Sequoia Evergreen. How metasequoia reproduces - tips from Greensad

An amazing, unusual, to some extent even a fabulous tree of the Cypress family. Sequoia is a real giant flora and is recognized as the largest living organism on planet Earth.

It is one of three species of trees that are known as common name"mahogany". The sequoia is an evergreen, monoecious tree that lives up to 2000 years and is considered the tallest and largest tree in the world, reaching a height of 112 m and a thickness of 7 m at the base. The name is given in honor of the Cherokee Indian chief Sequoyah, but this is not known for sure.

The crown is conical, the branches grow horizontally or with a slight downward slope. The bark is very thick, up to 30 cm thick, and relatively soft, fibrous, red-brown color immediately after its removal (hence the name “mahogany”), it darkens over time. The root system consists of shallow, widely spreading lateral roots. The leaves are 15-25 mm long, elongated and flat on young trees, with arrows in the shady lower crown of old trees, and scale-like at the top of the crowns of old trees. Sequoia wood does not burn, does not rot, and is not damaged by insects.

Grows in California, on a strip approximately 750 km long and 8-75 km wide along the coast Pacific Ocean. Average heights are 30-750 m above sea level, sometimes they grow near the coast, sometimes they climb to a height of up to 920 m. Sequoia loves the humidity that sea air brings with it. The highest and oldest trees grow in gorges and deep ravines, where all year round streams can reach humid air and where fogs occur regularly. Trees growing above the fog layer, above 700 m, are shorter and smaller due to drier, windier and cooler growing conditions.

Sequoia has the amazing ability to adapt to different environments habitat. During seed propagation, plants adapt to external factors range and can grow safely under open air in temperate and warm climates, because minimum temperature up to -8ºС.

In indoor culture it is grown in bonsai style.

The bravest bonsai lovers have harnessed this giant and are successfully growing miniature Sequoia. Sequoia bonsai is one of the rarest and most valuable specimens.

Soak the seeds overnight in warm water with the addition of stimulants to accelerate germination (NV-101, Ribav-Extra, Epin, Zircon, etc.). Sow in nutritious soil with the addition of river sand (3:1) at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other, after moistening the substrate. The seeds are buried 0.7-1 cm, covered with film and allowed to germinate in diffused light at room temperature; constant humidity must be controlled. Shoots appear from 2 months to 2 years, be patient.

Care and maintenance at home:

The temperature is moderate, cool in winter - at least 0°C, optimal wintering is at +8-10°C. From the end of May to the end of August, it is better to keep Sequoia on fresh air, shaded during the midday hours and protected from drafts. Hot air from central heating radiators is destructive for Sequoia.

Sequoia needs bright diffused light, shading from direct sun rays, especially in summer. In winter, the plant needs a bright room. If in summer it is not permissible to keep Sequoia on an open windowsill (except for northern windows), then in winter you will have to move the cypress as close to the light as possible, even to the southern window, but only until it is hot spring sun. With a lack of light, Sequoia stretches out and loses its shape; on the contrary, with too much light, the leaves turn yellow and crumble.

Watering abundantly from spring to autumn. Moderate in winter. Sequoia does not tolerate excess water and does not tolerate drying out of the soil. More precisely, drying out the earthen coma is simply destructive for the conifer. Watering in winter depends on the room temperature, for example, when kept at a temperature of +8°C, watering will be approximately once every 10 days, and at a temperature of +12-14°C once every 5-7 days.

Regular spraying in spring and summer. If in winter it is not possible to provide Sequoia with a cool room, then it must also be sprayed warm water morning and evening.

Transplantation annually in spring, in April - May. Sequoia does not tolerate injury to the root system very well, so complete replanting with replacement of soil is only necessary, but usually transshipment is used, with partial replacement of the top layer of soil. Simply put, potted plants are replaced only with soil that is easily separated from the roots itself if the conifer is removed from the pot. Soil for Sequoia - 1 part turf soil, 2 parts leaf soil, 1 part peat soil, 1 part sand. As an option, purchased soil “For conifers and bonsai” is suitable. Sequoia loves loose soil; when replanting, make sure that the root collar is not buried in the ground, otherwise the plant may die. Good drainage is a must.

