hi, first time poster here.On my last trip to yosemite this summer I brought back a giant sequoia seedling. It has grown three inches and is now nine inches tall. I live in chicago il and want to plant it in the ground. Should I plant it now or wait a few years till it gets bigger and stronger? What little reading I've done does not tell me much about when to plant it.
Hey Terrence, Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia) is hardy to USDA zone 7. Chicago is in zone 5. I don't think it will survive if you plant it outside.
Thanks Eric. That is a little bit dissapointing. Maybe I'll keep it indoors until it gets too big. :)
If you're close to the lakeside, you should be able to grow it as the Lake Effect warms the winters up enough for it - I've read there's a big one (about 30m tall) at Manistee, MI. I'd plant it now, and make sure it gets the full benefit of winter snow cover to protect it while it is still small.
thanks Mike. That is a good thought. I'm about 20 miles west of the lake, and I'm not sure that would be close enough to help. Is there an advantage to planting it in the ground while it is so small ? Why not wait a few years until it gets a little bigger?
If you have a cold greenhouse or similarly intermediate environment you can grow it on to a larger size, then plant out. You will not be able to grow it as a house plant. It is true that a small specimen of a species of suspect or marginal hardiness may be more safely planted in spring than fall.
perhaps leaving it in a pot outside for the winter protected with a rose bush type styrofoam bucket over the seedling, and then plant it in the spring? I've been advised to protect it from the harsh elements, and that seems like real good advice. Ron, thanks for pointing out to me it is not a house plant, and needs it's dormancy period.
Leave in in the pot, grow it like a bonsai. There are lots of web resources out there on how to winterize bonsais.