What region will you be growing them in?

@Embothrium

Midwest, zone 5b. After looking over some of my questions, I took out the ones such as the growing indoors, since I'll just have them outside in pots.

After looking into it, I noticed someone made their potting mix 75% perlite and 25% peat moss, would this be a good mix?

Also, since they are going to be in pots, what kind of fertilizer should I use and how much of it every day/week should I give to them?

All such considerations would appear to be eliminated from significance by the more or less completely unsuitable climate.

I was told that the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) was able to grow anywhere. I've even read past posts where people in my zone do grow them pretty successfully though.

I don't mean to be rude at all when I say this, just curious.

yeah your wasting your time.......all that work and then you cant plant them outside........you could try bonsai though but that takes alot of skill.......cedar of Lebanon might be okay there they get pretty big and old.

Whoops, probably wrong then. I apologize Embothrium.

Would birstlecone pine (Pinus aristata) be better suited for my climate?

Thanks! Would they do well in 75% perlite and 25% peat moss then?
And would it be okay if I keep them in an area where they receive a little bit of sunlight and the rest shade? Or should I keep a pot underneath a tree?

Also, this prob sounds a bit dumb, but do they lose their leaves in the winter? I heard somewhere that the Dawn redwood is the only one that does.

Metasequoia does lose its foliage in the fall. Fall color is really pretty decent. A unique peach.

I have used the CHEAP potting soil from Lowe's for several years. It does not compact and is not all miracle growd'd to over fertilize or promote growth.

How many u doing?

I only have 3 or 4 left after giveaways. They are in these big plastic pastel colored pots from Lowes which were about $10 if I recall. they are big. I need a dolly to move these pots lol.

I'm not sure how many I'll be getting, I don't think I'll be getting them anytime soon tho as I'm living in a dorm next semester. But it would probably have to be around 3 of them or so to monitor growth and ensure one survives. How do you adjust the ph of the soil? If moved in the shade under a tree, how well would it grow with minimal sunlight?

For growing woody plants in containers, you want a bark-based potting mix rather than one that is mostly peat. Check out the various suggestions for soil mixes on the Container Gardening forum (like the 5-1-1 or the gritty mix). You don't necessarily have to mix your own but you will get a good sense of what to look for in a packaged mix or what to add to improve it. And check out the thread there titled 'Trees in Containers' for a lot of tips on how to make this work for you.
Trees in Containers

Really I have not checked the PH of this CHEAP potting soil I use. Metasequoia just grows in it. If they turned yellow or died I might be interested. But obviously they don't hate it.

You can change the PH a number of ways for pots. For yards I wouldn't fool with it. What if the previous owners left me a 90 foot shingle oak I needed to dump a ton of whatever down a year around. I'd rather they let it die 45 years ago and planted the right tree for the area....no issues for me though with the metasequoias in pots so I leave the ph alone.

Nick, I have found full sun to kill them in pots so I put them in shade. Especially late afternoon shade. The one I moved up next to the sun behind the ash and dogwood is getting a bit thin. It is probably in too deep of shade. Hard to quantify though. I have this lumen meter but it isn't like I take hourly readings for a month straight to really KNOW how much sun it gets.

if you start metasequoia from seed but from a good source or else you might end up with a 1% germination rate. It has been awhile since I did. I think a fella on here, Hairmetal, has bought more recently than I so I will defer to him forna source suggestion.

I have a half dozen in pots, they grow quickly and will outgrow the pot fast. It needs to be well drained and you will have to water every day or so. If thier roots dry out they will die fairly quickly.

This is for the Giant Sequoia

Do not leave in pot outside if it gets much below 25 degrees the roots will freeze. They can withstand very cold but they need to be in the ground when that happens. Fertilize a lot as they are hungry