How to Fertilize Redwood

When Should I Start Feeding My Redwood?

How Often Should I Fertilize My Redwood?

Fertilize young Redwoods once a year in early spring, just as buds begin to swell. One application per year is plenty. These trees have modest nutrient demands relative to their size.

Container Redwoods should receive one spring feeding each year since potting mix loses nutrients faster than garden soil. If the tree has been in the same pot for more than two years, consider repotting with fresh soil in addition to fertilizing.

Established, in-ground Redwoods generally need no supplemental feeding. If growth seems unusually slow or foliage looks pale, a soil test will tell you whether a specific deficiency exists rather than guessing with more fertilizer.

What Is the Best Fertilizer for Redwood?

Coast Redwood naturally grows in foggy, nutrient-rich alluvial soils in the Pacific Northwest. In cultivation, a balanced slow-release granular formula like 10-10-10 or a general tree-and-shrub fertilizer provides the steady nutrition young trees need.

Avoid high-nitrogen lawn fertilizers, which push fast, weak growth. Redwood prefers moderate, even nutrition that supports strong wood development. A slightly acidic formula is fine since Redwoods naturally grow in mildly acidic soils.

Organic options like composted bark mulch and aged compost are excellent choices. A 3-inch mulch ring that decomposes over time mimics the natural forest floor conditions that Redwoods evolved in.

How Do I Fertilize My Redwood?