hope its breaking bud higher than that ...

it took me 4 plants before i got one to thrive ..

looks normal enough at this moment ... but only time will tell

nice bug.. what is it ... almost didnt see it .. and dont tell me the arkansas cammo bug.. lol ..

ken

Hey Ken, yes it is breaking bud all the way up. That was just a good cluster of buds for illustration.

I actually unwound a 4' root at planting. It had a very nice loose root system so hopefully it will establish quickly.

I have no clue as to the bug but they are out in abundance now. They take every oppertunity to enter ones home and they get BIG, too. The wife thinks they look like giant mosquitoes (and I agree).

John

Can't help with the 'Ogon' but the bug may be a Crane Fly.

tj

HA! Crane fly it is TJ =)

John

I just planted mine last fall and it broke dormancy in the last week and a half!! I planted a standard dawn redwood as well at my parents' house and they are loving it. How much growth should I expect the first week. Both were about 2-2.5' tall. The ogon is facing NNE as I know it may burn due to full sun in my zone. I planted the ogon near an easement that stays quite wet, so I'm hoping I picked a good home for it.

You might expect 3-6" I suppose if it's sunny and hot.

As long as your soil drains, the Dawn Redwood will appreciate the prolonged drink the easement provides.

Take care John.

Dax

has it yellowed up properly???

ken

Mine did. Actually the parts in the sun are yellower and the leaves that stack on top of other leaves are greener. I actually enjoy the contrast of yellow and yellow-green on the same tree. I'm not used to the growth of conifers, but its interesting to see a leaf grow and then suddenly other leaves start growing out of the sides of that same leaf later on in the season.

JQ, mine is doing the same thing this year. Darker green old growth.

FWIW mine is growing as fast as anything I own despite a deer attack (thus the darned fence) and nearly blowing over last year (the ring style anti sway support)

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Toronado, I was searching around and found your old 'Goldrush' thread and it looks like yours is also a ForestFarm 'Ogon'. Mine looks like yours does in the 'Goldrush' thread, so I'm really hoping to see it make it through it's first year. Mine has begun burning though so is there anything I can do to save it. Do Japanese Beetles like dawn redwoods?

I THINK the Japanese Beetles just put small brown bite marks on the needles of my regular metasequoia. At the very least I see them on it and never notice any other needle damage.

Man, what a difference traveling south must make for sun exposure. I have no experience with burning. Maybe I have watered mine more? It really is not in that wet of a spot.

Good to hear them old threads get read still.

Also good luck with yours JQ.

I have seen JB's strip the upper leaves of Dawn Redwood. Dang nasty buggers. Saw the brow-out the top of a gorgeous weeping larch, too. I have even seen them eat oaks. Figure THAT one. :o/

Perhaps I just have meatier targets of opportunity nearby!

Thanks everyone! Yeah, the damage doesn't look like burning which is why I asked the question. It's almost like clusters of little lines in the needles. I feel like I'm always flicking off the same mating couple of JBs on the Dawn Redwood.

I have one Dawn Redwood with the small, almost circular brown marks on the needles, but I don't thik it's the Japanese Beetles. I think it's some kind of pest related slime though. It does not show up on the other trees, just the tallest, fastest growing one (in the most ideal spot).

For the rest of the Dawn Redwoods, Bald Crypress and Nanjing Beauty, picking off Japanese Beetles is a daily chore for now. Once they really swarm, I start chemical warfare until they move on.

Last year, they defoiliated a young 18-20 bald cyress about a mile down from me. It looked like a winter tree but in late June. They swarmed it. It loooked like the tree was crawling until you got close. I assume a female or 10 set up breeding there. The tree bounced right back though.

Ok, here is a pic of the tree. The shot is taken from above, and the hollow stick is a bamboo type stake b/c my DR is a floppy fellow.

The brown spots are the only places I've ever seen the Japanese Beetles. Basically, they perch right at the top of the tree. Little buddy has been in the ground for a year. The brown spots appeared in the last two weeks. It's about 3' tall. Our weather has been wet, and it's sitting in an area that does hold water (which I was told would be good for it). There is never any standing water.

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Did I hijack the thread? Should I create a new one?

That looks an awful lot like the damage my big regular metasequoia gets by late in the season. I can't see it burning so I assumed it had to be bugs, some kind of damage from chemicals, pollution or who knows what, or just how their needles look by August.

I haven't NOTICED the brown spots at MOBOT so there is another point for it being beetle damage.

Does anyone have pictures of sun damage handy to compare to?
And sssshhhhh. Be quiet with the "H" word or else Homeland Security will start snooping about ;)

Here's the "brown spots" on my Dawn Redwood. Nothing like jqpublic's

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These are mostly only on the lower leaves/needles, and yes, this tree is favored by the Japanese Beetles this time of year. It does not bother me much, just unsightly and probably some time of insect residue. (????)

Thanks for the help everyone! I'm just going to let it do its thing I guess. I'm a little annoyed it hasn't really shown a lot of vertical growth. All the fast growth touted in other threads (even during it's first year in the ground)...I was hoping for a few good inches by late spring. I guess since DRs exhibit indeterminate growth, I should see it make strides later in to the growing season in comparison to other trees.
The tree is still getting a compliments in this state, so I can't wait for it to get larger!

Here's my regular DR for comparison. This is it's first season in the ground at my house and it has put on a good 3-6".

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Mine are both looking pretty darned fine.

This is the worst bit of foliage on my Ogon. Not bad at all. I think this general brown is a bit of burn.
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Here is my regular metasequoia. If history holds it will get more of these brown spots but this will be late season leaf damage on a deciduous tree.

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