Training The Leader Of Our Dawn Redwood? A 2026 Project - March 2026
It may not be super easy to tell in this photo below, but our Dawn Redwood tree has continued to grow. And it is taking on a nice upright-ish form. But, the apical meristem - the leader - is wandering. It isn't straight up in the air, but rather...leaning back. My thought here is that a potential 2026 project might be to try to pull the leader back into a more-upright position. A rope, plus some sort of trunk/bark protection (like a piece of garden hose) pulled tight to a stake to help train it back to be more upright? Or....should I prune this a bit more to clear out some competition? Maybe both?