Over-wintering Young Dawn Redwood

[nene817]

I have a pot of 5 very young dawn redwoods (I only planted the seeds this past spring). Up until now, I've just kept them in front of an east facing window (the only window in my condo that actually gets light due to all the trees around).
Now that it's mid-November, I'm trying to figure out what to do about over-wintering them. I don't want to put them out on the deck because I have a squirrel who digs up anything I try planting out there. I do have a very cool/cold basement, but it gets zero light as there are no windows. I understand these trees don't need light during dormancy, but do I need to wait for the leaves to turn brown and fall off before putting them in the basement? If so, will they even turn brown while keeping them in my 70 degree condo?

Any advice on what to do from here is much appreciated. I've attached a current pic of the trees.

 

[sorce]

Watch me whip, watch me nene. !

Lol Welcome to Crazy!

I'd try to keep them growing and Alive inside this year.

If you try to induce dormancy, they will die.

I'd keep em like a tropical now, lit and fed. Seedlings can make it through this.

Next year, if you don't have them out all year, they'll die!

Sorce

 

[Dav4]

I have a pot of 5 very young dawn redwoods (I only planted the seeds this past spring). Up until now, I've just kept them in front of an east facing window (the only window in my condo that actually gets light due to all the trees around).
Now that it's mid-November, I'm trying to figure out what to do about over-wintering them. I don't want to put them out on the deck because I have a squirrel who digs up anything I try planting out there. I do have a very cool/cold basement, but it gets zero light as there are no windows. I understand these trees don't need light during dormancy, but do I need to wait for the leaves to turn brown and fall off before putting them in the basement? If so, will they even turn brown while keeping them in my 70 degree condo?

Any advice on what to do from here is much appreciated. I've attached a current pic of the trees.

Gonna die in the basement unless it stays under 40 F all winter....shoulda been outside with the squirrel all along....hard to give advice about overwintering when we have no idea where you and your trees live...these questions have been answered about a bazillion ties on this forum and are saved for posterity and the search function here is your friend...it's always best to research and plan for winter when it's still warm outside, ie about 4 months ago...

 

[sorce]

it's always best to research and plan for winter when it's still warm outside, ie about 4 months ago...

Is that a chicken or an egg?

It's even better to research your trees care before you keep them inside all summer!

Lol. I've done it too!

Those really should be 4ft tall already!

Sorce

 

[nene817]

I'm in North Carolina. For those who said these should have been outside all along and I should've researched this earlier - I'm new to this bonsai thing (was given to me as a gift), and I have simply been following the instructions provided with the kit. I planted the seeds in the spring once I could guarantee the room temp wouldn't drop below 70, and kept them in a warm window sill where they'd receive light. As instructed, I moved them from the training pots to the larger box once they got their first true needles...this summer.
Nothing in the included in the instructions ever indicated these plants would need to be outdoors at any point in their lives. They did state the leaves would turn brown and fall off in the fall, and should be over-wintered in a garage, basement or cool window sill. When they still hadn't turned brown, I came online to do my own research.
If they survive til spring, I will of course plan better next year. Up until this point, my focus had been on getting the seeds to sprout with proper watering, light and temperature, and then keeping the delicate seedlings healthy waiting for the needles to form so I could move them to the larger box.

My new concern is that the tips of some of the leaves are starting to shrivel a bit. Are these dying or can they be saved?

 

[sorce]

it. Are these dying or can they be saved?

Pics?

Sorce

 

[nene817]

Thank you Sorce, pics are attached.

 

[Dav4]

Where in NC?? The mountains or the coastal plain...big difference. The trees need to be outside either way, but the interior of NC will be seeing freezing temps over the next few days that will probably kill these seedlings, not because dawn redwoods aren't cold hardy (healthy dawn redwoods can survive temps way down to -30F), but because they haven't been properly hardened off and prepared for the winter cold.

