# You plant a giant sequoia seed in the backyard in a crowded development. What happens?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 12, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396 "2015-06-12T23:45:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/1 "2015-06-12T23:45:23Z")
[Per this story below](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18433937&postcount=3) what would actually happen if you panted one of [these monsters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum)in the backyard of house in a tight suburban development? Would it eventually get to be 300 feet high if unmolested or would it fail to thrive ? How long would it take for it to dominate the neighborhood?
> [@](#):
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> #3 Report Post Old Today, 01:56 PM
> JcWoman JcWoman is offline
> Guest Join Date: Dec 2014
>
> I can sort of top that.
>
> Many years ago I got a California Sequoia (“giant redwood”) seedling from the CA state fair, and kept it in a pot. It survived, barely for several years but couldn’t grow much with it’s roots so constrained. When my boyfriend at the time bought a house, I planted it in his backyard. The funny bit was this was a very dense neighorhood where the houses were “zero lot line” homes, which meant that one side of your house was the “fence” for your neighbor’s back yard. One side of each house was exactly ON the lot boundary.) The back yards were also small, with no space between you and the house directly behind you (like an alley).
>
> Once my little tree realized that it no longer had a straightjacket on, it BOLTED to the sky. It grew 4 - 5 feet that first year and a little more than that again the following year. I broke up with him and moved away after that, but it amused me thinking about all those homes dwarfed under the shadow of this ginormous tree.
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### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/2 "2015-06-13T00:11:35Z")
It sounds like it’s root system would run in to issues before it ever got too big, [Cite](https://www.giant-sequoia.com/faqs/giant-sequoia-questions/) I’d guess she just transferred it to a bigger metahporical “pot” that will ultimately limit it’s growth the same as the literal pot did.
> [@](#):
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> What type of root system do sequoias have?
>
> ```
> The sequoias have a matting, shallow, and wide spreading root system. There is no taproot. They only root to 12 to 14 feet deep even at maturity. A mature sequoia's roots can occupy over 1 acre of earth and contain over 90,000 cubic feet of soil. That mass of matted roots and soil has to maintain the equilibrium of a tree that is nearly 300 feet tall and weighs nearly 2 million pounds.
>
> ```
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### Author:  [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/3 "2015-06-13T00:41:40Z")
**DinoR** nailed it in one.
A single sequoia doesn’t have much of a chance of maturing - the roots are like those of corn - they need a certain density so all the roots can inter-weave to provide a “foundation” for such a monster tree.
In the early-mid 80’s an ancient one fell in the park - the root ball was impressive.
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### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/4 "2015-06-13T01:50:24Z")
> [@usedtobe](#):
>
> **DinoR** nailed it in one.
I guess the trip in my youth where I saw giant trees paid off. I couldn’t have answered off the top of my head but I remembered just enough to prompt one search.
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### Author:  [@Final\_Legacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Final_Legacy)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/5 "2015-06-13T03:27:16Z")
it probably wouldnt grow. Plants need specific conditions to grow. A work site wold have produce many toxic chemicals which wold destroy the plants embbryo
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/6 "2015-06-13T03:45:35Z")
> [@Final\_Legacy](#):
>
> it probably wouldnt grow. Plants need specific conditions to grow. A work site wold have produce many toxic chemicals which wold destroy the plants embbryo
Also, what is the ambient environment? Sequoias and redwoods need lots of cool foggy weather to thrive.
There are redwood trees planted in some parks and such places around my area (northern San Joaquin Valley), where the weather is generally warm-to-hot and somewhat arid. In recent drought years, make that _very_ arid. Those trees are not exactly thriving well. They are medium-smallish and scrawny, and their upper reaches have sparse foliage.
Contrast with Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) area. This is flat land but just at the eastern edge of mountainous redwood territory, with generally cool and damp weather (at least before the drought). There are redwood trees all over the place, artificially planted, in the urban and suburban areas. My apartment building had a bunch, placed within just a few feet of the walls.
If those trees survive much longer (which I think is likely), they will certainly have to be cut down eventually.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/7 "2015-06-13T04:19:33Z")
Developer planted a dawn redwood (metasequoia) between our house and the neighbor’s ~40 years ago. Next week, we’re paying an arborist over $600 to expose and cut the roots that are undermining our foundation. With luck, it can use the other 2/3 of its root circumference.
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### Author:  [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/8 "2015-06-13T13:10:37Z")
Unless the location is extremely fertile, generally the nutrients would be in the top layers of soil. (Exceptions would be river deltas, places with high foliage cover and no chance that washes away, etc. ) Generally, it makes no sense for a root system to go too deep.
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### Author:  [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/9 "2015-06-13T13:21:25Z")
Hey, it’s cool that my story intrigued someone enough to spin off another discussion! 😃
This was in Modesto, California for those who are familiar with the area. The last time I saw my “little” tree, it was about 20-ish feet tall. I had the sense to plant it by the back fence, so it wasn’t close enough to anyone’s house to break up the foundation… at least for a while.
However, about ten years later I happened to be visiting and tried to drive over there and see if it was still there or had been cut down. The whole city has been changed so much that I got really lost and could only recognize little bits of various neighborhoods, but where I _thought_ the tree should have been (and I was expecting, if it was still there, to easily see a giant tree towering over the homes), I saw nothing but the usual little suburban trees. So likely it had been offed.
