Tree · Cupressaceae
Dawn Redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
A living fossil that turns russet-bronze each fall and grows fast enough to watch.
Full sun
Every 3–10 days
USDA 4–8
70–100 ft · 21.3–30.5 m
Overview
Few trees arrive with a story this good. For years the dawn redwood existed only as fossils, until living groves came to light in central China in the 1940s, and seed from them carried the tree into gardens across the temperate world. It is a deciduous conifer, a rare thing, dressing itself in soft green needles all summer and then letting them go as the season closes.
Give it space and the payoff comes quickly. It climbs at a brisk pace into a clean pyramidal shape on a single straight leader, and a mature specimen can reach 70 to 100 feet over a broad, fluted, buttressed trunk. That scale rules it out of a tight courtyard, yet makes it a quietly grand presence at the edge of a pond, along a long lawn, or as the anchor of a generous garden.
Autumn is when it earns its keep. Just before the needles let go, the entire canopy warms to a deep russet-bronze to orange, a tone that lends a room or a view a settled, seasonal glow few conifers can offer. Through the rest of the year it asks for very little, so long as the soil stays moist and leans acidic.
Care
The short version: full sun and deep, moist, slightly acidic soil, plenty of room for a large fast-growing tree, and steady water while it's young and during any drought.
Light
Site it in full sun for the cleanest form and richest fall color, though it accepts a measure of afternoon shade. Starved of light it grows thin and sluggish, and it never settles into the tidy pyramid that defines its look.
Water
This is a tree that likes a damp footing. Keep the soil consistently moist and deep, and it will even put up with boggy or wet ground. Water it without fail while it is young and through any dry spell, since a prolonged drought is the one thing it will not abide.
Soil
Offer it deep, moist, humusy, acidic soil that still drains freely. Clay and wet ground give it no trouble, but it yellows into chlorosis on thin earth over rock or on a high-pH alkaline site. Aim for a pH of 5.0 to 6.5.
Temperature
Few trees are this forgiving of temperature; it stands firm across zones 4 through 8, takes cold down to about -29°F (-34°C), and handles summer heat as far as roughly 100°F (38°C). The single tender point is that early spring flush, which a late frost can catch.
Humidity
Open outdoor air is all it asks, so there is no humidity figure to chase. What matters to it is steady moisture at the roots rather than in the surrounding air.
Feeding
In a half-decent soil it scarcely needs feeding. Should growth stall, work a balanced slow-release tree fertilizer in early spring into the ground, and leave it out altogether where the soil is already rich.
Pruning
Pruning is largely beside the point, since the tree raises its own strong pyramid on a single central leader. While it sits dormant in late winter, simply cut out any dead, damaged, or competing leaders to preserve that clean line.
Repotting
Think of this as a landscape tree rather than a lasting container resident. Nursery or bonsai specimens are repotted every 2 to 3 years in early spring, and the cues that one is overdue are circling roots, roots slipping out the drainage holes, and stalled, yellowing growth.
Size & spacing
Plan around its eventual bulk. A mature tree stands 70 to 100 feet (21 to 30 m) tall and spreads 15 to 25 feet (4.5 to 7.5 m), so place it well away from buildings, foundations, and pavement and leave the roots open ground to claim.
When to plant
Dawn redwood goes in as a young tree rather than being sown where it stands, and it settles happily into zones 4 through 8. Begin stratified seed indoors over late winter, then move young trees outside in spring once the frost is behind you, or in early fall. There is no flower on the calendar to anticipate, only the russet-bronze foliage that signs off the year each autumn.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring (stratified seed, 8-10 weeks before last frost)
- Plant: Spring after last frost, or early fall
- Harvest: Non-flowering; russet-bronze to orange fall foliage in autumn before needle drop
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
A contented dawn redwood asks for almost nothing, and the few problems that surface usually come back to stress or a poor soil match. Keep an eye on the needles and the new growth, since that is where the earliest hints show. Find your symptom below and respond while a response still counts.
Fresh growth fading to yellow while the veins stay green
When the newest foliage washes out to yellow but the veins hold their green, you are looking at chlorosis, generally a case of iron being locked away by a high-pH soil or a thin layer of earth over rock. A quick pH test settles the question. Elemental sulfur nudges the soil toward acidic for the long term, chelated iron brings the green back quickly, and a layer of mulch keeps the root zone deeper and cooler.
Fix:
- Test and lower soil pH toward slightly acidic with elemental sulfur
- Apply chelated iron to green up foliage in the short term
- Mulch and improve soil depth and moisture over the root zone
Sunken lesions on the wood with dying growth above them
Bark that has gone sunken, cracked, and discolored, with dead growth beyond the wound, signals a fungal canker, and it tends to take hold after the tree has been through something hard like drought, frost, or an injury. Remove the affected wood, cutting well below the lesion and disinfecting your blades between passes. The lasting answer is consistent moisture and mulch, because a comfortable tree rarely cankers at all.
