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BewilderedGreenyO.o
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 471
- Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:02 am
- Location: San Bernardino Mountains, California
Do I have a Redwood In my backyard?
Curiosity has gotten the best of me again. I will be taking photos of it soon but basically the reason I was wondering was because it has some Basal shoots growing and I would like to know how to remove and plant them without causing harm to the parent tree or to the shoots that I'd like to plant if that is even possible. What kind of details would you need from me to identify that it is for sure a Redwood?
Sequoia sempervirens (Coast redwood) doesn't grow outside its fairly narrow range--the foggy coast of northern California and Oregon. Specifics on its range are provided in the Wiki article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens.
San B'do is both drier and hotter than redwoods like. So you can probably relax on that score.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
San B'do is both drier and hotter than redwoods like. So you can probably relax on that score.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
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BewilderedGreenyO.o
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 471
- Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:02 am
- Location: San Bernardino Mountains, California
Alright finally got some pictures of it to put up on the forum. I guess its been growing back there for around 20-30 years or so I think.
Full View
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010450.jpg[/img]
Closeup of Bark
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010458.jpg[/img]
Looking Up At Branches
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010461.jpg[/img]
Another View Of Branches
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010452.jpg[/img]
Branch CloseUp
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010454.jpg[/img]
Basal shoots
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010459.jpg[/img]
Full View
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010450.jpg[/img]
Closeup of Bark
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010458.jpg[/img]
Looking Up At Branches
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010461.jpg[/img]
Another View Of Branches
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010452.jpg[/img]
Branch CloseUp
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010454.jpg[/img]
Basal shoots
[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Redwood/P1010459.jpg[/img]
Last edited by BewilderedGreenyO.o on Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Last night I went upstairs and *finally* brought my Sunset Western Garden Book downstairs, where I've been staying for several weeks with Vergil (my male dog, who had knee reconstruction surgery on May 26, and whose recovery has been one roller-coaster ride after another).
I hadn't wanted to start bringing the gardening library downstairs, adding it to the quilting and music libraries, quilting fabric, cutting table/storage unit, sewing machines, dog meds, couches (I'm sleeping on one), ironing board, long-arm quilting machine, piano, ex-pen, computer, etc. in the "family room," but the question of the redwood made it imperative. Sometimes the Deodara cypress (Cedrus deodar) is mistaken for a Coast redwood, and I wanted to check this possibility.
Sunset, whose authority is unquestioned (at least by me and many others) in matters Western and botanical, states that the Sequoia sempervirens flourishes in Zones 4-9 and 14-24. These zones cover a much wider range than that given in Wiki, and they *include* San B'do, whose Sunset climate zone is 18.
In addition to your excellent photos, if the tree drops acorn-sized miniature pine cones and TONS of "leaf" litter in the summer and early fall, plus little "dye bombs" that stain fabrics, house siding, and pavement dark red in spots, then YES a Coast redwood is what you've got.
It's what I've got, too, in my back yard. In fact, it IS my back yard, one reason I have so few square feet available for planting veggies. I found out, in August 2008 and completely by accident, that our redwood was planted on purpose
in 1961 by previous owners of this house. It is now a double-trunked tree, each trunk approx. 8 feet in diameter. Somewhere along the line, the tree was topped :!::!:, but it's about 90 or so feet tall now, on a block where lots are approx. 50' x 100'.
For the common safety, we have an arborist check the tree's health every 3 years. We're absolutely not interested in having the thing blow over onto anyone's house during a freak storm. It drops heavy branches during these storms as a matter of self-pruning.
I recommend that you call an arborist to check the tree out as well. Yours is very close to the house, and the arborist can tell you whether the roots will threaten any plumbing or foundational structures.
Do you know how the tree got there?
Cynthia
I hadn't wanted to start bringing the gardening library downstairs, adding it to the quilting and music libraries, quilting fabric, cutting table/storage unit, sewing machines, dog meds, couches (I'm sleeping on one), ironing board, long-arm quilting machine, piano, ex-pen, computer, etc. in the "family room," but the question of the redwood made it imperative. Sometimes the Deodara cypress (Cedrus deodar) is mistaken for a Coast redwood, and I wanted to check this possibility.
Sunset, whose authority is unquestioned (at least by me and many others) in matters Western and botanical, states that the Sequoia sempervirens flourishes in Zones 4-9 and 14-24. These zones cover a much wider range than that given in Wiki, and they *include* San B'do, whose Sunset climate zone is 18.
In addition to your excellent photos, if the tree drops acorn-sized miniature pine cones and TONS of "leaf" litter in the summer and early fall, plus little "dye bombs" that stain fabrics, house siding, and pavement dark red in spots, then YES a Coast redwood is what you've got.