The greatest delight among tree lovers are giant sequoias (sequoiadendron) and metasequoias. A very obvious consequence of this delight is the desire to grow such a tree at home. Further, the seeds that are bought are by no means the cheapest and, upon receiving them, a logical bewilderment follows: “How can I grow a hundred-meter tree from these tiny seeds?!!”

Well, it's quite possible.

Below is suggested step by step instructions on growing huge trees from far from the largest seeds.

We take the seeds (in this case, metasequoia in the photo), soak them for 2 days in settled water room temperature.
We change the water at least 1-2 times a day

After two days, we fish the seeds out of the water and shake them out. paper towel and dry a little so that they don’t stick together when sowing

Next, take a box, fill it with soil (mix it yourself or buy it for conifers 1:1 with universal soil). We water the soil.
We distribute the seeds evenly over the surface. Water again (with a sprinkler!).

If you are going to plant plants almost immediately, you can sow thickly, as in the photo.
In any other case, sow less often 4-5 times.

You can sprinkle a little earth on top, but in a very thin layer - metasequoias do not like being buried deep in the ground.
Layer just a couple of millimeters so that with watering the seeds will appear on the surface again.
Afterwards, water it from a spray bottle.

Cover the box with polyethylene. Water from a sprinkler 1-3 times a day, and ventilate the same amount.
Polyethylene is removed with the appearance of the first shoots. Be sure to monitor the optimal soil moisture!
After the first shoots appear, you need to water so that top layer the soil had time to dry out a little - metasequoias do not need a swamp!
In case of overflow - “black leg”, everyone died.
Maintaining this optimal balance is a guarantee of obtaining metesequoia seedlings

After 10 days, metasequoias/sequoiadendrons begin to sprout.

The germination rate of sequoia is low; in the best case, 15-25% of the seeds will germinate. The first shoots may appear after 2 days, or maybe after 2 months.

In the photo: metasequoias 2 weeks old, below with a red stem - sequoiadendron.

Metasequoias are a month old. You can now seat them!

If you don’t plant it, it will turn out like this (4-5 months)

Metasequoia, 2 years old (went 3rd)

Mature metasequoias by the lake

What not to do:
- sow like carrots in rows to a depth of 0.5 cm or more, they simply will not sprout or only 1-2 will sprout;
- scald the seeds hot water. Also, they don’t need stratification at all, don’t complicate things;
- water like indoor violets and keep the seeds/seedlings in a swamp. Yes, adult metasequoias grow quietly near ponds and they like it, but the seeds do not;
- dry the top layer of soil to a depth of more than 0.3-0.5 cm (if these are seeds) and to a depth of more than 1-1.5 cm (seedlings);
- water additionally if you see that the seedlings are falling en masse or withering in wet soil - they do not dry out, this is a “black leg” and with additional watering you only aggravate the situation.

In general, if you maintain the optimal balance between overdrying and waterlogging the soil, everything is simple! Seedlings that survive up to 2 months are practically indestructible, and 95% of seedlings survive to this age if you follow the recommendations listed above.

Good luck to everyone who sows the Forest!

Growing sequoia at home is not an easy task, but extremely interesting. When taking on it, you should understand that the development cycle of this plant is enormous compared to the duration of human life.

Only your great-grandchildren are likely to witness the giant sequoia's adolescence. At the same time, it is very pleasant to realize that the tree you grow will amaze those around you with its unusual appearance at least another 2 thousand years.

Where does sequoia grow?

The natural range of sequoia (lat. Sequoia) is a narrow strip 8 to 75 km wide, which stretches along the Pacific coast of the United States from California to Oregon. This limited range is explained by the dependence of this plant on dense fogs and seasonal rains. For the same reason, sequoias never rise above 750 m above sea level.

There is a direct relationship between the growth of a tree and its location.

The most tall trees grow in foggy depressions, the lowest on rocky slopes. All this should be taken into account when choosing a place to plant your tree.

Preparing seeds for sowing

If you decide to grow sequoia, the first thing you need to do is find seeds. If you live close to their range, you can simply collect seeds from the nearest grove, giving preference to the tallest and oldest trees. In all other cases, you will have to order seeds online.

The best seed is harvested from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. They are specially collected from parent trees several thousand years old.

