10/10/25 – Looks like the tree might just survive the transplant. It just goes to show how resilient this thing is. The rootball was completely destroyed, the root mass looked like it had just been taken out of a 3 gallon container! Only the root mass at the very top of the 15 gallon container was left, but It looks like it was enough. We had very mild weather which I’m thinking helped very much. I also sprayed the tree with water a couple times a day.
9/28/25 – I listened to the advice of my wife and Reddit and decided to move the tree that I planted way too close to the existing Toyon. I’m not sure the tree is going to survive the transplant because I destroyed the root ball digging it up. If it survives the transplant then this tree is a fighter! The good news is we have 10 days of overcast / mild days, so fingers crossed that I get lucky.
I stuck a Channel Islands Bush Poppy in the hole where the Ironwood used to be. It can fill the space until the other tress crowd it out. The tree poppy will also be a nice contrast to the greens of the Toyon and Ironwood.
9/27/25 – Planted into ground today and we have 10 days in a row with temps in the 70’s! I’m thinking I planted this too close to the Toyon, but time will tell.
9/13/25 – Picked up the amazing Ironwood from Linda Vista Natives for $100. I can’t wait to get this thing in the ground in the next couple of months when the weather gets cooler. Removed an old chicken coup from the Covid era that was starting to rot and also found the rats were using it as a nest!
It’s already got the bark that is peeling near the base of the tree.