When I still lived there, though, it really blew my mind how fast that sucker grew once it was in the ground. Like corn, you could almost sit on the back porch and watch it grow.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/10 "2015-06-13T17:44:13Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> There are redwood trees planted in some parks and such places around my area (northern San Joaquin Valley), where the weather is generally warm-to-hot and somewhat arid. In recent drought years, make that _very_ arid. Those trees are not exactly thriving well. They are medium-smallish and scrawny, and their upper reaches have sparse foliage.
> [@JcWoman](#):
>
> This was in Modesto, California for those who are familiar with the area. The last time I saw my “little” tree, it was about 20-ish feet tall. I had the sense to plant it by the back fence, so it wasn’t close enough to anyone’s house to break up the foundation… at least for a while.
The redwood trees I had in mind, specifically, are in Jacob Myers Park nearby the Stanislaus River in Riverbank. They are definitely not happy trees there. There are other redwoods around town, but mostly they don’t look very healthy.
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### Author:  [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/11 "2015-06-13T19:50:04Z")
There’s a [redwood park](http://www.pyramidcenter.com/point-of-interest/redwood-park/) next to the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. They seem to be doing alright.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/12 "2015-06-13T20:10:06Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#):
>
> There’s a [redwood park](http://www.pyramidcenter.com/point-of-interest/redwood-park/) next to the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. They seem to be doing alright.
SF has the right environmental conditions for Redwoods. And note that it’s a grove, not a single tree. Redwoods prefer that type of growing condition.
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### Author:  [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/13 "2015-06-13T20:24:18Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> The redwood trees I had in mind, specifically, are in Jacob Myers Park nearby the Stanislaus River in Riverbank. They are definitely not happy trees there. There are other redwoods around town, but mostly they don’t look very healthy.
Oh, I wonder how long they’ve been there? I don’t remember them, but at this point I also don’t remember if I’ve ever been to that park. (I lived in Riverbank just before they expanded the town limit almost to the Modesto town line.)
I think the weather has also become hotter and dryer than when I lived there. Redwoods do like cooler, damper weather.
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### Author:  [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/14 "2015-06-13T20:34:27Z")
Oh, this is interesting. Take a look at this location in google maps, satellite and street view: 4023 E Orangeburg Ave, Modesto
I’m pretty sure this is the house, and that big evergreen tree is in the same spot where I planted the redwood. I can’t quite tell from the photo resolution if it is a redwood. If it is, it’s smaller than I’d expect about 20 years after planting. Although that does kind of back up what Senegoid’s been saying.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/15 "2015-06-13T20:51:35Z")
Sequoias can do fine in climates that are moderate enough, without severe cold. There are numerous ones [thriving](http://www.redwoodworld.co.uk/) in [Britain](http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356393740359/).
> [@susan](#):
>
> Developer planted a dawn redwood (metasequoia) between our house and the neighbor’s ~40 years ago. Next week, we’re paying an arborist over $600 to expose and cut the roots that are undermining our foundation. With luck, it can use the other 2/3 of its root circumference.
Dawn redwoods are eventually impressive conifers but are not the monsters that giant/coast sequoias can become. I planted several metasequoias in our yard that have grown to 40-50 feet in the last decade. They don’t mind that they’re not in China.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2015, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/16 "2015-06-14T10:17:34Z")
> [@JcWoman](#):
>
> Oh, this is interesting. Take a look at this location in google maps, satellite and street view: 4023 E Orangeburg Ave, Modesto
Note to self: Check it out next time I’m in Modesto. (I get there about twice a month these days, on no particular schedule.)
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2015, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/17 "2015-06-14T10:31:19Z")
> [@Final\_Legacy](#):
>
> it probably wouldnt grow. Plants need specific conditions to grow. A work site wold have produce many toxic chemicals which wold destroy the plants embbryo
If the ground is too toxic for plants, people shouldn’t be living there.
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### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/18 "2015-06-14T14:03:08Z")
> [@JcWoman](#):
>
> Oh, this is interesting. Take a look at this location in google maps, satellite and street view: 4023 E Orangeburg Ave, Modesto
>
> I’m pretty sure this is the house, and that big evergreen tree is in the same spot where I planted the redwood. I can’t quite tell from the photo resolution if it is a redwood. If it is, it’s smaller than I’d expect about 20 years after planting. Although that does kind of back up what Senegoid’s been saying.
Next to the Italian Cypresses? Like you say, it’s hard to tell, but that kind of looks like a spruce to me.
[Norway Spruce](http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/14/154814-004-963987C9.jpg)
Spruces are common landscape trees, and people sometimes wind up with a large spruce when they decide to plant a living “Christmas Tree” rather than dragging a tree into the house.
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### Author:  [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/19 "2015-06-14T15:08:06Z")
> [@JcWoman](#):
>
> This was in Modesto, California for those who are familiar with the area.
There was a Coastal Redwood on the campus of San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA, they were watering it about every day. It was just a baby when I attended, not even 100 foot tall.
The wind is a limiting factor in height. Normally Giant Sequoias grow in groves and they can protect each other. Just one 200 foot tree in the middle of the Central Valley would probably get knocked down. I have a half dozen Douglas Firs in my yard and they’ll not get much taller than 100 or 150 feet, although they can get to 300 feet in shelter groves. Between wind and lightning, they’ll not last sitting alone in the flatland.
The oldest of these types of trees are over 1,000 years old, and all it takes is one storm …
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### Author:  [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-plant-a-giant-sequoia-seed-in-the-backyard-in-a-crowded-development-what-happens/722396/20 "2015-06-14T18:35:24Z")
Next you’re going to tell me I can’t grow a giant beanstalk.
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