Dawn Redwood- New to Bonsai

juke_box_hero

I purchased a two year old Dawn Redwood seedling just the other day. After reading various articles/posts about the care for bonsai, I have a pretty good idea on how to care for it. However, some more information on Dawn Redwoods, specifically, would greatly help...

what kind of soil mix do they thrive in? How/when to prune/pinch? and probably most importantly the best way to winterize it outside. I live in Chicago (zone 5b-4a) so it will probably be kind of tricky here.

Any tips/info would be greatly appreciated

thank you

mike

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Repotter

I have about ten of the Dawn Redwoods which I keep in bonsai soil (my own mix) which drains well yet keeps some water even when its 90 degrees outside. I live in So. Michigan zone 5 so I mulch my trees in after sinking the pots into the ground each winter. I do this on the south side of the house so they are protected from the north wind.
I haven't lost one yet so I am comfortable with my method.
Good luck, ...Hector

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tachigi

Mike, my two cents on dawn redwoods. As Hec said a good draining mix is critical. Since he didn't divulge his secret recipe you might can try putting in chopped sphagnum with the soil mix. DRW like very moist soil.

DRW need to be trunk chopped often for taper unless you are going for that telephone pole look or a sumo redwood. Your first chop should come when the trunk is about the thickness of a quarter. Smaller chops now will heal much better aesthetically.

Two final things. The first is DRW's foliage will brown up fast if there not happy...this can usually come in my experience from two little water, light, or insect attack. By the way contrary to popular Internet belief. Japanese beetles love DRW...had a bad go with them this year. Finally the roots will grow extremely fast have become root bound in two years for a tree in a decent size nursery pot. This is a good thing and bad. the bad is if you don't catch the this in time watering will be problematic. The good news is that you can develop a great nebari in very little time.

Have fun and good luck!

EDIT: I forgot to mention. One trick I learned. DRW are very, very fast growers and will thicken up at an amazing speed, except in a pot. So develop your nebari and initial trunk chops in the pot. Then if you have access to a small well light chunk of ground. Stick it in, for about two years and work it there. You will be amazed how fast your trunk swells and grows.

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Tom

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Dav4

They are hardy to zone 4 and you can find them planted out in the landscape around Chicago, so they should be able to tolerate your winter if you keep it out of the wind and heavily mulch the root zone. The few I've got are growing out in the ground right now, so I can't comment on pot culture, but the advice already given sounds good to me. Good luck,


Dave

juke_box_hero

I really do appreciate all of the response. Because it is so young, should I remove it from it's pot to plant it in the ground for the winter, or bury it with the pot?

tachigi

Keep it in the pot. Take Hec's advise as to how to overwinter it. Just remeber protect from drying winds and extreme temp changes that will bring on the freeze thaw freeze syndrome which will damage a plant over those cold Chicago winters.

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Shady Side Bonsai
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