Pining For A Red Wood Tree? Read These Potential Perils First
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Redwood Tree.

Name any person who will not experience awe when faced with the towering majesty of a redwood tree, and chances are, that person is blind.

Indeed, redwoods are not really known for many things, but the one thing that has always been the anchor for their popularity is the fact that they could grow tall - very tall. Redwoods are often observed along roadsides in cross-country trips. Sometimes, during the wake of a violent storm, some of these trees obstruct the roads, causing traffic buildup on routes that do not even attract that many vehicles. Yes, redwoods are THAT big, and once they fall over, they're very difficult to get rid of.

And falling over is expected from most redwoods, the reason being their shallow roots which sometimes cannot support the sheer weight of the trees themselves. Hence, redwoods are often planted on hillsides, where the slope will give their roots a better grip on the soil.

This is the reason why a redwood tree is not really suitable for home landscape design.

Yet, a cursory search on the internet will reveal that quite a number of people are actually considering planting some redwood saplings on their backyard.

Would such a decision be prudent, you have to wonder?

It really depends on the size and the layout of the lawn. If interested people have a very spacious lawn, then transplanting some redwood saplings can actually work, provided that there is a large enough space between their location and any structure. This is a precautionary measure in the event that the redwood tree would fall over. Redwoods are heavy, and they will surely crush any building they would fall onto.

Given their shallow roots, redwoods are not really good options to prevent erosion. So if you have a cabin, for example, situated in the foot of a hill, planting redwoods on the hillside will not make the ground stronger. In fact, given the weight of the redwood tree and how little the depth its roots can plant themselves into, there is even a greater danger of erosion if you'd decide to place these trees by the hillside.

Redwoods, despite the magical mystery that has made them desirable options for many landscape artists, are not really practical choices. They are not for everyone. If you want to enjoy the beauty that these trees can provide, some requirements must be met. And as we've discussed, available space of a sizable area and a good layout are among them.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.