Coastal Redwood "Soquel" in AZ

7 years ago

Hello,

I need advice please. I was gifted 5 coastal redwoods as a house warming gift from my neighbor. They are gorgeous, nearly 6ft tall and he said he purchased these from the local Lowes in Sierra Vista, AZ. I live in Hereford, AZ which is located in the sonoran foothills around 4,700 ft. I looked into the situation and read I am not in the climate hardiness zone or sunset zone for these trees. So, I really want to give them the best chance of survival I can. I would greatly appreciate any advice on planting/ nurturing them so they have the best life possible away from coast. I just wish they were giant sequoia which I feel would love it here.

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Sara Malone (Zone 9b)

7 years ago

And I'm on the border of S. s's native habitat. Warmer, warmer, warmer and less water. The term 'native' is starting to lose some of its appeal.

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Comments (7)

davidrt28 (zone 7)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
They are just such a bad idea for growing anywhere in AZ. Sure, if you water them enough they can survive - they grow in the central valley of CA although they often look quite bad there, even on the campus of UC Davis. Lowes should be shamed for offering them.

That being said 3500-5000 ft. is probably the best of possible elevations for them there. Just make sure they have deep, acid soil, maybe a bit of shade when younger, and plenty of water stolen from the Colorado river basin or local aquifers, and you'll be fine LOL. (I'm guessing 5000 ft. is roughly zone 7, but I could be wrong)
Embothrium
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
If the two zoning systems you checked indicate it's too cold or dry etc. for them there (you didn't state the pertinent details so it is impossible to comment on this aspect) then that is that. Short of building a giant greenhouse there is nothing you can do to make it work. And 5 redwoods will need a lot of space, even if planted close together (in a suitable climate area) as a grove or hedge.

Coast redwoods burned when it got down below 10 degrees F. in my part of USDA 8 so I don't know about lasting success in true USDA 7. One expert thinks the species is excluded from occurring in nature farther north than it does by competition from Western Hemlock but otherwise the coastal analog from Oregon to Alaska is Sitka Spruce. Other regionally prominent Californian trees such as California Myrtle and Tan Oak that do not occur wild up here but are able to produce large specimens in local cultivation are also scorched by sharper winters this far north.
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Thanks for getting the joke, gardengal. It was a pleasure to demonstrate that I can troll my own response better than anyone else can. Of course Sequoiadendron is much hardier. But the problem is it is also much more suspectible to disease caused by our muggy summer conditions. If you were to blend the Mason-Dixon line with the new USDA zn 6/zn 7 line, you would get an approximation of the east coast boundary between areas where Sequoia (coastal redwood) and Sequoiadendron could be grown on the east coast. Sequoia south of it, obviously, and Sequoiadendron north of it. Even north of the Mason-Dixon line, the several Sequoiadendron at zn 7 Planting Fields arboretum looked pretty bad. OTOH I'm pretty sure I saw one at a garden in Carlisle, PA, zn 6, that looked reasonably well. Nights there are probably a wee bit cooler, and I suspect you could grow them all the way down to Georgia on the highest mountain tops that stay in the 50s at night. Go too far north though, even zn 7 is still going to be too cold for Sequoias. One supposes that the Polly Hill arboretum, for example, has tried them and they aren't on the plant list for a reason. (still meaning to email them about strange tales of a monkey puzzle that dies back in some years yet persists)
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FWIW...and only because the thread was already bumped. My coast redwoods saw the lowest temps they've ever seen in my garden. They only had light mulch and no special protection. Low of 6F (-14.5C) last week w/snow before the brief thaw, then lows of 3F (-16.1 C) a couple nights ago in a severe advective freeze with incredible winds, and 8F last night. 8' 'Soquel', several years in ground (5 IIRC), fully established: absolutely no sign of damage 4' 'Swarthmore Hardy'/'Chapel Hill', 3 years in ground: very minor dieback of oldest needles 2' 'Swarthmore Hardy'/'Chapel Hill', 1.5 year in ground: somewhat more extensive needle injury, still 18" 'Atlanta', 1 year in ground (first winter): minor signs of injury on a handful of needles. Would appear to be at least as hardy as 'Chapel Hill' Yes I'm aware more damage could show up later; but from my general experience other than a few special plants (olives are notorious) if there isn't sign of damage in 24h and there isn't the likelihood of bark injury (there isn't) you should be ok. My most tender experimental BLEs are showing damage. BBoy the Azara I argued with you about has about 50% foliar death...whether the stems were killed to the degree that it will be killed off I don't know yet, probably won't be sure until spring. My Escallonia 'Appleblossom' has shown rather similar damage in past cold winters and comes roaring back in the spring, so we'll see.
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That's interesting Fotis. Certaintly, my climate is probably somewhat cooler on average than yours in winter: http://www.sercc.com/cgi-bin/sercc/cliMAIN.pl?de6410 and definitely moister year round, but maybe only slightly more so in winter. Or maybe not at all: there are places in Greece that are quite moist and similar in some respects to some interior valleys of coastal Northern California, albeit markedly moister and more humid in summer. Are you similar to this place? (sorry about our antiquated temp. scale and the need for conversion!) That's kind of like Ukiah, CA with slightly cooler winters and somewhat wetter summers. Still, redwoods should grow very well indeed there, and not show this type of damage seen on yours. Anyhow, we've been having mild winters but they still had some cold, windy periods. I've never seen such damage even on a smaller plant, in fact in 3 years outside I've never seen my 2 clones of redwood bothered at all. Summer or winter. They have also seen from about -12C to 37C. Maybe my loamy soils are more moisture retentive than yours? So it makes me think that the problem you are having is more with dryness than absolute cold. Maybe your soil is rocky and a fair amt. of the winter rains run off or quickly percolates through. Or even this: maybe because you are a winter wet climate, the plant really does want to start growing in winter. But then, it experiences cold spells and is damaged. Since we have year round rainfall and slightly cooler winters, they only try to grow in summer here? Just food for thought!
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davidrt28 (zone 7)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I saw Phoenix palms up to about 3500 ft. in AZ, so that's where I'm guessing the 8/9 border is. But yeah if it's too cold, it's too cold. Compounded by the fact they will need watering all winter or will desiccate. I can't believe Lowe's sells them in AZ. Talk about "non waterwise" landscaping choices...what else do they sell for Arizona? Rhododendron rex and Gunnera manicata?
Sara Malone (Zone 9b)
7 years ago
They don't even really want to be at my house, and I'm only 25 miles or so from the ocean. I just planted Cupressus arizonica here, replacing the Sequoia sempervirens that were planted decades ago. The trees are on an asphalt drive with no irrigation, and the Sequoia looked horrible. I think the Cupressus will feel right at home.
Embothrium
7 years ago
I think the Cupressus will feel right at home

Yes.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
I was gifted 5 coastal redwoods as a house warming gift from my neighbor.

==>>> i want neighbors like this ... lol ...

any chance he gave you the receipt from bigboxstore .... or in the alternative.. save the tags ... just in case they fail.. you might get something else next year ...

see link for planting guide.. though this MI boy know nothing about AZ .. or these plants ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Coastal Redwood "Soquel" in AZ

Sara Malone (Zone 9b)

Comments (7)

davidrt28 (zone 7)

Embothrium

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davidrt28 (zone 7)

Sara Malone (Zone 9b)

Embothrium

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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