The chance of getting a strong, full-fledged sequoia from such seeds is much higher than from seeds from nurseries in Germany and Britain.

It was brought to the botanical gardens of these countries a little over 100 years ago, and these trees are still too young to produce strong seeds. To grow sequoia from cuttings, it is much better to order seedlings from a European nursery, since a long journey from America can harm them.

The first step is to prepare sequoia seeds for planting. It's better to do this early spring so that by the onset of next winter the small plants have time to get stronger. To begin with, it is useful for the seeds to “overwinter” in the refrigerator for about a week. However, you shouldn’t put them in the freezer; a temperature of about 6°C is enough. Then you need to give them a “thaw” by soaking them in melt water at room temperature for a couple of days.

Planting seeds

It is necessary to plant seeds in sandy-clayey, well-moistened soil, sprinkled with 1-2 mm of soil, and it is important that they get sunlight. At this time they can be covered cling film or a transparent cap.

The crops need to be ventilated and sprayed a couple of times a day. It is very important to keep the soil moist, but not wet, since sprouts often die from waterlogging. To avoid this, they should be sprayed with a spray bottle rather than watered with a watering can. The germination rate of sequoia is low; in the best case, 15-25% of the seeds will germinate. The first shoots may appear after 2 days, or maybe after 2 months.

Sprout care

As soon as sprouts appear, the film or cap must be removed immediately. Without free air circulation, they quickly die. A couple of days after pipping, the sprout sheds the dry skin of the seeds. If he has difficulty with this, you can gently help him.

Young sprouts love the sun, but they should be shaded from direct sunlight. Small sequoias should not be kept close to heating devices. Dry air is harmful to them.

5 months after planting, you will already have a miniature Christmas tree. Sequoia under the age of 3 years are recommended to be kept in a pot and watered regularly. Dry periods are stressful for her, as a result of which her growth slows down significantly.

Biennial plants can be kept in the yard in warm weather. The tree should be brought indoors for the winter. Since spring, it can be left outside in a well-lit but not too hot place. A plant 1-1.5 m high can already be planted in open ground. In European climatic conditions Sequoia can withstand frosts down to -18°C.

You can grow others at home conifers, For example, .

Sequoia is a hero tree, one of the tallest and most ancient trees on our planet. Its size is shocking and changes the idea of ​​the trees we are used to in doll cities. This feeling of being tiny will not leave you yet for a long time. It clearly does not fit into the frame of perception modern man, which are usually equivalent to the size of a telephone - the eyes move apart different sides, wanting to embrace 111 meters of wildlife with a single glance and not go crazy.

The ability to see the world as a whole without tearing it into frames was probably the most common thing for people who once lived among such giants.

Where does the name come from?

Only one tree was awarded the name of the people's leader. This is what the Iroquois Indian tribe did in North America: wanting to perpetuate the memory of their outstanding leader Sequo, they assigned his name to one of the most unusual and majestic trees. It was he, Sekwu, who invented Indian writing, led the liberation struggle of the Iroquois against foreign enslavers, and was the first popular educator.

However, numerous attempts have been made to rename the sequoia. So, immediately after the discovery of sequoia by Europeans, they named it California pine, and later called it a mammoth tree (for the similarity of old drooping branches with mammoth tusks). Some time passed, and the English botanist Lindley, who first scientifically described this tree, gave it a new name - Wellingtonia in honor of the English commander Wellington, who distinguished himself in the battle with Napoleon’s troops at Waterloo. The Americans decided not to be left behind and hastened to christen the sequoia Washingtonia, in memory of their first president George Washington.

How long does a tree live?

Numerous studies show that its age can reach 6000 years: this is more than all ancient, middle and new story humanity. Some redwoods are many centuries older than the Egyptian pyramids.

Where does Sequoia grow?

Experts from many countries claim that in distant geological periods, sequoias grew all over the earth.