 

[JoeR]

To prevent squirrels you can buy a few feet of chicken wire to put around your seeds for a few dollars.


I would try to keep them alive inside until spring and then make a chicken wire cage for them to go outside.

Maybe buy a cheap growlight? They really should at least be in a south facing window but since you can't do that I would get supplemental lighting.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Overwatering. I used to grow all the types of Redwoods years ago. When they got too much water their leaves would wilt like yours are. Cut back on the water and make sure they're getting plenty of light.

 

[nene817]

Thanks everyone. I'll cut back on the watering and bring them to work. I just moved to a new office with a south facing window, so they'll get a lot more light there

 

[John A.]

I have a 25 year old dawn redwood that I have been trying to reproduce for the past few years. This past spring of 2016 I had literally 3 dozen-plus new seedlings that erupted in various areas around the base. More on that later. Two years ago, I had about 6 or 8 seedlings that I found wild, transplanted and grew for the season outside in small pots and tried to over-winter them in my lighted, unheated garage after the needles dropped. All died because I think I didn't water them enough. Last season I ended up with only one successful pot seedling that I tried to over-winter in the house; kept it plenty moist, but it too didn't survive. From my vast crop this year, I have about 8 that I've been growing all season in pots after transplanting the new seedlings in April. Each is over a foot tall and I now have the over-wintering question. I'm planning on transplanting them in a garden area outside to get the winter hardening temperature and the natural moisture from snow and rain (I live in SE Penna.). I also intend to transplant many of the remaining seedlings that have been growing naturally this past summer. Several of them are as big as my transplanted seedlings; many are just a few inches, but thriving. I do have one over-wintering success. Last spring of 2015 I discovered one rogue seedling and immediately transplanted it using a root-growth powder I've had for years. It grew well last summer and survived and grew again this past spring. I couldn't leave it where I originally put it, so transplanted to a pot this past spring after it showed signs of life. It's now doing great also, but must decide its over-wintering fate. I think the best is to get the seedlings in the ground and let mother nature take its course. Those that survive tis coming winter, I'll transplant back to pots to keep the roots from getting too wild.
p.s. Before I discovered my wealth of new natural seedlings, this spring I tried germinating new seedlings from the seed pods from last fall. Followed all the instructions; drying cones, retrieving seeds, hardening several months in a freezer, etc. Planted seeds in commercial seed kits in February or March. Had a 10% germination rate (about a dozen seedlings). They grew all spring, but never really took off like the natural ones. Ended up discarding all them. Maybe I started too early.

 

[rockm]

Dawn redwood is winter hardy to USDA Zone 5 (-25 F), which N.C. will never see at least short of an ice age. Coldest zone in N.C. in Zone 6b in Asheville. These trees are in no danger if kept outside in a sheltered spot for the winter.

Get the trees outside. Cover the pan with chicken wire and keep them outside. They will die inside, period.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasequoia_glyptostroboides

 

[coh]

Original poster hasn't logged in since January, I wonder if these trees survived?

 

[JBS]

Curious about preparing the Dawn Redwood for the winter, outside in Kansas City. Any recommendations? Thanks

 

[LittleDingus]

Curious about preparing the Dawn Redwood for the winter, outside in Kansas City. Any recommendations? Thanks

I just moved away from Kansas City...nothing personal

I kept most of mine outside year round...they know what to do They may need watered once in a while even in dormancy, though. I killed a couple of dawn redwoods by letting them dry out too much and they just never woke.

Contrary to popular opinion, they can be kept inside if you know what you're doing. I had a couple that only went outside around late September just so they could harden off and go to sleep. Once the foliage turned and fell off, I brought them into the basement. They'd start to wake up in March for me then.

 

[JBS]

Dawn redwood forest has spider mites, I sprayed with Dawn dish soap and water, rinsed off after a half an hour. now some of the leaves are looking like this????

 

[Dav4]

Sunburn exacerbated by the application of the soap would be my guess.