coast redwood good for city life?

[queentye]

Bought a california coast redwood tree about 5 ft tall. I want to transplant it but would like to know if the roots are invasive. I live on a noisy main blvd. and am looking to create quick privacy....is this a good tree for that?

 

[Jay Banks]

I'm not familar with coast redwoods other than there <b> BIG </b>. If you have a small yard you may wish to rethink your choice.

Remember the right tree for the right location.

 

[queentye]

Well, my house sits in the middle of a 6500 sq. ft lot. do i need to worry about roots ruining my foundation? the thing is that i need quick privacy....i wanna hide away behind trees

 

[Jay Banks]

Instant privacy is a fence not a tree. You may wish to rethink your choice to select a few trees that will not out grow your yard.

Plus think about safety. Do you really want to hide from the street? Because so do burglars. I would be care not to cut off the view the police would have from their cars to your house.

Just some thoughts for you to consider.

 

[queentye]

actually, I have a 6 ft fence around the property already. For my own peace of mind, I need trees though. Since I am on a main Blvd in Oakland, Ca, I am constantly bombarded with Fire trucks, Police, Ambulances, buses and speeding drivers flying down the street. I am hoping that at least my immediate surroundings will look peaceful if they cannot sound peaceful. I don't like the idea, that people riding the bus can look into my home.

 

[sonny]

I think you will have to wait longer than you have to get some privacy. waiting for the redwood to grow.

 

[Newfie]

Or you could move to someplace off the beaten path. these kinds of places usually are devoid of human life and full of all kinds of trees and cute furry woodland critters. No need for fences and hedges,Just an alternative view.

 

[queentye]

oh boy....If i could afford to move...believe me, I would. Unfortunately that is not yet an option for me. any ideas on creating privacy and also helping with the noise polution????? Any and all suggestions are welcome. i read something about a "berm"...what is that?

 

[Jay Banks]

A berm is a small raised section of soil, say a foot or two in height by a foot or two wide that gently slopes off. They can be bigger on larger sites.

Then you plant along the top and sides. It gives a little more interest than just a flat planted area. Why not use arborvitae for your screen? What zone are you in again?

 

[queentye]

i think 8 or 9 (don't quote me on that). im in oakland, Ca

 

[Nickrosis]

http://www.ersys.com/usa/06/0653000/usda.htm

This site says you're in Zone 9a-10a. I'm having the hardest possible time getting a close-up of California's hardiness - anyone have one? Once I get home, I'll try again.

Nickrosis

 

[Shespen]

Definately do not plant a Coastal Redwood in your yard! They grow way too big and are extremely shallow rooted. In the forest they depend on the whole stand to remain upright. They shelter each other from the wind and interweave their individual root systems for mutual support. They have evolved this way and they do not do well as an individual tree. The bigger ones that I have seen around here constantly have a lot of broken branches and they look terrible. The needle drop in the fall can be immense also.

I would recommend in your situation that the best thing for you to do is to use vines to soften the harshness of your landscape against the fence. Get creative with wire as a support for the vines. Do not use English Ivy. In our city it is now classified as a noxious weed and you can't buy it or plant it anymore. Try Honeycycle or wisteria or ask your local dealers for recommendations. This will give you a quick fix and you will see the fruits of your labors in a couple of years or less.

There are no trees or plants that are going to reduce the noise level on your property. They just give the illusion that they do, but visual illusions are very important.

Do not use a plant with a hard structured leaf such as a conifer with the exception of maybe a Dawn Redwood. You want to think soft. Think of ferns and look for evergreen fast growing vines or plants that remind you of them.

Steve

 

[queentye]

I think we have similar ideas. I have wisteria, bouganvillia, honeysuckle and a bunch of ferns planted. my wisteria is in its 2nd year with no flowers yet, but it is covering the fence well. My ferns are not tall enough and they are close to the house. I have my house sits 20ft or so from the street so I want something closer to the street for cover. thanx

 

[treeclimber165]

A 20' front yard is nowhere big enough for a REDWOOD! You need something very small and manageable for that small of a space. How about a crepe myrtle or two? They can be pollarded (cut back) every year and produce a nice visual block as well as flowers.
The problem with a large species is that in a few years you will have nothing to block your view of the street except a trunk!

 

[DDM]

How about a few leeland Cypress? I dont know if they will grow in your zone but here they will grow 4-6' a yr.

 

[queentye]

At this point, i want anything that grows fast and can shield me from the riff raff in the neighborhood too. I can try them. what about cypress deadora? Saw a picture of em and I kind of like the look. Can u tell me anything bout em?

 

[Shespen]

Deodar cedars will grow well over 100' tall even in urban soils and they spread well beyond 20'. With as little space as you have available you are not going to be able to grow much of anything to maturity but don't let that stop you. Just accept the fact that after the tree gets to a certain size where it has overgrown its space you are going to have to remove it. You will be able to hedge most of the horizontal growth back if you consistantly do it every year making cuts on branches no bigger than a pencil and back far enough that it grows out to where your limit is. Plan on cycling your "crop" every ten years or so. If you have enough disipline to study pruning to learn how its done and to do the pruning faithfully and then to let go after you have put all that work into it you can plant just about any tree that fits your soil type. If not, then I'd recomend arborvitae and patients.

Steve

 

[queentye]

what exactly do you mean by over grow my space? Will the roots ruin my foundation? I am planting these trees about 20 ft or so from my house. I have a coupla colorado blue spruces also, but they are only a ft. tall now. I don't expect them to grow to their full potential, but on the other hand, I have an acacia tree that is about 75ft tall on the property now. I don't like all the yellow puff balls, sittin on my roof from it, so I thought I'd try the other trees. I think that the deodar cedar is popular in this city (Oakland). many residences seem to have them, and from what I can tell, they don't seem to look so raggedy like the redwoods.