Now the oldest giant sequoia grows in the United States along the Pacific coast on a strip about 750 km long and 8 to 75 km wide from California to southwestern Oregon. Sequoia is also grown in the Canadian province of British Columbia, in the southeastern United States from eastern Texas to Maryland, Hawaii, New Zealand, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and Mexico. Average heights are 30-750 m above sea level, sometimes trees grow close to the shore, sometimes they climb to a height of up to 920 m. Sequoia loves the humidity that sea air brings with it. The tallest and oldest trees grow in gorges and deep ravines, where streams of moist air can reach all year round and where fogs regularly occur. Trees growing above the fog layer (above 700 m) are shorter and smaller due to drier, windier and cooler growing conditions.

Russian sequoia

The efforts of our scientists to acclimatize sequoia did not immediately yield encouraging results. Only after many years of experiments did it begin to grow in the parks of Crimea, the Caucasus, and the south Central Asia and in Transcarpathia. It has been established that in our conditions it can tolerate frosts of no more than 18-20 degrees.

The seeds obtained from our sequoias germinated poorly, and only after the use of artificial pollination, proposed by the Soviet Michurins, was it possible to increase their germination to 50 - 60%. Vegetative propagation of sequoias is also well mastered: by cuttings or grafting.

The pioneers of the acclimatization of giant trees in our country were botanists from the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Sequoia has been grown here since 1850. It is in the Nikitsky Garden that the oldest specimen of giant sequoia in Europe is located, and in many parks of the Southern Crimea and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus it has now become an almost obligatory tree. The height of its individual specimens (in the park of the village of Frunzenskoye, in Crimea, in Batumi botanical garden on Cape Verde and other places) exceeds 50 meters.

Why do scientists love sequoia?

The longevity of the sequoia is put at the service of science. With the help of these ancient inhabitants, scientists were able to look into the depths of thousands of years. Thanks to the growth rings on the cross sections of huge trunks, researchers obtained completely reliable data on the climate of bygone times. After all, sequoias, reacting to weather changes, regularly and according to the amount of precipitation each year grew thicker, then thinner layers of wood, or tree rings. Scientists have examined the trunks of over 450 of these giants. These materials made it possible to trace the weather for more than 2000 years. As a result, it became known, for example, that 2000, 900 and 600 years ago there were periods very rich in precipitation, and periods 1200 and 1400 years distant from us were characterized by extremely long and severe droughts.

American scientists, with the help of sequoias, also learned the weather of a more recent time. Thus, it was possible to establish that the years 1900 and 1934 were marked by the most severe droughts in the last 1200 years for the North American continent.

Not afraid of fires

The bark of an adult sequoia is about half a meter thick and absorbs water like a sponge. Thanks to this structure, these trees are not at all afraid of fires, which coniferous forests It’s not uncommon for young trees with thin bark to die; old trees have not been destroyed by fire, and this is after thousands of years of constant attempts.

Lightning's Favorite

Sequoia pays a high price for its greatness. Proudly towering above the other trees, it attracts lightning like a magnetized rod. Despite the deadly blows, many trees manage to survive by shedding their scorched branches.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryotes
Kingdom: Plants
Department: Conifers
Class: Conifers (Pinopsida Burnett, 1835)
Order: Pine
Family: Cypressaceae
Subfamily: Sequoiaceae
Genus: Sequoia
International scientific name
Sequoia Endl. (1847), nom. cons.
Child taxa
Sequoia evergreen
Sequoia sempervirens(D. Don) Endl.
Security status
VU from English. Vulnerable species - vulnerable species. Security status assigned biological species that are at risk of becoming extinct

Botanical description

Sequoia is an evergreen monoecious tree.

In monoecious plants, female and male flowers (in the broad sense - male and female generative organs) are located on the same individual (“in the same house”). Monoecy is more common in wind-pollinated plants. Monoecious plants include: watermelon, birch, beech, walnut, oak, corn, hazel, cucumber, alder, pumpkin and other cucurbits, breadfruit. When understanding monoecy in a broad sense, monoecious plants also include spruce, pine, as well as many mosses and algae.

The crown is conical in shape, the branches grow horizontally or with a slight downward slope. The bark is very thick, up to 30 cm thick, and relatively soft, fibrous, red-brown in color immediately after it is removed (hence the name “mahogany”), and darkens over time. The root system consists of shallow, widely spreading lateral roots. The leaves of young trees are elongated and flat, 15-25 mm long, in the upper part of the crown of old trees they are scale-like, 5 to 10 mm long.