It's what I've got, too, in my back yard. In fact, it IS my back yard, one reason I have so few square feet available for planting veggies. I found out, in August 2008 and completely by accident, that our redwood was planted on purpose
in 1961 by previous owners of this house. It is now a double-trunked tree, each trunk approx. 8 feet in diameter. Somewhere along the line, the tree was topped :!::!:, but it's about 90 or so feet tall now, on a block where lots are approx. 50' x 100'.For the common safety, we have an arborist check the tree's health every 3 years. We're absolutely not interested in having the thing blow over onto anyone's house during a freak storm. It drops heavy branches during these storms as a matter of self-pruning.
I recommend that you call an arborist to check the tree out as well. Yours is very close to the house, and the arborist can tell you whether the roots will threaten any plumbing or foundational structures.
Do you know how the tree got there?
Cynthia
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BewilderedGreenyO.o
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 471
- Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:02 am
- Location: San Bernardino Mountains, California
Cynthia,
I think that the tree was planted there on purpose by previous owners about 20-30 years ago give or take as I really am not positive of the exact age of this tree. I do know however that we have been in this house for 13 years and that it was a fairly large tree already when we moved in. So by estimate this tree must be around 20-30 years old from point of seed to now. I really haven't thought of having an arborist come by to look at it but your right I really should.
I was taking a look at some pictures of the other tree you mentioned Deodara cypress (cedrus deodara) And the bark of my tree doesn't match up to it at all. Plus the overall look of them are a bit different as well.
As far as Cones, "leaf" litter, "dye bombs" that you have mentioned. I really haven't seen much of any of that. Actually looking at the tree I don't notice any cones at all nor have I seen any on the ground. As for leaf litter... there is a bit directly under the tree on the dirt as you can see in the last picture but not much elsewhere. I also haven't noticed any signs of dye bombs. It is however quite a massive tree.
I wonder if perhaps it is still to young to produce cones? Either that or they are just to high up for me to see or to small for me to really take notice of. Do they shed cones during a particular time of year? If so I will keep a look out for them, but right now I don't see any sign of them.
We don't get many storms here so we don't get huge branches falling off of it. Though they might if we had huge storms.
I think that the tree was planted there on purpose by previous owners about 20-30 years ago give or take as I really am not positive of the exact age of this tree. I do know however that we have been in this house for 13 years and that it was a fairly large tree already when we moved in. So by estimate this tree must be around 20-30 years old from point of seed to now. I really haven't thought of having an arborist come by to look at it but your right I really should.
I was taking a look at some pictures of the other tree you mentioned Deodara cypress (cedrus deodara) And the bark of my tree doesn't match up to it at all. Plus the overall look of them are a bit different as well.
As far as Cones, "leaf" litter, "dye bombs" that you have mentioned. I really haven't seen much of any of that. Actually looking at the tree I don't notice any cones at all nor have I seen any on the ground. As for leaf litter... there is a bit directly under the tree on the dirt as you can see in the last picture but not much elsewhere. I also haven't noticed any signs of dye bombs. It is however quite a massive tree.
I wonder if perhaps it is still to young to produce cones? Either that or they are just to high up for me to see or to small for me to really take notice of. Do they shed cones during a particular time of year? If so I will keep a look out for them, but right now I don't see any sign of them.
We don't get many storms here so we don't get huge branches falling off of it. Though they might if we had huge storms.
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sweet thunder
- Senior Member
- Posts: 210
- Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:43 pm
- Location: Eureka, CA
Yeah, it looks pretty redwood-like to me.
Applestar, my tree isn't quite as big as Cynthia's (maybe 10-12 feet at its widest point) but I have a very similar situation. When you walk through my gate, this is what you see:
[img]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4769400821_0362f07694_b.jpg[/img]
From the side:
[img]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4770044020_22e6b81eb4_b.jpg[/img]
It has a lot of character, but it dominates my whole landscape with shade and debris, and because it was topped, it's upper trunks aren't entirely safe. An arborist recommended we take it down and we plan to as soon as we can afford it. They're beautiful trees, but much better suited to a forest than an urban neighborhood.
Applestar, my tree isn't quite as big as Cynthia's (maybe 10-12 feet at its widest point) but I have a very similar situation. When you walk through my gate, this is what you see:
[img]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4769400821_0362f07694_b.jpg[/img]
From the side:
[img]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4770044020_22e6b81eb4_b.jpg[/img]
It has a lot of character, but it dominates my whole landscape with shade and debris, and because it was topped, it's upper trunks aren't entirely safe. An arborist recommended we take it down and we plan to as soon as we can afford it. They're beautiful trees, but much better suited to a forest than an urban neighborhood.