about two years .... afterward.. once established .. they should be able to handle it...

you know about planting in bad clay??? we have given you that planting guide .. yes????

my 12 year.. planted as a 6 footer.. is .. w/o a scale.. 1/3 to 1/2 less than the picture ....

at 20 feet i wouldnt worry about any tree lifting pavement ...

they go in the dumpster if you dont buy them ...

they do lose their needles.. nudey in winter.. which is cool ..

my problem with them .. well i only have one left.. is/was early sprouting.. in z5 MI.. followed by frost/freeze ... once a year.. they can cope .... but one bad year.. it happened twice .. so bud.. hard frost ... die-back of new growth .. rebud .. hard frost/freeze ... dead ... but i think it may have old historical problems

hold the receipt.. go for it ... what do you have to lose ...

ken
gardener365
11 years ago
I have (10) of them in the worst clay that are doing well. They've handled two years of drought w/o showing stress. Do as Ken says and keep yours watered.

Mine were planted four years ago as little, little plugs, and watered the first two years...they've since been on their own.

Dax
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My secret is I plant the green side up ;-) With your soil compaction and rocks you should dig very wide holes and mound the soil so it is up off the ground creating a convex mound to plant within. You'll probably be ok but in the future that's what you'll want to do. At the same time Ryan, when you have your hole dug, hammer some slits about eight around the hole so the roots have somewhere to go into the hard clay. Use whatever tool it takes to do this. Your mulch is fine except just pull it back from the trunk an inch or two, that's all we're saying to do. See ya, Dax
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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
11 years ago
No coherent answer from me, but some observations.

Does the grass stay green there all year w/o special watering? The location does not look like the side of a cliff so I bet it will be ok.

Up north Metasequoia can be slowed down by freezes on soft foliage like Ken says. I hear they recover fully.

My 20 something foot Metasequoia is not the most tolerant of heat and drought on my 1.2 acres.

They grow FAST with ample sun and water. No need for a large difficult to handle transplant.

Are you thinking about limbing up your dawn redwood or leaving the lower branches on? I have one going each way and have seen great looking examples of each.

The big Missouri Botanical Garden trees can not be further than 20 foot from the pavement if that. My guess is you will be fine.
wisconsitom
11 years ago
Yes, it's good to consider all possibilities, but twenty feet is enough for most any tree, for most any meaningful timeframe.

+oM
farmboy1
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for all the great comments. I'm still thinking about it. I am particularly concerned about whether it would do well in the site. Not only is it clayey, rocky soil, but it is also dry, sunny, windswept and where the frosts are the most severe due to the open area and roadway.

I was also thinking about it being a good windbreak, especially in winter. But, as Ken reminds me, it's a nudie tree in winter.

So now I need to think about it some more. Hmmm.

vince
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
you might be surprised how much of a windbreak.. even bare trees are ...

ken
wisconsitom
11 years ago
Absolutely^. Take a look at snowdrift formation downwind of a row of bare shrubs or trees, or snow fence for that matter. The idea is to slow the air currents down, not stop them abruptly. So at least in that regard, a bare DR would still provide significant wind modification.

+oM

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