As a brand new member to this community (today) I am seeking some advice on my beautiful and necessary trees. I am not, by any means, a botanist or expert on plant life, just a property owner that enjoys his property and the beautiful area in which we live. Let's start with that. We live in Forest Ranch, Ca. (about 12 miles N.E. of Chico). We are at an altitude of 2013 feet. We are located on the very edge of the start of the Lassen and Plumas National Forests. Our property is made up of 1 large Black Oak (my baby), 1 Ponderosa Pine (my other baby), the only one in our neighborhood, and several scrub or Digger Pines (common to the area). We have lived here for 18 years, having moved North from Santa Barbara. About 10 years ago, 2 of our "Digger" pines, next to our house, were splitting and in danger of falling onto our house. A local Arborist suggested we take them out immediately as this is a common trait for them. He suggested we replace them (different, safer location) with a tree that was "bred for this location and altitude", the Aptos Blue Hybrid. We put in 7 of these that were about 5 feet or so tall. They are now, at varying heights, over 30 feet tall. My question, or questions, is this. After planting we were told to run drip lines to each tree and water each day during the hot season for a certain time. Having had to fight off numerous squirrel attacks to my exposed drip lines (all around our property), is it safe to say watering those trees with a drip line is a waste of water and money? Even though we have a lava cap quite a few feet underground, don't those trees now get irrigated by the natural process of rain and underground storage? Should we have to water or feed them at all? We love our trees, and want to do what's best for them, that's why we moved from the beach to the mountains (foothills). Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Digger pine is now considered objectionable with gray pine for instance being used instead. Digger referred to local native people in a way not considered complimentary. 'Aptos Blue' (no Hybrid in the name) is a coast redwood cultivar introduced by the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation ca. 1975. It would probably appreciate being watered in your area for an indefinite period of time, unless located near a stream - or you see other coast redwoods in the neighborhood making acceptable growth on similar sites. If you are up high enough there might be some possibility of frost damage to 'Aptos Blue' some years. Long-established coast redwoods in western WA were singed by the 1990 winter, because temperatures got into single digits F.
Thanks Ron, I'll have to check with the local aborist that sold and planted the trees for us, or find the label or invoice, but I thought for sure they were Aptos Blue Hybrid. He told us they were bred for this area and altitude (2000'). We get very little frost and only light snow once or twice a year, but it's never below freezing. If you go a couple of miles above us or a couple of miles below us, the weather pattern is altogether different. Since we have no stream in our immediate area, how much watering should be done? I currently have a drip system running to each tree, with 3 emitters that deliver 4-6 GPH. Our ponderosa pine in the front yard has no water to it and it's doing quite well. Sorry for the "digger" name. That's what everyone around here calls them. Thanks again, Ken
Other people have decided they don't like it being called digger pine, not being a member of the group that digger referred to it is not a hot button for me personally. Saratoga Horticultural Foundation was in the Bay Area, I believe. The history of the cultivar before they introduced it I don't know. If you don't see a bunch of redwoods growing around you there already and want to check the assumed potential look at the Sunset climate zone mapping (on the Sunset Publishing web site or in a copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book) and then see what zones they give for coast redwood in the Plant Encyclopedia section.
