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Sequoiadendron giganteum

Bigtree · Giant Sequoia · Sequoia

Family CupressaceaeGenus Sequoiadendron

A vast cinnamon-red trunk rising out of a fire scar into heavy crooked branches, with people standing at its foot for scale.
The whole plantMike Murphy (talk · contribs)CC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
treePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, TreePLANTS Database
Height
200.0 ft61 mPLANTS Database
Flower
GreenPLANTS Database
Blooms
Mid SpringPLANTS Database
Native range
CaliforniaGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Growing conditions

Sun
Shade tolerance: HighPLANTS Database
Soil
Adapted to coarse, medium textured soilsPLANTS Database
Soil pH
5.5-7.5PLANTS Database
Moisture
Moisture use: MediumPLANTS Database
Watering
Drought tolerance: MediumPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

Two sources report 5 treatments between them. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around July 16, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on July 15, 2026.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 6 months from start to sowing. Then 84 days to germinate.

50% germination in 14–84 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77Public domain
Show the original text
Sequoiadendron (Pinaceae). S. giganteum germ. 70D(22% in 2^4 w) and 40-70D(38% in 3-10 d). Seeds DS for 6 m at 70 germ. 70D(50% in 2-12 w) indicating that the seeds received in March stil! had not had enough DS, but seeds DS 2 y germ 70D(4%) and were largeiy dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 26, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 10 days.

38% germination in 3–10 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77Public domain
Show the original text
Sequoiadendron (Pinaceae). S. giganteum germ. 70D(22% in 2^4 w) and 40-70D(38% in 3-10 d). Seeds DS for 6 m at 70 germ. 70D(50% in 2-12 w) indicating that the seeds received in March stil! had not had enough DS, but seeds DS 2 y germ 70D(4%) and were largeiy dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

22% germination in 28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77Public domain
Show the original text
Sequoiadendron (Pinaceae). S. giganteum germ. 70D(22% in 2^4 w) and 40-70D(38% in 3-10 d). Seeds DS for 6 m at 70 germ. 70D(50% in 2-12 w) indicating that the seeds received in March stil! had not had enough DS, but seeds DS 2 y germ 70D(4%) and were largeiy dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around September 17, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 16, 2026.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 6 months from start to sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

4% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77Public domain
Show the original text
Sequoiadendron (Pinaceae). S. giganteum germ. 70D(22% in 2^4 w) and 40-70D(38% in 3-10 d). Seeds DS for 6 m at 70 germ. 70D(50% in 2-12 w) indicating that the seeds received in March stil! had not had enough DS, but seeds DS 2 y germ 70D(4%) and were largeiy dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Sequoiadendron p. 77. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

22% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Sequoiadendron p. 213Public domain
Show the original text
Sequoiadendron (Pinaceae). S. giganteum germ. 70D(22% in 2-4. w) and 40(none). GA-3 had no effect.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Sequoiadendron p. 213. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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