Giant Sequoia Trunk thickening and Mycorrhizae

[CaptainFuzzy]

Ok, so this is one of two Giant Sequoia plants I am growing. This one will not be fully Bonsai only kept short to focus on thickening the trunk before we plant in our yard. It’s in zone 6 in Chicago and will be protected from wind for several years, but first we want it to get as strong as possible in it 4’ pot, and kept it under 5’ tall

My question for both of these sequoias is: how do I thicken the trunk in a pot? If/when pruning, what is the method? For this particular tree, notice that I tied down a competing apex branch that is split away from the main central column. I’d like to maintain its formal upright shape

Will mycorrhizae fungi fertilizer help the trunk or am I starting a vertical growth problem?


I’m very new but also learning a lot fast. I’m willing to fail on this tree because I absolutely want my incoming dwarf to thrive, this forum has been a gold mine of info.

Thickening Giant Sequoia Trunk

 

[CaptainFuzzy]

Quick note: I’ve grown many trees under a grow light when needed. Also works for bonsai! this is a temporary setup as we avoid the last of the winter frost before full outdoor placement

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Trunks thicken when everything on the top and the roots grow hard, or when you make use of an escape branch (you can google those, they're usually used in pines and junipers). So pruning would slow that process down.
The thing with indoor lights is that they usually only hit the top resulting in leggy growth, whereas the sun would hit everything almost equally. That means that there's way better growth in the sun, and way faster thickening.

 

[LittleDingus]

Ok, so this is one of two Giant Sequoia plants I am growing. This one will not be fully Bonsai only kept short to focus on thickening the trunk before we plant in our yard. It’s in zone 6 in Chicago and will be protected from wind for several years, but first we want it to get as strong as possible in it 4’ pot, and kept it under 5’ tall

I'm just down the road from you...not sure which road, but likely one of the ones pointing west

I highly doubt a sequoia will survive a Chicago winter in the ground. My experience with them is that they will die back severely if their roots are frozen for too long. I think our freezes here run too deep for them to stay hydrated throughout the winter.

When we lived in Kansas City, I had a few that wintered outside most of the winter. They took a freeze fine...as long as it was only for a few days at a time. When we had longer sub-zero weather, I brought them into the garage where the root ball could melt.

The other thing to watch out for is that they will ruthlessly drop underperforming branches in favor of top growth. If the tree is crowded and the lower growth shaded, the tree may very well drop the shaded branches. Same is true under lights. While the tree is short, lighting the entire tree is relatively easy. As it gets taller, placing a light over the canopy can leave the lower branches light deprived. Light falls off with distance. The sun is 93 million miles away. The difference in light intensity between 93 million miles and 93 million miles + 60 feet (height of a tallish tree) is minimal. However, under lights, the difference in light intensity between 6" and 12" can be a factor of 2 or more!

This is a ficus grown under lights:



You can see that the top of the canopy is bleached while the lower canopy is dark green. That tree is only 12" tall. Were it a sequoia, the apex would be fine with the light intensity. But the tree may very well give up on the lower branches and let them die in favor of putting on more growth where the light is.

I could keep my sequoia outside in KC most of the year so didn't worry about it, but for my coastal redwoods, I hung the lights to light up the sides of the tree and rotated them almost daily to keep the lights closer to more of the foliage to avoid the intensity drop-off as much as I could.

We moved back to Chicago from KC last spring. My sequoia moved in February. I had several trees from seed that were in the 3-4' tall range. I lost all those sequoia after the move. They were kept outside. I was too busy with other things to remember to bring them in during an extended cold spell. I'm pretty sure that's what done them in.

I have a few smaller ones left...and intend to supplement them with another crop of seed soon. But I'm already thinking about how to winter them so I don't lose them again.

I know you said you want to put yours in the ground...but again, I think our winters are too harsh for them even in the ground.

 

[CaptainFuzzy]

I'm just down the road from you...not sure which road, but likely one of the ones pointing west

I highly doubt a sequoia will survive a Chicago winter in the ground. My experience with them is that they will die back severely if their roots are frozen for too long. I think our freezes here run too deep for them to stay hydrated throughout the winter.