The very thick (compared to other tree species) sequoia bark, which, like a sponge, absorbs water well, is also useful for its qualities. Thanks to this structure of the bark, these trees are not at all afraid of fires.

Cones are ovoid, 15-32 mm long, with 15-25 spirally twisted scales; pollination occurs at the end of winter, maturation occurs after 8-9 months. Each cone contains 3-7 seeds, each of which is 3-4 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. The seeds spill out when the cone dries and opens.

The sequoia genome (at 31,500 megabases) is one of the largest among conifers, and it is the only hexaploid known to date among gymnosperms.

How to grow Sequoia at home

Initially, sequoia did not grow in our climate, but thanks to the efforts of landscapers and dendrologists, species resistant to cool climates appeared. It is better to find the place where these trees grow closest to you. Having received sequoia seeds, they should be prepared for planting. It is better to do this in early spring, so that by the onset of next winter the small sequoias have time to get stronger. To begin with, the seeds should be “overwintered” in the refrigerator for about a week. At the same time, you shouldn’t put them in the freezer; a temperature of about +6 C is enough. Then you need to give them a “thaw” by soaking them in melt water at room temperature for a couple of days. Seeds should be planted in sandy-clayey, well-moistened soil, sprinkled with 1-2 mm of soil, and it is important that the seeds receive sunlight. At this time, they can be covered with cling film or a transparent cap.

The crops need to be ventilated and sprayed a couple of times a day. It is very important to keep the soil moist, but not wet, since sprouts often die from waterlogging. To avoid this, sprouts should be sprayed with a spray bottle rather than watered with a watering can. The germination rate of sequoias is low; in the best case, 15-25% of the seeds will germinate. The first shoots may appear after 2 days, or maybe after 2 months.

As soon as sprouts appear, the film or cap must be removed immediately. Without free air circulation, the sprouts quickly die. A couple of days after pipping, the sprout sheds the dry skin of the seed. If he has difficulty with this, you can gently help him. Young sprouts love the sun, but they should be shaded from direct sunlight. Small sequoias should not be kept close to heating appliances. Dry air is harmful to them. In 5 months you will already have a miniature Christmas tree. Sequoia under 3 years of age should be kept in a pot and watered regularly. Dry periods are stressful for sequoia, as a result of which it greatly slows down its growth. Biennial plants can be kept outside in warm weather. The tree should be brought indoors for the winter. From spring it can be kept outside in a well-lit place. A tree 1-1.5 m high can already be planted in open ground. In European climatic conditions, sequoia can withstand frosts down to -18 C.

Loggers hunt sequoia

Because of its reddish, carmine-soaked wood, sequoia is sometimes also called mahogany. Its wood is valued not only because of its original color, but also because of its unusual physical properties: it is light, like aspen, and porous, like paulownia, it perfectly resists rotting in soil and water, and can easily be processed in any way.

Facts

The most tall sequoia, named Hyperion, was discovered in the summer of 2006 by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in Redwood National Park north of San Francisco. The height of the tree is 115.61 meters. Researchers said woodpecker damage to the tree at the top prevented the sequoia from reaching a height of 115.8 meters (380 feet).

15 currently growing trees have a height of more than 110 m, and 47 trees have a height of more than 105 m.
Some claim that the height of the sequoia tree felled in 1912 was 115.8 m.
The second place in height after sequoia is occupied by Douglassia (Pseudotsuga Menzies). Menzies's tallest living pseudohemlock, 'Doerner Fir' (formerly known as 'Brummit fir') is 99.4 m tall.

In 2004, a study by Northern Arizona University was published in the journal Nature, according to which the maximum theoretical height of a sequoia (or any other tree) is limited to 122-130 meters due to gravity and friction between water and the pores of the wood through which it oozes.
The most voluminous tree among redwoods is Titan Del Norte. The volume of this sequoia is estimated at 1044.7 m³, height - 93.57 m, and diameter - 7.22 m. Among all Of the trees growing on Earth, only 15 giant sequoias (sequoiadendrons) are more massive than him. Sequoias (English: giant sequoia) are somewhat shorter, but they have a thicker trunk than sequoias. Thus, the volume of the largest specimen of the General Sherman sequoiadendron is 1487 m³.