Fix:
- Prune out cankered wood well below the lesion, disinfecting tools between cuts
- Improve growing conditions to reduce stress
- Keep the tree adequately watered and mulched
When the needles look dusty and bronzed
Foliage that turns stippled and bronzed, with faint webbing, is the calling card of spider mites, and they tend to arrive during a hot, dry stretch on a tree that is already thirsty. Hold a sheet of white paper beneath a branch, give it a tap, and look for moving specks, then turn a few needles over to find the webbing. A firm spray of water knocks them loose, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil handles the stubborn ones, and a watered, mulched root zone keeps the tree relaxed enough to shrug them off.
Fix:
- Spray foliage with a strong jet of water to dislodge mites
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to affected foliage
- Keep the tree well watered and mulched to reduce drought stress
Lace-like foliage chewed through by midsummer
Beetles in metallic green and copper, gathered on foliage that has been chewed down to lace, are Japanese beetles, a familiar summer visitor to this tree. Pick them off into a tub of soapy water first thing in the morning while they are still slow, and save an approved insecticide for the rare heavy swarm. The damage tends to look more dramatic than it is, and a settled tree carries on without missing a beat.
Fix:
- Hand-pick beetles into soapy water in the early morning
- Treat heavy infestations with an approved insecticide if warranted
- Tolerate light feeding, which rarely harms an established tree
New spring shoots blackened by a late cold snap
Because dawn redwood leafs out early, a late-spring frost can blacken the tenderest shoots while the older wood comes through untouched. Snip away the spoiled tips once growth picks back up, and the tree generally answers with a fresh flush all on its own. Keep it clear of low spots where cold air pools, or the same scene plays out year after year.
Fix:
- Prune out dead frost-killed shoots once new growth resumes
- Allow the tree to push a second flush, which it usually does
- Avoid planting in frost pockets
Toxicity
A reassuring note for any home that shares its space with animals: dawn redwood is not toxic to pets, livestock, or people. It does not appear on the ASPCA's list of harmful plants, and the most a curious nibble might bring is a brief stomach upset from overdoing it on greenery. You can plant it freely without minding who passes beneath.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Fine to keep around cats, since the needles carry nothing toxic. A cat that grazes heavily on any greenery may end up with a short, mild stomach upset, and that is as far as it goes.
Dogs None
Nothing in this tree troubles dogs, so a curious mouthful is no reason for concern. A dog that swallows a good amount of foliage might pass some loose stool, much like it would with most plants.
Horses None
Safe for horses as well. The soft, feathery needles carry nothing harmful should a grazing horse reach a low branch.
Rabbits None
No risk to rabbits at all. Fallen needles or low shoots can be nibbled freely with no toxic concern.
Livestock None
Cattle, goats, and sheep are all in the clear, free to browse the foliage with no danger of poisoning.
Birds None
Birds have nothing to fear from it, whether they perch, nest, or peck at the seed cones.
People None
Harmless to people, with no part of the tree that calls for careful handling. It is not a food plant, so there is simply nothing on it worth eating.
No special handling precautions are required; this is an outdoor landscape tree.
Varieties
Most dawn redwoods on offer are the straight species, though a handful of selections distinguish themselves by color or silhouette. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
'Gold Rush' ('Ogon')
Its soft, feathery foliage carries a golden-yellow tone right through summer before shifting to orange-brown in fall, and it builds up more slowly than the plain species.
'National'
A markedly narrow, columnar selection chosen in 1958 at the U.S. National Arboretum for its tight pyramidal habit.
'Miss Grace'
An uncommon weeping dwarf whose branches cascade and keep it low and mounding unless you stake it upright.
How to propagate
Dawn redwood takes to propagation with ease, whether you begin with cold-treated seed or root a cutting taken from a tree already in the garden.
SeedModerate
Late winter to spring after cold stratification · 1-2 years to a sturdy seedling
Once known only from fossils, the dawn redwood was found growing in China in the 1940s, and it takes to seed willingly provided the seed has had a cold-stratification period first. Sow from late winter into spring, then allow 1 to 2 years for it to fill out into a sturdy seedling.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in late fall to winter · 2-4 months to root, then a season to establish
Cuttings are the dependable choice. Take softwood cuttings during early summer, or hardwood cuttings from late fall through winter; they need roughly 2 to 4 months to root and then a full season to find their footing.
Myths
Dawn redwood is just another name for bald cypress or the evergreen coast redwood.
Dawn redwood stands as its own species, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, and several plain features set it apart. Its needles grow in opposite pairs, whereas the look-alike bald cypress bears alternate needles and sends up woody knees where it stands in water. Unlike the evergreen coast redwood, dawn redwood is deciduous and lets its needles fall each autumn once they have turned russet-bronze.