When we lived in Kansas City, I had a few that wintered outside most of the winter. They took a freeze fine...as long as it was only for a few days at a time. When we had longer sub-zero weather, I brought them into the garage where the root ball could melt.

The other thing to watch out for is that they will ruthlessly drop underperforming branches in favor of top growth. If the tree is crowded and the lower growth shaded, the tree may very well drop the shaded branches. Same is true under lights. While the tree is short, lighting the entire tree is relatively easy. As it gets taller, placing a light over the canopy can leave the lower branches light deprived. Light falls off with distance. The sun is 93 million miles away. The difference in light intensity between 93 million miles and 93 million miles + 60 feet (height of a tallish tree) is minimal. However, under lights, the difference in light intensity between 6" and 12" can be a factor of 2 or more!

This is a ficus grown under lights:

View attachment 476870

You can see that the top of the canopy is bleached while the lower canopy is dark green. That tree is only 12" tall. Were it a sequoia, the apex would be fine with the light intensity. But the tree may very well give up on the lower branches and let them die in favor of putting on more growth where the light is.

I could keep my sequoia outside in KC most of the year so didn't worry about it, but for my coastal redwoods, I hung the lights to light up the sides of the tree and rotated them almost daily to keep the lights closer to more of the foliage to avoid the intensity drop-off as much as I could.

We moved back to Chicago from KC last spring. My sequoia moved in February. I had several trees from seed that were in the 3-4' tall range. I lost all those sequoia after the move. They were kept outside. I was too busy with other things to remember to bring them in during an extended cold spell. I'm pretty sure that's what done them in.

I have a few smaller ones left...and intend to supplement them with another crop of seed soon. But I'm already thinking about how to winter them so I don't lose them again.

I know you said you want to put yours in the ground...but again, I think our winters are too harsh for them even in the ground.

Very helpful! Definitely will keep them potted for a few years. The bonsai’d one will
Never go in the ground. You are correct about lighting. These are fickle trees

 

[Icarus]

How old is this tree?
Check my thread on my sequoias

Ok, so this is one of two Giant Sequoia plants I am growing. This one will not be fully Bonsai only kept short to focus on thickening the trunk before we plant in our yard. It’s in zone 6 in Chicago and will be protected from wind for several years, but first we want it to get as strong as possible in it 4’ pot, and kept it under 5’ tall

My question for both of these sequoias is: how do I thicken the trunk in a pot? If/when pruning, what is the method? For this particular tree, notice that I tied down a competing apex branch that is split away from the main central column. I’d like to maintain its formal upright shape

Will mycorrhizae fungi fertilizer help the trunk or am I starting a vertical growth problem?


I’m very new but also learning a lot fast. I’m willing to fail on this tree because I absolutely want my incoming dwarf to thrive, this forum has been a gold mine of info.

View attachment 476606Thickening Giant Sequoia Trunk

 

[CaptainFuzzy]

How old is this tree?
Check my thread on my sequoias

This large potted sequoia tree pictured here was successfully germinated in 1983. The original one in this post was germinated two years ago using a specific technique growing the seedlings in tube of water. Fun fact: you can’t drown sequoias

Here it is now. It watered a gallon a day and fertilized with giant sequoia fertilizer from giant-sequoia.com (I think that’s the website). Buy their fertilizer, they lost their farm in a fire a few years ago and this stuff if PRIME food for sequoias and they could use the business as they slowly rebuild Kept outdoors of course. I’m pushing maximum growth and will green house it under a grow light to try and extend its growth season another month into October here in Chicago. I will let them both get to 34 degrees end of October for dormancy and begin to bring them back early around end of February.

Pruning and hoping new needles pop up where I want them to be is a complete wild card with these trees. I’ve chosen rather than fight it, my bonsai design will simply be more wild. I will begin to repot the older one possibly this coming spring.
Quick note that both if my sequoias LOVE the Chicago climate, but don’t let the roots freeze.