Dawn redwood repot

Beginners
1

I have quite a large and old dawn redwood that was last repotted 2 years ago. It’s currently in normal garden soil and I struggle each year to prevent grass and other things growing out of the pot.

I want repot this tree again with a 1:1:1 akadama:pumice:lava mix.

The trees buds have just started to swell, is this a good time to repot?
Also, given the soil is just garden soil, can I bare root the dawn redwood? if not what % of soil can I remove this time around.

Anything else I can do to improve the chances of it surviving a repot?

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2

I would repot now since the buds are swelling. I would remove the outer 1/2 of the soil along with the bottom layer. You can then remove the rest of the old soil at the next repot. I have bare rooted seedlings, but this appears to be a middle aged tree so it is better to be cautious.

2 Likes
3

The dawn redwood needs to be in 100% akadama. It will be easier to keep it moist. They require a lot of water, especially in the summer. Just as the buds are starting to swell is a great time to repot! Do not bare root the redwood.