Q. I would like to purchase a Metrosideros excelsa ( Pohutukawa) Tree and would like to know if it can survive Las Vegas hot climate.
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| Picture of Pohutukawa tree sent to me by reader. |
A. Well you have me on this one. This is the first question
I have ever had on this tree. I had heard of it but never had read anything
much about it and of course have no experience with it. So, all I can do is
what I have done which is read as much as I could find out about this tree and
how it has handled similar climates.
Maybe if there are any Kiwis reading this post from down under they can respond. But keep in mind the Las Vegas climate is DESERT, with summer temperatures reaching over 45C (115F+) very low humidity and soils that I would describe as "moon dirt", structureless, high in salinity (but manageable most of the time) and winter lows of -8C ( below 20F for brief periods of time in the morning hours).
First, there are no postings I could find
from anyone in a desert climate trying this tree. We do know that it will
handle temperatures down to about 20F ish…, it can be found growing naturally
on very rocky soils in New Zealand, usually close to the ocean. So in the US it
has been grown successfully along the California coast, mostly in northern
California and up into the Pacific Northwest. So know this about the tree and
some other things stuck in my head from my reading I would say the following.
It is worth a try provided you can plant it in a place out
of dry, desert wind, a bit protected from cold such as closer to town and
really improve the soil at planting time. What I would expect from this tree
would be that it will have some problems. Namely, it will probably never look
as good as it does in coastal climates. The leaves will probably have a
tendency to scorch and damaged by wind. It may also tend to get yellow due to a
lack of available iron so I would be giving it an iron fertilizer annually. It
will not like a desert landscape so if it can be planted in a lawn you will be
better off. Expect it to dieback during some winters with very low temperatures.
The degree of dieback will depend on the part of the valley you live and how
well it is protected from winter cold and winter winds. Expect with these
diebacks that it will tend to want to be more shrubby than tree-like. It can be
easily started from seed.
That is my best shot at it.
Bob, just a comment on Pohutukawa. In Southern California it only does well under coastal conditions. It may take the heat and cold but does not do well under those conditions. I would not recommend it for Las Vegas.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays, Tom Spellman, Dave Wilson Nursery