The young ones grow in the light shade of other species for a couple of years. Mimicing this would give you the best chance of success.

my joshua tree seedlings have always been growing next to a west facing window with plenty of direct sunlight. they were planted this last summer and seem to be doing very well. like yours, mine also look like tall blades of grass. does anyone know about how long it will take before these "grass-like" seedlings will start to get a joshua tree appearence?

Several YEARS ...

They aren't the fastest growing things in the desert.

I too live in the native range of the Joshua . I have perhaps the largest Joshua tree in the Hesperia - Victorville area of California growing on my property. I have had much success transplanting seedlings. These plants are very hardy. Let them get about 6-10 inches tall and move to desired location. If started with regular irrigation when small they will grow faster then in the wild. I over head water (spray) the little plants the first year or so. After growing several stems they seem to catch the water in the center of the plant. They need sandy well drained soil. I have transplants that in 12 years are 5-6 ft tall. Some have bloomed this year. Full sun does not seem to be a problem. I am at about 3500 ft. and located in the high desert of San Bernardino County

I live in the Northwest territories in Canada and I've aquired some Joshua tree seeds. I realize being in a harsh climate I'll have to keep them as inside pets and give them extra special care. Anyways, does anyone know how to germinate the seeds and when they're germinated, what should I do with them? What kind of soil do they need? How much room should I give the roots in a pot? When do they need to be transplanted to bigger pots? Thanks.

I have two Joshua tree seedlings that are 4 years old now. They each have about 15 leaves but no trunk yet. The leaf spread is about 6 inches across and the height is about 4 inches. I bring them inside around late October and water them once a month until April. Then they go back outside. I only rarely supply supplemental water in the summer. They've experienced light frost with no ill-effects. I wonder if I'll ever be able to leave them outside all winter. We usually have a few days each winter that fall below +10F.

Jim,

Joshua Trees survive in mild frost, perhaps down to 20 degrees F. When one travels through the High Desert, here in California, the higher elevations expose J Trees to harsh winter winds and sometimes snowfall. But keep in mind that your winters in VA are probably moreso moist, and remain colder longer than winters in the Mojave Desert.

I live at 3500 ft elevation--there's no "perma frost" in the soil here, as there might be in your location, during the winter--winter days here are often above freezing, and the soil isn't too conducive to holding frost.

Best wishes!

Mohabee

Joshua Trees are native to the Antelope Valley,CA where I live.They like it dry.Real damn dry.It isn't a tree..it's a Lilly.Ha ha smarty pants Here!We might get 2 inches of snow.It gets well below freezing and the trees do just fine.I'd plant them in the spring and let the natural rain fall do it's job.(whenever your wet season is ours tends to be in fall right after it burns to wash the mountains down on everything.WARNING naturally occuring heavy rainfall will cause a full grown Joshua to fall and squish cars,fences(especially chain link)break out windows,etc,..it's one of the ways they "quick" propigate in wet season...by the pieces that broke off rooting to the ground.So,...keep it away from squishables.My mom has lost a fence and a chunk of greenhouse that way.pj

I have heard stories of Joshua trees living outside in Denver (Z5) but the only 1 I have seen was in the Denver botanic gardens and it only survied 2 winters

It is my understanding as told to me by an old desert rat here in the CA Hi Desert that Joshua Trees are exceptionally picky about where they grow. The soil must be just right, the water, the sun etc. They must be planted facing exactly the same direction that they started in. That is what makes them so special. You will see them in CA, UT not sure what other states naturally but few and I think the Sahara Desert. It is the conditions that will allow a plant to be a success or failure, they are very picky. And water is what will do them in, at least in the desert and make them topple. They are truly rare.

I'm also from the high Desert and they will grow here everywhere/anywhere.They propigate like crazy in everyones undisturbed back 40.(They also grow in Jerusalem.) They are native here so that must have something to do with it. Sandy soil is thier favorite.My mom's that fell down started a handful of volunteers right away.PJ

my motherinlaw planted a joshua tree plant that she got in arizona about 15 years ago it has done great even though we have had some really cold winters sometimes down to 15 to 20 degrees it was about 8 inches tall when she planted it and is now agout 12 feet tall with several arms....has never bloomed however...here in washington state everyone stops to ask what it is they have never seen anything like it.........hardly ever gets water except fronm rain or snow

I live in Salt Lake City, UT and I know of at least 50 Joshua Trees in the area. Every winter we see temperatures drop below 10 degrees and sometimes below 0 degrees and this has had no effect on any Joshua Tree I have seen. I have read that Joshua Trees can even survive down to -15 degrees. Near Las Vegas there are Joshua Trees that grow above 6000 feet mixed with Junipers and see snow every year. I am a student at the University of Utah and on campus there are a couple Joshua Trees, one of which is roughly 15 feet tall. Most of the time Joshua Trees here are planted on the south side of buildings to recieve the south sun in the winter. Too much water can be an issue as said before because the roots can rot and thats what makes them fall over. As long as your location doesn't fall below 0 degrees too often and it is not really wet all the time, they should be able to grow!

I have two tiny seedlings I started from pods I found along Rt 58 someplace east/uphill from Santa Margarita. I want to plant one here in Asheville, NC (altitude 2100) and maybe take the other in a pot to Florida. Should I just plant both in NC, or should I keep them both in a dehumidified terrarium?

this is my joshua tree at 1 week. It is now 3 weeks. I am in the Denver area and it is doing fine. loving the hot dry days, and the cool evenings. I have put a screen around it to keep the critters off it and am now not going to water it until it hasn't been rained on for atleast a week. reading this forum has been an inspiration and a big help. thanks for all the chatter. keep it up, as I will be checking in...