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park - national park in the USA, located in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada, east of the city of Visalia in California. The park was founded in 1890, the third after national parks Yellowstone (from 1872) and Mackinac (1875-1895). The area of ​​the park is 1635 km². The park has mountainous terrain, rising from an altitude of about 400 meters above sea level in the foothills to the highest point in the contiguous 48 states - the summit of Mount Whitney (4421.1 m). The park borders Kings Canyon National Park; Since 1943, both parks have been managed by the US National Park Service as a single unit - national parks Sequoia and Kings Canyon.

The park is best known for its giant sequoias, including a specimen called General Sherman, the largest tree by wood volume on Earth. In 2009, the volume of wood from this tree was just under 1,500 cubic meters. General Sherman grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five of the ten largest trees by timber volume in the world. The giant forest is connected by the Generals Highway to Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, where, among other redwoods, the General Grant tree grows - the second largest tree in the world.
Other attractions include Moro Rock, which can be climbed using a staircase specially built in the 1930s to view the surrounding area from a height of 75 meters above the ground.

I just want to draw a couple of dinosaurs here.

How Sequoia was photographed

1. Application
2. Characteristics of wood
3. Varieties used

Sequoiaceae occupy the cypress family special place, including several real births unique trees, the only representatives of which are Sequoia sempervirens - evergreen or red sequoia (Redwood) and Sequoiadendron - giant sequoiadendron.

Gigantic pine trees, as sequoias are also called, in ancient times they were distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere; today in our country several specimens of trees are planted in parks Black Sea coast, they are also grown in greenhouses or botanical gardens. But the only place where it was preserved natural habitat their habitat is a relatively small area of ​​the Pacific coast North America: Redwood National Park and Muir Forest Preserve in California, approximately 800 km long and about 80 km wide, a small part of eastern Texas and Maryland, east coast Canada.

Description of the species

There has been much debate about the origin of the name “sequoia”, given to it by the Austrian biologist Stefan Endliger. Opinions have been expressed that this is an empty set of sounds, a designation of the sequential order of the location of seeds in cones, and, finally, the name of the famous leader of the Cherokee tribe. The last option is considered the most likely.

These trees prefer moist maritime climate, which is explained by their concentration on the ocean. They are not called giants for nothing - the height of sequoia is rarely below 60 m, but taller specimens are more common - up to 100–115 m. The width of the trunks corresponds gigantic size- the giants reach 18 m in diameter, and 6-meter trees are quite an average scale for a sequoia. At the same time, certain species differences can be traced: the giant sequoiadendron is lower - about 70–90 m, but it has a thicker trunk, reaching up to 37 m in girth, while the “thin-trunked” 6-meter evergreen sequoia, or redwood, grows to 100 m and above. The weight of one plant exceeds 1000 kg. People look like Lilliputians against the backdrop of these heroic trees.

The genus Metasequoia glyptostroboides is a glyptostroboid metasequoia growing in China, an evergreen coniferous tree. It is also part of the subfamily, but does not have cyclopean dimensions, being a rather medium-sized tree that belongs to an endangered species.

The size of the plants is impressive, but their age is amazing: to rise to the height of a skyscraper and grow as thick as a house, giant pines sometimes take more than 1000 years. Some unique individuals live longer - up to 2000 and 3500 years. But this is not the limit: there is information about trees 6000 years old. Scientists determine these relics by the layers of wood weather conditions- amount of precipitation, ambient air temperature in the area - hundreds of years ago.

“General Sherman”, “Hyperion”, “Stratospheric Giant” and other, the most famous specimens of sequoia, are unique natural monuments, which thousands of tourists come to admire in the Californian national parks of the USA. Driving along the highway laid through the groves of giants can be considered a real journey through the fairy-tale world of grandiose giants. Along the way there are tunnels for cars, made in fallen trees, huge stumps, on the surface of which it is possible to place an entire parking lot, set up a dance floor or an open-air cafe.

