BeebsBonsai
Shohin
Alright, lets bring this back around to Dawn Redwood. I don't have hands-on experience, but I have read a lot about the species. As much as I could soak up and watch. Planning on getting one in the next few years. Here are some key points
1.) They are a deciduous conifer- I am sure you know this, but that means they will shed all of their foliage every year just like a deciduous tree. They need dormancy period over the winter. According to everything I have read, a cold frame is your best bet, depending on how cold it gets there. I am in Chicago, and every time I see cold frame, in my mind I substitute unheated garage, as that is all I have in regards to a cold frame. I have never seen an issue with using my garage. Only key there is, you need to bring the tree outside once the threat of 20s goes away. For me, thats usually Mid-March, but I do keep my trees protected at night just in case we get a low dip in temperature.
2.) Soil- They love water. Not necessarily as much as their sempervirens cousin, but they definitely don't like to be dry. So, I have read that 100 percent akadama is the gold standard. I would not recommend standard potting soil. It stays far too wet. If you don't have the money for Akadama, Diatemaceous Earth is a good substitute and relatively inexpensive. If you have to go with potting soil, mix in some pumice, 70 percent potting, 30 percent pumice. However, I would strongly advise not to use standard potting soil.
3.) Sun- Dawn Redwoods are pretty heat tolerant, but on your hottest days, you might want to move them to indirect sunlight (Partial to full shade)
4.) Diseases- Dawn redwoods are much more susceptible to fungal issues than their cousins. So, go out and get yourself some Mancozeb before next spring, and apply it to all foliar surfaces every ten days or so when it is going to be wet for a decent period of time. Once summer kicks in and those spring rains decrease, you can limit treatment to only periods of heavy rain.
5.) Pruning- I think you prune them like a deciduous species. This is something I haven't dug much into since I do not have one yet. Somebody with more experience should chime in here if you have hands-on experience.
6.) General Bonsai stuff- I would recommend that for next year, just get your repot done as you see the buds swell. If the buds are already having fronds emerge, you missed the boat. It's too late to repot. You can repot in late spring, once the growth hardens off, but then you need to protect it from full sun and gradually get the tree acclimated after you see some new growth push. If you are going to do one thing right with a repot, timing is the key. You can do a lot more to a tree if you time the repot right than you can if you don't. Basically, timing is what will help make up for some beginner mistakes. I would recommend to only prune the tap root and any overly long roots when you repot in spring. Tree seems young, don't want to stress it too much. If the tree responds well to the repot, begin fertilizing after you see new growth push. Don't do any heavy pruning until the end of the year. In fact, I would say let that little guy grow for a few years so you can get some decent taper after your first cut. There is a caveat to that though, if you let the top shade out the lower branching, you won't have anything to cut back to, so selectively prune during those two years pruning can be done at any time after the fronds harden off (AKA darken to the normal mid-season color.
I know that is a lot of info, but that is all I have been able to gleam from online sources. If anyone has anything to add or edit, and you have practical experience, please reply so that we get this little tree off on the right foot.
1.) They are a deciduous conifer- I am sure you know this, but that means they will shed all of their foliage every year just like a deciduous tree. They need dormancy period over the winter. According to everything I have read, a cold frame is your best bet, depending on how cold it gets there. I am in Chicago, and every time I see cold frame, in my mind I substitute unheated garage, as that is all I have in regards to a cold frame. I have never seen an issue with using my garage. Only key there is, you need to bring the tree outside once the threat of 20s goes away. For me, thats usually Mid-March, but I do keep my trees protected at night just in case we get a low dip in temperature.
2.) Soil- They love water. Not necessarily as much as their sempervirens cousin, but they definitely don't like to be dry. So, I have read that 100 percent akadama is the gold standard. I would not recommend standard potting soil. It stays far too wet. If you don't have the money for Akadama, Diatemaceous Earth is a good substitute and relatively inexpensive. If you have to go with potting soil, mix in some pumice, 70 percent potting, 30 percent pumice. However, I would strongly advise not to use standard potting soil.
3.) Sun- Dawn Redwoods are pretty heat tolerant, but on your hottest days, you might want to move them to indirect sunlight (Partial to full shade)
4.) Diseases- Dawn redwoods are much more susceptible to fungal issues than their cousins. So, go out and get yourself some Mancozeb before next spring, and apply it to all foliar surfaces every ten days or so when it is going to be wet for a decent period of time. Once summer kicks in and those spring rains decrease, you can limit treatment to only periods of heavy rain.
5.) Pruning- I think you prune them like a deciduous species. This is something I haven't dug much into since I do not have one yet. Somebody with more experience should chime in here if you have hands-on experience.
6.) General Bonsai stuff- I would recommend that for next year, just get your repot done as you see the buds swell. If the buds are already having fronds emerge, you missed the boat. It's too late to repot. You can repot in late spring, once the growth hardens off, but then you need to protect it from full sun and gradually get the tree acclimated after you see some new growth push. If you are going to do one thing right with a repot, timing is the key. You can do a lot more to a tree if you time the repot right than you can if you don't. Basically, timing is what will help make up for some beginner mistakes. I would recommend to only prune the tap root and any overly long roots when you repot in spring. Tree seems young, don't want to stress it too much. If the tree responds well to the repot, begin fertilizing after you see new growth push. Don't do any heavy pruning until the end of the year. In fact, I would say let that little guy grow for a few years so you can get some decent taper after your first cut. There is a caveat to that though, if you let the top shade out the lower branching, you won't have anything to cut back to, so selectively prune during those two years pruning can be done at any time after the fronds harden off (AKA darken to the normal mid-season color.
I know that is a lot of info, but that is all I have been able to gleam from online sources. If anyone has anything to add or edit, and you have practical experience, please reply so that we get this little tree off on the right foot.
