I've planted two Dawn Redwoods. One at my house ('Ogon') and a species type at my parents' house. This was the first year the 'Ogon' began making some strides w/ regard to height. The first growing year after I planted the species, it almost doubled in height; and the second growing season it did much of the same. They both responded well to the wet growing season we had. I had concerns about competing branches with my species type, but it worked itself out on its own. The 'Ogon' is quite flimsy still and requires staking. The species type is very sturdy, growing quickly both in height and caliper.

Will repeat in couple days. ==>> not quite.. you will water again ... when either your finger.. or a new hole.. indicates it drying A BIT ... once your finger figures it out.. then you can quite digging the holes .. the holes can get shallower now.. just and inch of two... if that is drying.. A BIT.. you will know.. there is still water below ... since its sept.. and you know its damp below.. with night temps falling.. the soil simply isnt going to dry as fast as it would a month ago ... but do keep checking.. and 'knowing' ... the wholesaler.. understands how bulletproof these things should be.. though we think the pot was small for height.. obviously.. they dont think its too far out of the realm.. if they all died.. they wouldnt stay in biz... knowledge is power.. and you are now learning.. you will probably win ... ken

Wow, that's a big one. Did you buy one locally? I don't think I've ever seen it anywhere around here. It would be interesting to see how it can handle your high pH water. I think the best way to buffer that is mulch with compost underneath it. The wider, the better. Actually, I would think switching to organic program will help deal with that type of situation better all over your property. It would gradually increase organic matter in the soil helping buffer salt better and so many other benefits. For example, a soil with 5% organic matter can hold almost 200 pounds of water in every 100 pounds of dry soil. A similar soil with only 1% organic matter can hold only 30 pounds of water in the same soil meaning that you don't have to water as often. You just rely on the rainfall most years. Over time, it will turn your sticky clay topsoil into crumbly soft topsoil that is easy to work with.

I stumbled across this thread and read with interest. I have an @ 8 year in ground Peve Minaret Bald Cypress planted in wet clay soil here in PNW, south end of WA. We chose this tree because we fell in love with the soft ferny needles & the interesting bark. It has developed knees quite a distance from the trunk. Because I prune it to maintain size, it has a pretty interesting branch structure all winter. I was hesitant to prune but from research on the conifer society site I learned this tree is very amenable to pruning. The conifer garden in the Oregon Garden Resort in Silvedale, OR has a couple of Peve Minarets which are pruned and they’re gorgeous speciman trees. These are older pics from 2016 & 2020 - You can see from the 4 year size difference why I needed to prune. I believed the plant tag info of a 10’ mature height. Our moderate temps & wet winters make many plants far exceed their nursery tag growth descriptions!