Sequoias are monoecious trees, most of them straight-trunked. Their bark is extremely thick and soft, from 30 to 80 cm in width, and peels off quite easily. In young plants it has a bright red color, for which they are often called American redwood. In old-timers, the shade of the bark becomes darker. Loose, like a sponge, it is capable of accumulating a lot of moisture necessary for growth and serves as protection for the trunk from unfavorable conditions. external conditions and even forest fires. The root system is widely branched and located relatively shallow. Sequoia branches grow horizontally in relation to the trunk; in sequoiedendrons they often hang down like mammoth tusks, for which they are nicknamed mammoth trees. The crowns are very dense, pyramidal in shape, the needles are 10 to 20 mm long, scaly, flat. The cones are round, 3–3.5 cm in size, and consist of spirally twisted scales. Sequoia seeds are small - up to 3–4 mm, ripen in October, and there are from 3 to 7 of them in one cone.

Pests do not damage giant pines - like all conifers, sequoias contain many phytoncides that are destructive to insects and pathogens.

An important property of trees is the ability to quickly recover from mechanical damage - even removing the bark does not become an obstacle to further growth, and new young growth quickly rises in place of completely felled specimens.

Sequoias are relatively frost-resistant, able to withstand cold temperatures down to -20°C, which makes it possible to plant them in the southern and temperate regions of Russia. It propagates not only by seeds, but also by cuttings, as well as by grafting, making it possible to develop new, including decorative varieties of various sizes, shapes and colors, perfect for landscaping.

Characteristics of wood

The wood of evergreen sequoia and giant sequoia dendron is recognized in the world as one of the best coniferous species. It is similar in quality to spruce, but with greater resistance to fungal attack.

California redwood, as the sequoia is called, has earned considerable popularity. It grows 10 times faster than birch, and the mass of one log can reach 2500 kg. Sequoia is a soft wood type. The sapwood is thin, light creamy in color, looser than the central part. The heartwood is of great value, it is light cherry, carmine or light brown in color with uniform pith rays and vertical rows of resin cells. It has a pronounced contrasting pattern formed by darker growth rings. Young layers are less dense compared to older ones. The fibers of the lumber are straight, and there are almost no curls.

During the pre-processing process, freshly cut material practically does not crack or warp; shrinkage due to the lack of internal stress in sequoia is insignificant, despite the high natural humidity. Dry wood has density about 450 kg/cu.m. m, durable, well resistant to compression and twisting, quite lightweight, resistant to mold, insect damage, and rotting. Its service life is more than 40 years, in contact with soil - about 25.

Varieties used

The most the best variety the so-called pure sound wood, free from knots and other defects, uniform in density, with an impeccable texture and regular geometric pattern, is recognized. It is dried naturally and is not exposed to high temperatures. This material is used exclusively for the production of top-class products and finishing.

The following types of wood are considered to be of lower quality, but quite practical and durable: simply pure and sound wood. They are capable of undergoing pre-drying in ovens, including small quantity sapwood, contain knots and other defects. These types are used for the manufacture of various outdoor structures, supporting structures, flooring of terraces, installation of fences.

In addition, there is a gradation within the less valuable varieties:

• construction (deck) sound - includes fragments with a large number knots, intended for beams, decking, installation of supports;
• ordinary construction - a mixture of sapwood and core, used for various ground structures: gazebos, verandas, flooring, fences;
• commercial soundwood is a type of pure, but cheaper wood, the composition includes various defects: cracks, knots, processing defects. It is used for outdoor work, where decorative qualities are not important, but high strength and resistance to adverse factors are required;
• commercial - the lowest grade, which requires the presence of sapwood, is used only for external work: building fences, formwork of supporting walls.

Sequoia easily lends itself to any type of processing: sawing, grinding, cutting with mechanical and hand tools. Holds screws, nails and staples well, can be etched with stains, sanded and polished, glued and painted.

Application

High performance and beautiful appearance allow you to use this wood anywhere: for exterior and interior work, in construction, furniture, turning industry, for the manufacture of facing and decorative cladding. At home, it is used to make poles and sleepers, various supporting parts, street benches, stairs, finishing panels, window frames, jambs, doors, interior lining of trailers, carriages, yacht cabins, wooden tiles, and paper.

Sequoia has no odor, so it can come into contact with food products, and in addition, it is excellent for making cigar cases and boxes, barrels for storing honey, and boxes for spices.

Fire walls and exits have been made from redwood trees historically due to the wood's high resistance to fire.