Dawn Redwood Dying
theCROM
6 years ago
I have a Dawn Redwood i planted this spring and it has been slowly going down hill ever since i got it. I live in Southeast Louisiana right on the border of hardiness zone 8-9 and i water the tree every day. I usually just let the water run at a slow trickle in the mornings for about 30 minutes. Am i not watering it enough for such a warm climate, or am i watering it to much? I do have a mostly clay soil at the moment if that makes much difference. I'd hate to lose the tree.
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Dawn Redwood is dying?
Comments (22)Not sure what you really expect. You have gotten the trees to do quite well in the pots. The potting soil probably dries out totally, and the summer heat doesn't help. Seems like the trees will start to get too big anyway soon. Trying to find the balance of wet enough but not too dry or wet is a probably with many "houseplants". Since you have two you could experiment with bonsai type ideas. But that may be with some radical top and root prunning, if you can stand to mutilate a tree like that....See MoreGold Rush Dawn Redwood losing needles
Comments (11)Stuart, what kind of rain or water has it been getting? When mine are smaller than me a gallon or two every three days seems to keep them going. As they get bigger, just turn on the hose. On a side note, has it had any yellow foliage at all? My Ogon is pretty yellow right now but it is mostly in the sun. Oh, I see little evidence of buggers eating it. The foliage drop is almost certainly due to a lack of water. Maybe due to competition. Nice thing is these are fairly difficult to over water....See MoreGolden Dawn Redwood Dying
Comments (12)You can grow these (at least temporarily) in containers but you need to correct the following. 1.) Move it out of any direct, mid day sun. Dark pots get really hot in the sun and roots get baked. (I forget this every year and in June my containerized ones were burning like yours. I have since moved it to the north side of a shed under and they have since recuperated.) 2.) "...dry as a bone." MG potting soil is mostly PEAT MOSS and in a container it bakes in the sun and can become extremely 'HYDROPHOBIC' (resistant to moistening once it gets dry). I noticed this several years ago when my containerized, outdoor plants seemed to be dying of dehydration despite a period of HEAVY RAIN on a daily basis! I have been correcting this error for a past several years by repotting, adding to the existing MG soil: humus, perlite, vermiculite, coarse sand..., (everything helped in eventually making the soil more H2O friendly). I still buy MG soil..., I just use it in place of peat moss in a my own mixes. Insert your finger into the container to see if the soil feels moist to a depth of two inches or so. If it feels moist, soil may not be the problem. One more thing regarding moisture, Metasequoia are water-loving so that it's difficult to overwater a healthy, growing one in the Summer. (Waiting for the top 4 inches of soil to dry out on a containerized specimen is too dry in my opinion.) 3.) Stop feeding it in mid Summer....See MoreDawn Redwood die back
Comments (10)Looks like top die back after leaf out to me. Given the timing and knowledge of the species I'd guess a late freeze. Your climate is generally a step more continental or harsher than mine also. Back in 2012ish we had that legendary hot/dry summer. My 20/30 foot tree dropped 90% of its foliage over a week. I then got SERIOUS about just turning the hose on to water it and the tree recovered. Could be a borer or mechanical damage. Gonna be difficult to get a look at w/o a good drone. My "big" now 40ish foot tree has also lost a dozen or more leaders over the years to wind damage. Sometimes they get bend sideways and a new leader takes over, sometimes a foot of green growth gets bent and dies. It has always figured it out. The silver lining is these grow as fast as anything long lived and generally figure a way to be single leader. let us know how it goes....See MoretheCROM
6 years ago
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agotheCROM
6 years agotheCROM
6 years ago
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