I was wondering if anyone knew how to grow a giant sequoia tree. I recently went to the giant forest in California and came across a pine cone with hundreds of seeds in it. I am trying to grow the seeds but they seem to be not taking. I am trying to get them to root by putting them in a plastic bag with a paper towel and watering them daily. Someone told me that I should freeze the seeds for about a week and then try it again. I did that and nothing seems to be happening. What should I do to get these seeds to take root?
Well, a sequoia cone . . . only pines have pine cones, a sequoia with a pine cone would be like a cat having puppies ;-) Best now to store them refrigerated until spring, a seed started now won't have much chance to grow before the short, cold winter days. Store dry at (ideally) +1°C. Then surface sow in a well-drained peat-free compost. The seeds may take 2-4 weeks to germinate after sowing.
Sequoia cone... You know what I mean. Thanks for the tip. I really don't know much about growing Sequoia trees. Let me ask you another thing... Do you think I can salvage the seeds I am trying to grow now? They have been sitting in a wet paper towel in a plastic bag for about 5 weeks now. Nothing has even attempted to sprout. I was basically going to just take them out and let them sun dry for a day or so and then store them in a dry place and then keep them cold for the winter like you say. Any other tips you have would be much appreciated.
Maybe try damp cold stratification. It is true that if they have imbibed you don't want to now dry them out.
Another tip is to put the seeds in a jug of water for a while. Any that float immediately will be no good;only keep the sinkers. Michael,this may seem daft but how do you store them in the fridge AND keep them dry? Surely there will always be some condensation which isn't going to help. (Good to see you on here BTW!)
Hi GL, If you put them in one of those ziploc sealable plastic bags you won't get any condensation. Not sure if the float test is reliable for such small seeds - with very small, flat seeds like these, water surface tension is enough to keep even a 'sinker' afloat.
Hmmm interesting. I would have thought that unless the bag is in a vacuum,all the air sucked out,condensation will form. Cold air meeting warm air creates condensation,and the environment outside the fridge will be much warmer so...
