Coast Redwood care — light, water, toxicity and hardiness
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) wants full sun and a drink about every 5 days once established. It is hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9. It is safe to have around pets.
| scientific name | Sequoia sempervirens |
|---|---|
| family | Cupressaceae |
| category | tree |
| plant type | perennial |
| light | full sun |
| water cadence days | 5 |
| mature height cm | 6000 |
| min zone | 7 |
| max zone | 9 |
| frost tolerant | true |
| toxic to pets | false |
| toxic to humans | false |
| edible | false |
How often should I water Coast Redwood?
Fog-belt tree; thirsty; tallest living thing.
Who eats it
Palatable to browsing animals such as deer: low. Palatable to grazing animals: low. Palatable to people: no.
What it needs
Its shade tolerance is low. Its moisture use is medium. Its drought tolerance is low. It wants at least about 20 inches of rain a year. Above roughly 200 inches of annual rain it struggles. It tolerates soil down to pH 5.0. It tolerates soil up to pH 7.0. Its fertility requirement is low. Adapted to coarse, sandy soils: yes. Adapted to medium, loamy soils: yes. Adapted to fine, clay soils: no. It needs at least 180 frost-free days. Its tolerance of chalky soil is low. Its fire tolerance is low. Fire resistant: yes. It has been recorded down to 7°F. It suppresses neighbours chemically: no.
How it grows
It grows as a single stem form. Its growth rate is rapid. Its lifespan is long. It puts on most of its growth in spring and summer. It spreads by seed at a slow rate. It resprouts after damage: yes. Coppices: yes. At maturity it reaches about 250.0 feet. By twenty years it is about 60 feet. Its roots go down at least 40 inches. Its shape is erect. It holds its leaves through winter: yes.
What it looks like
It blooms in fall. The flowers are yellow. Conspicuous in flower: no. The foliage is green. The foliage texture is medium. In summer the canopy is dense in porosity. In winter it is dense in porosity. Fall colour: no. The fruit or seed is brown. Fruit begins in spring. Fruit finishes by fall. It fruits high. The fruit persists on the plant: yes. The fruit is conspicuous: yes.
Growing more of it
Propagated by seed: yes. Propagated by cuttings: yes. Propagated by container: yes. Propagated by bare root: yes. Propagated by bulb: no. Propagated by corm: no. Propagated by tubers: no. Cold stratification required: no. Seedling vigour is high. Commercial availability: routinely available.
Source: Drafted from US Cooperative Extension horticulture guidance; pending HUMAN-05 review (issue 280) · ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List · 2026-09-02