I was watching How Its Made on the Discovery Channel and they started talking about bonsai. Unfortunately it was an introduction into how fake Bonsai were made. Willard would make for an awfully boring blog if he was fake, and never changed. I never understood fake plants, but I always thought that the long process of growing bonsai was what made them interesting.
Nancy Bond Says:
April 10th, 2008 at 11:39 amVisit Nancy Bond
I agree! Bonsai should be a verb!
Nancy Bond’s last blog post..Dahlia Memories
Jim Habermehl Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 9:15 amVisit Jim Habermehl
I have a dawn redwood that is currently 17 yrs old and about 50 feet high. I would like to be able to start a new one but am unsure as how to do it. What do I look for or what can I do to start one from my current tree. I would be appreciative of any information that you can give me. It would be our first grand child if we can get one to grow. Thanks.
Jim
Ken Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 11:16 pmVisit Ken
Hi Jim, thanks for stopping by. Because I started from seed that’s the direction I would steer you in, although I have read that it is possible to propagate dawn redwoods from cuttings. In fact many new home owners accidentally cut these trees down in the fall because they do not realize they are deciduous, and the cuttings that didn’t get cleaned up sprout new trees in the spring.
What you need to look for on your current tree are the cones, let these dry out on the tree and then pick them in the fall. Break the cones open and look for the seeds which are pictured in the link that I am adding below. Collect quite a few, less than 50% will produce a tree, my experience has shown about 20%. Also in the link are instructions on how I was able to grow my trees.
http://kenstrees.com/?p=57
If you don’t want to wait until the fall seeds are sold here, and come with instructions: http://seedrack.com/bonsai.html (don’t worry that the site labels the seeds “bonsai”, planted in the ground they will become full size).
Once you actually have the seeds, it should be very easy and surprisingly quick to grow a couple seedlings.