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MaryDyer [OP]March 3, 2025

Help! What’s wrong with my dawn redwood seedlings!!! Is this damping off???

These guys are very special to me, as I sowed them from seeds I collected myself, and I was honestly shocked that they germinated at all, as dawn redwoods apparently have a very low germination rate. But alas, I sowed ten seeds and got four little babies! I’m desperate to keep them alive. They’re just over a month old (germinated 2/1) and just over an inch or so tall.

Today I noticed that the base of the “trunks” of three of my babies are turning sort of a light brownish color, looking a bit…desiccated, and have what appear to be roots offshooting from them.

Is this normal? It seems a bit early for my little guys to be developing proper “trunks”. Shouldn’t they be green for a bit longer? I’ve heard that in addition to having a low germination rate, dawn redwoods have a very low survival rate past 1 year. Are my little trees damping off? If they are I’m going to be very sad, but please give it to me straight.