Care of Dawn Redwood Bonsai on summer. Help please.

[FJMS1988]

Greetings. I recently acquired a forest of 5 Dawn Redwood Bonsai which arrived to my home full of life as you can see in the first picture. I decided to put it outside the window and water it once per day. I live in an island in Spain with a humidity of 50-70% and temperatures between 30 and 34 celsius (86 to 93 Fahrenheit) on summer. After a few weeks I saw that the tips of the leaves turned brown and they ended up withering, specially the ones of the smallest dawn redwood, which I attributed to the high temperatures and so I started to water it twice per day, morning and late evening. I also decided to add some bonsai fertilizer, but it did not helped really. The forest of dawn redwood bonsai looks actually even worst, the leaves look withered and I removed the dry and brown ones, although I see some small green shoots. I am not sure if the problem is too much sun or too much water, so I just moved the forest to a place with a little bit of shadow and started to water it once per day instead of twice. Is there anything else I can do? Will my dawn redwood forest recover from this? Is it too late for it to grow new leaves this summer? It normally starts to be cold here on November. Thank you very much.

 

[19Mateo83]

I see new buds in this picture

I would not give up hope, this is a good sign. Dawn redwoods are thirsty trees, I keep mine sitting in a dish of water filled about 1/4 of the height of the rootball. The weather conditions you mentioned sound a lot like here, maybe not quite as hot as here though. It drinks up the water every 3 days or so in those conditions. Are the little buds coming out on other trees?

 

[FJMS1988]

I see new buds in this picture
View attachment 449115
I would not give up hope, this is a good sign. Dawn redwoods are thirsty trees, I keep mine sitting in a dish of water filled about 1/4 of the height of the rootball. The weather conditions you mentioned sound a lot like here, maybe not quite as hot as here though. It drinks up the water every 3 days or so in those conditions. Are the little buds coming out on other trees?

Thank you very much for your answer! Do you think that overwatering is not the problem then? Should I keep watering it once a day or better twice? The soil has not dried up since the dawn redwood forest arrived to my home due to the extreme humidity in this island, but I could not stay more than 5 minutes at the terrace without melting under the sun, so I hope the problem was too much sun and it will now get better after I moved the forest to a place with a little bit of shadow... And yes, there are little buds coming out on all the trees.

 

[19Mateo83]

How long ago was this tree shipped?

 

[19Mateo83]

Also… welcome to the nut house!

 

[BrightsideB]

If the soil was really dry then that could be the problem. If not then you know it’s not. It could be in shock to it’s new environment and care. Mine gets like 5-6 hours morning to mid day and has been healthy for 5 years. Just make sure the soil doesn’t get to dry. They grow roots quickly.

 

[FJMS1988]

How long ago was this tree shipped?

One and half a month ago. A problem of adaptation maybe?

 

[FJMS1988]

Also… welcome to the nut house!

Thank you very much!!!

 

[FJMS1988]

If the soil was really dry then that could be the problem. If not then you know it’s not. It could be in shock to it’s new environment and care. Mine gets like 5-6 hours morning to mid day and has been healthy for 5 years. Just make sure the soil doesn’t get to dry. They grow roots quickly.

Thank you very much! The soil was not dry, actually it was really wet.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Thank you very much! The soil was not dry, actually it was really wet.

I keep mine submerged in water when it's super hot out. From my limited experience the Dawn Redwood is hard to over water.

 

[BrightsideB]

Thank you very much! The soil was not dry, actually it was really wet.

That’s weird. No need to over water it though if the soil is wet. The soil looks like potting soil. I’ve had bacteria grow inside a pot that didn’t get good aeration and it almost killed the tree’s so soil is a big deal. I don’t know what kind of diseases dawn redwoods get but root health is important.

 

[19Mateo83]

One and half a month ago. A problem of adaptation maybe?

It could be having problems adapting to your full sun environment. Where was it shipped from? Was there a big temperature difference from its original location? It also could have gotten excessively hot during transit and you are seeing the trees shed the damaged foliage. I agree with @RKMcGinnis , soil is important. Nursery soil leads to problems, that being said, I would be planning a repot to change the soil to a free draining bonsai blend this coming spring. Since it’s showing buds I wouldn’t mess with it while it’s stressed. Focus on keeping it watered and let it regain vigor. That’s just me though.

 

[FJMS1988]

I forgot to say that I moved the forest to a slightly bigger pot three weeks ago and after checking the roots I see that many new ones have grown during the last three weeks. Is it good? Does it mean that they grow in search of more water?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Hmm…. A couple things.

Dawn Redwoods are tough critters that like a lot of water…. and don’t like lots of heat. Dawns also like to be misted frequently. They can tolerate dry spells, however, not everyday.

So it looks like your damage was more a combination of factors, which often happens, drying out, high temperatures and the hot high altitude sun. From my experience, these guys need lots more shade.

We’ve had a heat spell here, 90-96F all week (last year up to 110F, 94F today. The modifications we use to help all our redwoods survive are to place in bright shade all afternoon/evening and to water/mist frequently. This means water and mist at least twice a day based upon the look of the foliage (limp vs firm) the dryness of the media. It a judgement call.



That said, the tree(s) without foliage need to be put in full, bright shade. Also they shouldn’t be watered much until the foliage reappears or the media is drying out. The others need much more shade.

My bet is, with proper care, these tough little trees will push again profusely. A little bit of shade likely won’t work for the living foliage, full or strongly dappled shade at least through about 1200-1800 will. Water as needed, mist often. You might invest in shadecloth to help during the sunny part of the day.

btw: Please click on your icon atop the page, scroll down and click on Account details, then scroll down and enter your approximate location and USDA zone. This data really helps to help you. Also, you may find other members close by. For example @Fidur who I believe is in the Canary Islands, can help provide details of their experiences with bonsai.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[RKatzin]

My Dawn Redwoods get full sun from sun up until 11:30-12:00. Then they are in bright shade the rest of the day. We're seeing temps over 90F so I water heavy in the morning and then again after they're in the shade and shower a few times throughout the afternoon. I'm also in sifted pumice.
Repotting was probably not a good thing to do at this time (after the leaves were out) and you're liking seeing response to that misstep. No worries though as it appears the trees are making a comeback. You may lose all the original foliage, but the trees should survive.