New Dawn Redwood material (1st post)

@SF

Seed
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Hello folks,

I am new here and pretty much a beginner. I dabbled with Bonsai years ago, but have been inspired during "lockdown" to rekindle the interest. I have read and watched lots- but lack very much practical experience.

Anyway- I could not resist this Dawn Redwood at my local nursery. It is clearly going to need a trunk chop and seems unlikely to end up as anything other than a fairly formal upright, which is fine. Do these things backbud? How careful do I need to be about shocking it, and do I need to now be patient until next spring to do any major work? Any other thoughts and tips? Thanks...
 

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Forsoothe!

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Please click on your Icon in the upper right corner and enter your location so you can get info pertinent to where you live.
 

Adair M

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It doesn’t need a trunk chop, but the branches can use a cut back.
 

Forsoothe!

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Dawn Redwood is easy to grow into a standard Pine or Christmas tree shape. It back-buds like crazy, even to the point of being counter-productive. It will immediately throw out clusters of buds at the end of a node forming a dogbone if pruned back too closely. In spring, prune off excess buds anywhere with an Xacto knife, leaving only those oriented correctly, none pointing straight up or down or backwards. It's easiest to wire the branches when the branches are bare. They should follow the standard Pine shape of the lowest being somewhat sagging, middle branches horizontal, and uppers having slightly rising tips. Every time it is trimmed, it will throw out new buds, all over, but especially surrounding the branch base and at each internode. That makes for a dogbone shape with a skinny straight branch between two clusters of foliage. Even when you cut off buds from an internode, the node will be enlarged. To escape that, only trim twice a year spring and fall. That means it will only look its best twice a year, spring and fall. This is a good beginner tree.
 

sorce

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Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 
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