shortbean
ArboristSite Lurker
Tree Selection; Replacement for Atlas Cedar
I live in the John Muir hometown of Martinez, Ca 94553 Zone 9b. My home backs up to a hillside with a 15 degree incline for 100 feet until the next set of houses is reached. The hillside is covered by grass and is host to 25-45 foot Atlas Cedars, 20-50 foot Black Pines (I think that is what my nursery guy told me.) Two peppers trees grow at bottom of hill one is 30 feet tall; the other was planted at the exact same time on a sharp incline in hardpan and is only 9 feet tall. Hard pan is VERY common in the area and VERY thick. The area gets decent winter water but very little late spring- summer- early fall water. Aptos Blue Redwoods do very well in the well-watered common areas but this area is not watered in summer and receives almost no natural water but for the occasional heavy fog.
I have planted two redwoods in this unwatered section along the road and drip lined them to give them time for roots to reach the well watered area. They are doing well so far but probably have not hit the hard pan yet as I made huge holes to start them out.
I want to plant trees on the hillside. The nursery did not have any atlas cedars and didn’t feel like paying $$$ to order it through them. I could go back to the Atlas Cedar but interested in other alternatives. The nursery guy said I should use Deordar cedar but I haven’t seen one get the rounded top that the tree books suggest they do. Guidelines…
1) I want a tree that after 5-10 years would not require the drip line on the dry hillside.
2) I prefer the rounded top like the Atlas Cedar so as to block the partial view of the one house I can see on top of the hill.
3) About 25-60 feet tall.
4) I would prefer a fast growing tree.
5) I need an evergreen.
6) I wish to preserve the mostly Tahoe feel and plant a conifer: cedar, pine, fir, or redwood.
And who is a good on-line or bay area tree supplier.
thx
shelly
I live in the John Muir hometown of Martinez, Ca 94553 Zone 9b. My home backs up to a hillside with a 15 degree incline for 100 feet until the next set of houses is reached. The hillside is covered by grass and is host to 25-45 foot Atlas Cedars, 20-50 foot Black Pines (I think that is what my nursery guy told me.) Two peppers trees grow at bottom of hill one is 30 feet tall; the other was planted at the exact same time on a sharp incline in hardpan and is only 9 feet tall. Hard pan is VERY common in the area and VERY thick. The area gets decent winter water but very little late spring- summer- early fall water. Aptos Blue Redwoods do very well in the well-watered common areas but this area is not watered in summer and receives almost no natural water but for the occasional heavy fog.
I have planted two redwoods in this unwatered section along the road and drip lined them to give them time for roots to reach the well watered area. They are doing well so far but probably have not hit the hard pan yet as I made huge holes to start them out.
I want to plant trees on the hillside. The nursery did not have any atlas cedars and didn’t feel like paying $$$ to order it through them. I could go back to the Atlas Cedar but interested in other alternatives. The nursery guy said I should use Deordar cedar but I haven’t seen one get the rounded top that the tree books suggest they do. Guidelines…
1) I want a tree that after 5-10 years would not require the drip line on the dry hillside.
2) I prefer the rounded top like the Atlas Cedar so as to block the partial view of the one house I can see on top of the hill.
3) About 25-60 feet tall.
4) I would prefer a fast growing tree.
5) I need an evergreen.
6) I wish to preserve the mostly Tahoe feel and plant a conifer: cedar, pine, fir, or redwood.
And who is a good on-line or bay area tree supplier.
thx
shelly
