Sequoiadendron giganteum should grow in zones 5 to 8 but if they are Sequoia sempervirens (coastal reds) they are more sensitive to cold @ zones 7 to 9.

However they do look like 'Giants' .

OH is extremely large.. and extremely diverse ... narrow it down for us ... ken

Giant Sequoia in zone 5 (& even 6) is suspect...it seems to do better in the snow belt regions which insulates the roots. I don't know if it's an issue with root tip hardiness or frost depth allowing for mid-winter re-hydration. In general, Giant Sequoia is prone to foliage disease in eastern NA.

I'm pretty sure they are Sequoiadendron giganteum because my parents bought 2 big ones for my kids and 6 smaller ones. they told company in cali that they live in ohio and were told these could survive winters here. the company wrapped them specific way and said they would last rest of vacation (almost 2 weeks) but to plant them once back home and to plant in ground once 2'-3' b/c hard to winterize outside in pots and hard to keep alive once certain size in pots. I'm assuming because the roots are shallow and branch out.

i live in cincinnati, i believe zone 6a.

smivies, thats what I'm worried about, we had crazy winter. it would be normal (20-40) then we'd get week of 70s then go back to normal again. If we actually got snow they should of been ok but with fluctuation in temp I'm worried it might of killed them. i did read it was normal for center to turn brown around fall through winter because it did do that. we had them in pots for over a year and they did fine but after the middle started to brown i called the company and they said with winter coming it would be better to plant them because its very hard to winterize them in pots. apparently they have certain system they do with water/fertilization/in ground green house thing.... i didn't quite understand. its only been since january that they turned brown like that. before that they were still green.

Looks like harmless winter bronzing to me.

The first year on a tree is usually the toughest, as it hasn't had a chance to establish itself. Spring planting is usually better because it gives the roots some time to develop but even early fall can be good. If the trees make it through the first year, they may do better the next. As Embo said, certain evergreens can take an off color look during the cold season, don't know if reds do that but they could look a lot better once the weather warms again.

If it is some type of pathogen, then there's probably not a whole lot you can do.

Should be okay in Cincy temp wise, but they HATE the humid summers hereabouts. Diseases will be problematic.

I killed two of those in St Louis.

Metasequoia grows quite well for me though. At the Zoo there you have some young ones. Across the river at Rowe Arboretum they have some 90 foot Metasequoias.

Thanks all for advice, that's what I'm hopeing that it's normal winter bronzing & just getting used to soil.

For whatever reason my parents sold my kids on these trees as if they'll be here till we die (which hypothetically they could be but since Ohio isn't where they are normally found and me not exactly having a green thumb) I'm just trying to not kill them or ill be to blame

Toronado, is there anything I can do to try and prevent diseases?

My newly planted Weeping Giant Sequoia turned a deep bronze color last winter, this winter not so much. I'd recommend adding 3 inches of mulch to protect the trees in the winter. I add a thick 3 inch layer of mulch to my Weeping Giant Sequoia every fall. It survived last winter when it dropped to 0 degrees here.

Just make sure you plant them where they have plenty of room to grow. Giant sequoia can put on a 1" growth ring each year, once they get going, so 10 years from now they theoretically could be 18" dbh. :-o

bill, Will they grow that fast outside of their native habitat? I read that the Giant Sequoia's in the New York Botanical Garden grow very slowly.

Probably not. The much shorter season will limit how much they can grow each season. And I did say 'theoretically'. :) But it's a fast grower and there are a few records of S. giganteum out east that are over 80 ft. tall. And one specimen that's known to be 150 years old. From what I read though, most S. giganteums only live about 20yrs out east for various reasons. More reading here.

But hey, if a guy gets 20 years of a beautiful specimen, why not?

well if they only live 20yrs my dad is going to have a cow. they told him hundreds of years and he's thinking these trees will live like the ones in cali that are 500yrs old...

and that is beautiful mike, i think thats what my dad and kids are hoping for in our yard...

I'd agree with smivies and kentrees that they probably won't be very happy at the OP's location, or in much of the eastern US. See the last 2 posts by sam_md in this thread:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1736468/baby-giant-sequoia-in-winter?n=30

The tree pictured in the link below is growing near the Lake Michigan shoreline, and it seems to be doing well. It apparently benefits from the lake effect snows (and moderated temps) at that location. 95' tall, planted in 1948:

http://midmichigannatureandscience.blogspot.com/2015/08/field-trip-michigans-largest-giant.html

arbordave, thanks for the links. Hopefully its the 'wintertime discoloration' https://www.giant-sequoia.com/about-sequoia-trees/wintertime-discolration-of-the-young-giant-sequoias/ spoke of...

Does anyone know what to fertilize it with? I had read somewhere to use only 10-10-10 so I bought some just for these trees but now I can't find site I saw that on or dosing info. Otherwise could I use foliage pro as most people speak of on this forum?

Hello Dawn,

I would say no fertilizer without having your soil tested to see what it needs.

You asked earlier what to do for them, my vote is for caution and patience, little activity if any.

Metasequoia is a much safer bet in our climates to grow to 100 feet and live several hundred years than either of the California redwoods.

Yeah, definitely no fertilizer.