Dawn redwood rooting cutting question

[tigerscott79]

Long story short I got a small 4 inch potted dawn redwood today in mail I had ordered . Sadly it came with two leaders but one was broken and about 7 inches long but given its dormant with buds wanted to ask chances if I recut the break point to be fresh and if used clonex root gel and either placed in water or in soil or potting mix with or without heat, would there be any probability it could root or is it kinda no point. I'd really hate to toss what could be potentially another tiny tree if there is any chance at all. And if there is even slightest chance could anyone advise me best method to saving or trying to save it. Already going threw forum posts ans online videos but nothing I find is dawn redwood or winter info if it's even possible. Hoping someone here might have but more knowledge

 

[19Mateo83]

Long story short I got a small 4 inch potted dawn redwood today in mail I had ordered . Sadly it came with two leaders but one was broken and about 7 inches long but given its dormant with buds wanted to ask chances if I recut the break point to be fresh and if used clonex root gel and either placed in water or in soil or potting mix with or without heat, would there be any probability it could root or is it kinda no point. I'd really hate to toss what could be potentially another tiny tree if there is any chance at all. And if there is even slightest chance could anyone advise me best method to saving or trying to save it. Already going threw forum posts ans online videos but nothing I find is dawn redwood or winter info if it's even possible. Hoping someone here might have but more knowledge

Give it a try, cut it clean just under a bud at an angle and give it a thin coat of clonex. Put it in moist growing media and keep a humidity dome over it. If you have a seedling heating mat you can try gentle bottom heat also or put it in a warm area. Those are about the best chances you can give it.

 

[tigerscott79]

Give it a try, cut it clean just under a bud at an angle and give it a thin coat of clonex. Put it in moist growing media and keep a humidity dome over it. If you have a seedling heating mat you can try gentle bottom heat also or put it in a warm area. Those are about the best chances you can give it.

Any suggestions on what to try root it in like water or sand or peat or topsoil or potting mix and how moist and if should cover the top with grow dome or just keep soil moist .

 

[MMJNICE]

Any suggestions on what to try root it in like water or sand or peat or topsoil or potting mix and how moist and if should cover the top with grow dome or just keep soil moist .

Definitely keep a bag over the cutting. Never let the growing medium get even slightly dry. I would use some with heavy perlite mixed in like at least 40% to give the new roots air when they form. A nursery container works well because of the Gigantic holes on the bottom letting in massive amounts of air to the roots. Mist the cutting daily as well to keep the humidity as high as possible.

 

[andrewiles]

Yeah, DRs are very easy to root from HW cuttings. If you work at it a bit you can get close to 100% success rates. I root DR HW cuttings every year and there is really no single way to do it. The above suggestions are good. Personally, I do the following:

1. Try to get first or second year growth. Pencil thickness, up to 1 foot long. The older the cutting, the harder it will be to root. Your lone broken leader is probably just what you want.
2. Make sure you have a few healthy buds at the top. I usually keep the top 1/3 of buds, and pull the rest off. But if there aren't many, just leave everything above the soil line.
3. For soil use anything as long as it drains well and provide good air movement. Anything from sandy loam to pure perlite or pumice.
4. Dust the bottom of each cutting with a rooting hormone and push into the soil. At least a few inches.
5. Keep them cold until spring, but don't let them freeze. You don't want them waking up until conditions are right for them to grow. Based on your 5/6 zone, this likely means a cold garage, etc.
6. Don't let them dry out. But don't mist them or put them in a bag until they start growing in the spring. That'll just cause mold problems. Just keep them cold and periodically water the soil so it doesn't completely dry out. This works in my wet winter climate. If the air in your area is really dry all winter then you may need to bag it -- I don't know.
7. As temperatures warm, they will begin to leaf out. You'll get as much as 1" extension for each bud. Don't declare success here. They won't have any roots yet. All that growth is from stored energy.
8. It's at this point you need to mist them periodically. They should get only morning sun, or dappled sun. Never direct, afternoon sun.
9. You'll seem them stall at this first stage of growth. For a month or so. They will either then slowly dry out and die, if something went wrong, or begin putting out a second flush of growth.
10. If you get this second flush you have some roots and you can either continue growing them out in the same container (sans mist), or you can pot them up individually. At this point start giving them fertilizer.

Here's a container of HW cuttings from last March. In pure perlite. I took these late, as they were leafing out. But now is fine too, just have to protect them:



And this past November. From the extensions, almost all took. I'll separate them this spring:


Good luck!

 

[BrightsideB]

I did some last spring and was surprised at the success rate. Doing more this spring for a future forest. @tigerscott79 ypu got nothing to lose but try. Good luck. Not sure what your plan is for your DR but don’t be hesitate to put it in a big pot and let it take off for a couple years. You’ll also be able to get more cuttings.