Trouble with 10 Year Dawn Redwood

[HappyWalt]

Help if you can please-

We have a 10 year old Dawn Redwood about 30' that has been doing well until this spring and is now only slightly leafing. We had a hard freeze in April but the weather has been warm and dry since. Any thoughts?

Could it be dead and if so what are the possible causes?

 

[Raintree]

That's an interesting one, don't know of any pathogens that would shut down a healthy young Redwood tree that fast. Maybe someone else will chime in. They can get cytospora but it's slow acting. If it was hit with a hard frost, new buds would have been noticed by now. Are you sure it was a healthy tree last year, with no problems? The first things to rule out would be turf-grass herbicide poisoning, soil contamination or girdling.

 

[HappyWalt]

That's an interesting one, don't know of any pathogens that would shut down a healthy young Redwood tree that fast. Maybe someone else will chime in. They can get cytospora but it's slow acting. If it was hit with a hard frost, new buds would have been noticed by now. Are you sure it was a healthy tree last year, with no problems? The first things to rule out would be turf-grass herbicide poisoning, soil contamination or girdling.

Thank Raintree.
No herbicides used only organic items. We do have some growth on the lower and upper limbs but no too consistent.

 

[Kewadin]

I lost a ten foot Dawn Redwood a few years ago in northern Mich. It had started the spring with bright green young needles. It looked great and I thought I had done right planting it. Then a hard frost/freeze??? Instant death. I couldn't believe it. It was in the ground for a few years and seemed healthy.

 

[HappyWalt]

Sorry to hear

I lost a ten foot Dawn Redwood a few years ago in northern Mich. It had started the spring with bright green young needles. It looked great and I thought I had done right planting it. Then a hard frost/freeze??? Instant death. I couldn't believe it. It was in the ground for a few years and seemed healthy.

Ours is thirty plus feet high and still has some limited growth on lower and upper limbs. So we're hoping that it was an early freeze that caused green hibernation.

Thanks Kewadin.

 

[Raintree]

Have you ruled out girdling?

 

[HappyWalt]

Have you ruled out girdling?

Yes, root system and truck appear okay.

 

[RandyMac]

I think it got frostbite, it might came back to some extent. The Metas don't handle being frozen very well.

 

[HappyWalt]

I think it got frostbite, it might came back to some extent. The Metas don't handle being frozen very well.

Thanks Randy,
That is our hope. However, we're having Davey come here to see if an air spade might help.