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
Dawn redwood is one of the great comeback stories in the plant world. Botanists knew it only from fossils until living trees turned up in central China in the 1940s, and seed from those trees spread it to gardens across the temperate world. It's a deciduous conifer, which is rare, so it grows soft green needles through summer and then sheds them every fall.
Give it room and it rewards you fast. The tree shoots up at a quick clip into a clean pyramidal shape with a single straight leader, and an old specimen can reach 70 to 100 feet with a broad, fluted, buttressed trunk. That speed and scale make it a poor fit for a small yard but a striking choice for a park, a pond edge, or an open lawn.
Its best season is autumn. Before the needles drop, the whole canopy turns a warm russet-bronze to orange, a color few conifers can match. The rest of the year it asks little, as long as the soil stays moist and on the acidic side.
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
Plant in full sun for the best form and color, though the tree takes a bit of afternoon shade. Too little light leaves it thin and slow, and it never builds the tight pyramidal shape it's known for.
Water
This tree likes its feet wet. Keep the soil consistently moist and deep, and it even tolerates boggy or wet ground. Water faithfully while it's young and through any drought, because it won't take a long dry spell.
Soil
Give it deep, moist, humusy, acidic soil that still drains. It handles clay and wet sites without complaint, but turns chlorotic and yellow on shallow ground over rock or on high-pH alkaline soil. Aim for a pH of 5.0 to 6.5.
Temperature
The tree is tough across a wide range, hardy in zones 4 through 8 and shrugging off cold down to about -29°F (-34°C) while handling summer heat up to roughly 100°F (38°C). Its early spring flush is the one weak spot, since a late frost can nip the new shoots.
Humidity
Outdoor air suits it fine, so there's no humidity target to hit. What it really wants is steady moisture at the roots, not in the air.
Feeding
In decent soil it barely needs feeding. If growth is slow, work in a balanced slow-release tree fertilizer in early spring, and skip it entirely where the ground is already rich.
Pruning
Pruning is mostly unnecessary, since the tree builds its own strong pyramidal form on a single central leader. In late winter while it's dormant, just cut out any dead, damaged, or competing leaders to keep that clean shape.
Repotting
This is a landscape tree, not a long-term container plant. Nursery or bonsai specimens get repotted every 2 to 3 years in early spring, and the signs it's overdue are circling roots, roots out the drainage holes, and stalled, yellowing growth.
Size & spacing
Plan for a giant. A mature tree runs 70 to 100 feet (21 to 30 m) tall with a spread of 15 to 25 feet (4.5 to 7.5 m), so set it well clear of buildings, foundations, and pavement and give the roots open ground.
When to plant
Dawn redwood is planted, not sown in place, and it suits zones 4 through 8. Start stratified seed indoors in late winter, then set young trees out in spring once frost has passed or in early fall. There's no bloom to wait for, just the russet-bronze foliage that closes the season 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 healthy dawn redwood is close to trouble-free, and most of what does go wrong traces back to stress or the wrong soil. Watch the needles and new growth, since they show the first signs. Match what you see below and act while it still helps.
Pale new foliage with the veins still green
Yellowing between green veins on the newest growth points to chlorosis, usually iron lockup on a high-pH or shallow soil over rock. Test the soil pH to confirm it. Lower it toward slightly acidic with elemental sulfur for the long haul, use chelated iron to green the tree up fast, and mulch to deepen and cool the root zone.
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 cankers on the stems with dieback above
Sunken, cracked, discolored bark with dead growth past the lesion is a fungal canker, and it almost always follows stress like drought, frost, or a wound. Cut the cankered wood out well below the lesion and wipe your tools with disinfectant between cuts. The real defense is steady moisture and mulch, since a tree that isn't stressed rarely cankers in the first place.
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
Stippled, bronzed needles with fine webbing
This is spider mite damage, and it shows up most in hot, dry spells, often on a tree already short on water. Tap a branch over white paper and watch for tiny moving specks, then check the needle undersides for webbing. Blast the foliage with a hard jet of water, follow up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil if needed, and keep the roots watered and mulched so the tree isn't stressed in the first place.
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
Lacy, chewed foliage in early summer
Metallic green-and-copper beetles clustered on lacy, skeletonized foliage are Japanese beetles, a summer pest of this tree. Hand-pick them into soapy water early in the morning when they're sluggish, and reach for an approved insecticide only when a heavy swarm warrants it. Light feeding looks worse than it is and rarely sets back an established tree.
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
Blackened, wilted new growth after a spring frost
Dawn redwood flushes early, so a late-spring frost can scorch the youngest shoots while older wood stays untouched. Trim the dead tips once growth restarts, and the tree usually pushes a fresh flush on its own. Keep it out of low frost pockets where cold settles and the problem repeats.
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
Good news for any household with animals: dawn redwood is not toxic to pets, livestock, or people. It isn't on the ASPCA's list of harmful plants, and the worst a curious nibble might bring is a passing stomach upset from eating too much of any greenery. You can plant it without worrying about who wanders underneath.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe to have around cats, with nothing toxic in the needles. A cat that nibbles a lot of any greenery might get a brief, mild stomach upset, but that's the worst of it.
Dogs None
No toxins here that affect dogs, so a curious chew is no cause for alarm. Eating a big mouthful of foliage could pass some loose stool, the same as with most plants.
Horses None
Not poisonous to horses. The soft, feathery needles hold nothing harmful if a grazing horse browses a low branch.
Rabbits None
Harmless to rabbits. They can nibble fallen needles or low shoots without any toxic risk.
Livestock None
Safe for cattle, goats, and sheep, which can browse the foliage with no danger of poisoning.
Birds None
Poses no threat to birds, whether they perch in it, nest in it, or peck at the seed cones.
People None
Not toxic to people, and there's nothing on the tree that needs careful handling. It simply isn't a food plant, so there's no part worth eating.
No special handling precautions are required; this is an outdoor landscape tree.
Varieties
Most dawn redwoods sold are the straight species, but a few selections stand out for color or shape. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
'Gold Rush' ('Ogon')
Soft, feathery foliage holds a golden-yellow color all summer before turning orange-brown in fall, and it grows more slowly than the plain species.
'National'
A notably narrow, columnar form selected in 1958 at the U.S. National Arboretum for its tight pyramidal habit.
'Miss Grace'
A rare weeping dwarf with cascading branches that stays low and mounding unless you stake it upright.
How to propagate
Dawn redwood multiplies easily, whether you start from cold-treated seed or root a cutting from a tree you already have.
SeedModerate
Late winter to spring after cold stratification · 1-2 years to a sturdy seedling
Known only from fossils until it was found alive in China in the 1940s, the dawn redwood grows readily from seed once the seed has been cold-stratified. Sow in late winter to spring and give it 1 to 2 years to build 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 reliable route. Take softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings from late fall into winter, and they root in about 2 to 4 months, then need a full season to settle in.
Myths
Dawn redwood is just another name for bald cypress or the evergreen coast redwood.
Dawn redwood is its own species, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, and a few clear traits set it apart. Its needles sit in opposite pairs, while the look-alike bald cypress carries alternate needles and throws up woody knees when it stands in water. Unlike the evergreen coast redwood, dawn redwood is deciduous and drops its needles every fall after they turn russet-bronze.