Gifting giant sequoias

Here's what you need to know

Volume 3, Number 32 - Monday, Dec. 2, 2024
Published every Monday and Thursday

Giant sequoia seedlings in a greenhouse. — Photo by Jonathan Humphries, SEKI acting nursery manager

By Nancy Vigran
For Giant Sequoia News

IF YOU ARE STILL considering spending time in a National Park this holiday season, chances are you will be disappointed. I’m guessing any December accommodations are booked by now.

You may still be able to get a bus seat for the 99th annual Trek to the Nation’s Christmas Tree, the General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon, this Sunday, Dec. 8 (IInfo HERE). If not, you can enjoy a giant sequoia or two in the comfort of your own home!

Giant Sequoia seedlings are for sale in the various gift shops of Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite year-round, and you can also purchase them online from nurseries that specialize in giving the young trees a good start.

True, they aren’t like seeing the 1,500-year-old to 2,270-year-old General Grant Tree. After all, seedlings are only one, two, or three years old, but are young giant sequoias good gifts for others, yourself, or to use as a Christmas tree? I asked for advice from a couple of experts.

While there are restrictions as to what you can and cannot take from the park itself, purchasing a giant sequoia seedling is perfectly legal.

But.

“Not everybody wants a giant sequoia,” warns Jonathan Humphrey, acting nursery manager for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. “Make sure they want one first,” he advises.

I liken it to getting someone a puppy. Do you, or someone you know, want the responsibility of caring for such a renowned tree? Most of us don’t see poor gardening qualities in the same light as caring for a critter, but you catch my drift.

A giant sequoia seedling may not only be your lifetime responsibility but that of several generations to come or others who may purchase the property on which it is planted, and so forth, and so on.

Giant sequoias are native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, which are between 4,000 and 8,000 feet in elevation. But like other attractive species, they do not have to be planted there. They have been planted in just about every state in the U.S., according to Jonathan Claasen, co-founder and co-owner of The Jonsteen Company, a tree nursery in Humboldt County, California.

“People around the world are fascinated by these trees,” he said.

His company has shipped them just about everywhere from Dubai to Down Under, South Africa to South America, after getting USDA clearance and receiving the country’s approval.

In general, giant sequoias will do best in situations similar to their natural habitat — cold and snowy in winter with warm summers. But people have been known to grow them in a variety of environments.

The southern U.S., and areas like it, are the tree's least favorite as they do not appreciate the year-round humidity, Claasen said. Giant sequoias are also not happy in areas with permafrost, or long-lasting frozen ground.

Claasen mentioned that there is quite an old grove along Lake Michigan. I found there is one 116-foot-tall tree, about five feet in diameter in Manistee Township, Michigan. Known as the Michigan Champion, it is said to be one of the largest trees east of the Rockies.

People are also growing giant sequoias in containers in New York City, Claasen added, saying that gardeners can create artificial habitats to keep the trees happy.

So, yes, you can give someone you know a giant sequoia seedling or get one for yourself for the holiday season or any time of year.

I asked Humprey if one could be kept indoors as a small Christmas tree.

Yes, he said, but not over a long time.

The issue is that when you bring a tree in from the cold, it will come out of its dormancy over time. Returning it to the cold after more than a week or two inside could kill it. So, there is that to consider.

When you receive a giant sequoia as a seedling, you can upgrade it to a larger container as it grows without having to plant it into the ground right away.

There are a variety of nurseries online that sell them. The Jonsteen Company offers seedlings in small, medium, large and extra-large sizes. The small is 4 to 6 inches tall, similar to those sold in some national park gift shops.

A medium tree is between one and two years old, measuring 6 to 12 inches tall. And an extra-large tree is 3 to 5 years old and stands two feet or taller, Claasen said. The company is currently out of large trees.

Claasen has set up a giant sequoia as a live holiday tree and warned that it dried out quickly. He recommends using LED lights, setting it away from a furnace vent, and keeping it inside for as short a period as possible. The same should be considered for any living Christmas tree. And, he added, with any living tree indoors, you need to “monitor, monitor, monitor” its health and moisture.

When it comes time to plant your giant sequoia into the ground, Humphrey makes a few recommendations:

• Be sure it has a lot of space to grow.

• Plant in a place protected from direct hot sunlight and in soil that dries out from time to time but can easily be watered.

• Before you take it out of its container, be sure the roots have not grown through the bottom, so you won’t be ripping the roots apart from the tree.

The best time of year to plant depends upon your region, but generally, the fall or winter is best.

A giant sequoia seedling ready for gifting. — Photo by Jonathan Humphries, SEKI acting nursery manager

Wildfire, water & weather update

There was some rain and some snow, but forecasts are for mostly sunny and warmer weather with little chance of precipitation in the next few days. Fortunately, there is enough moisture that there’s little chance of large wildfire potential in Sierra Nevada. You’ll find more detail HERE.

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