Redwoods from seed

Anonymouse

Sapling
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North Carolina (Moutains)
I am going to grow redwoods from seed... I read something that says this is the best time for planting is that true and what else do I need to know about this.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
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on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
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5b
Autumn is ideal for planting seed outdoors, of tree species that need a cold stratification.

Redwood ain't one of the species that needs stratification. I would wait until spring.

Dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptiodes, is fully winter hardy in North Carolina, even at elevation. Coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, is not likely to handle the root system freezing during winter. They are generally protected from frost and freezing outside their native range. Giant sequoia, Sequoiadendron gigantea is winter hardy through zone 8, maybe into zone 7, key is to not freeze the root system.

I believe for all three redwood species, they do not need a cold stratification to start the seeds in spring, start them outdoors in full sun as soon as weather has warmed for best results.

If you start seedlings indoors, the chances are the light will not be sufficient, though if you set up a under lights set up you can start seed indoors. Starting seed outdoors is the "low tech" easiest way to do.
 

the.ecologist

Seedling
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They have an 8 week-ish germination time and need cooler weather to start germination, so start them near the end of winter but not fully at the end, you know, 8 weeks away. The seeds drop from the cone after fires at the end of summer into autumn and the cold right after in winter gets them started in germinating, cold is essential but not so below freezing. You can look on the mariposa grove website, it's a national park with information on the start of sequoias, and even sell starter kits, though they don't work quite that well because they are difficult to use. <- you can choose to ignore this as it is not completely accurate, just helpful since freezing seeds will keep them dormant until after winter when it gets warmer, but cooler temperatures are still good, just not near freezing or fridge temperatures... Click here for a website
 
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