Jonsteen Company - Genuine Tree Seed Germination Kit - Giant Sequoia

I followed the directions and planted my seeds in the provided container sometime in October 2013. I took them out of the fridge after the "cold stratification" phase was over (I wrote the date to remove them on the top of the container so I wouldn't forget) and left the seeds in a somewhat sunny (west facing) window for a while. I actually was about to throw the little container away but thankfully procrastinated... a few weeks after I had forgotten about the little seeds my boyfriend told me he would take the tree away to be his own if I didn't start watering it - sure enough, I hadn't even noticed the thing had sprouted. I got one seedling from 6 seeds.It is still in its container in the same window (as of July 20, 2014) - I water it from the bottom about once per week or when I remember (inside the provided container, the soil doesn't dry out very quickly, even in summer) by placing water in a lid and then putting the plastic incubator in the water. It is about 3 in tall and has 3 or 4 "branches" with tiny green needles on them. There is a lot of green algae or moss growing on the rocks inside but from experience with other terrariums that is good - it prevents mold from forming inside.Now that it is as tall as the container, I just have to figure out how to remove it without killing it.UPDATE: September 13, 2015 - tree recently got an upgraded dome. See pics! almost 2 years from the date I planted the seeds following the provided instructions, my tree looks like this! Keeping it in a clear plastic dome (I made one out of a mayo jar, and recently had to upgrade to a cut off 2-liter) with holes to allow air in and out keeps the environment more uniform for the tree and protects it from sudden changes in temperature. Also helps keep the tree from drying out. I water it when I remember to check and the soil feels dry, which has not been by any means regular, so with the dome it is possible to keep it alive with less effort. Not the prettiest, but better than having it die before I get to plant it in the ground :)

Starting anything from seed can be tricky and this is no different. It germinated and grew well for about a year; or as well as any tree can be expected. Slow growing after all. But then it began to dry out and do poorly no matter what I did or where it was placed. Surely could have been my fault.

I wanted to wait until I saw any results of their growth before I posted. There are at least eight little trees inside the 'tower' (they're a little crowded already, so it's hard to count them). Out of approx eighteen seeds planted, I'd say that's a pretty good track record from a lot of seeds I've planted. I would recommend this product to anyone 'just curious' about growing these massive trees, either as bonsai or eventual planting outdoors later. I gave this product five stars because it was so wonderfully easy and they grew so well. The only thing I would suggest is getting more supplies from any garden supply and making your own enclosure to spread the seeds more evenly to provide them more room and more time to grow inside it - having so many come up within this small enclosure makes them very crowded in no time. The great thing about this product is that it comes with everything you need except water, so there's no guess-work. Great for those who've never done this before. Fantastic product for many age groups.

Seeds sprouted but the seedling unfortunately did not survive very long. I would be willing to try again.

I did not receive a tree growing kit as advertised. Instead, I received an actual baby sequoia tree. The tree exhibits no signs of life. It is a small sequoia about 5 inches tall, shipped in a long plastic tube. The plant inside the tube looked dead to all appearances. It was brown, dry, and brittle, and the roots were folded over on themselves. I wouldn't mind a live tree instead of a growing kit, but I think this tree is too far gone, if not already dead. I have potted it to see what happens, but in the meantime I have no choice but to request a return and a refund. I say I have no choice since Amazon leaves no way to contact the seller after the sale. Their instructions on this in the Help section are faulty.

Lasted about a year (never grew more than an inch) and then died. I had purchased two of them, one which my gf had and one for me and oddly they died within weeks of each other (about a month). Had to buy saplings instead

I bought my kit through ThinkGeek, but it's the same "Grow A Tree" kit that you can buy via many places, including a lot of National Park Service sites.You *have* to follow the directions, and you *have* to treat the tiny saplings carefully if you want them to survive, especially if you get them growing out of sync with the natural cycle. In other words, if you refrigerate the seeds during the summer and plant them during the fall, you might get sprouting in the autumn.... but for crying out loud, don't immediately put the little tree outside! It *will* die that first winter, as it's expecting a summer!I currently have three saplings from my kit. One of the three didn't actually sprout until this past spring! I noticed it in a pot of what I thought was just "dead" wandering jew (I have soooo much of that plant that I often don't bring all of it inside during the winter). The other two are doing quite well after two winters, though they only spent last winter (2016-17) outside. Their first winter, I brought them in, and made sure they got plenty of water and sunshine.One is about 7-8in tall now, and the other is about 4-5in. The littlest one, the one that just sprouted this past spring is only about 2 inches tall. The squirrels keep invading our porch and digging it up, so it's currently in isolation to make sure it gets big enough to survive the pests as well as the weather.August 2018 EDIT : the littlest sapling finally succumbed to the squirrels. Otherwise, the other two are going strong (see photo)!

I believe it does not worth the price. They only put 5 seeds in every kit and charge you more for the unnecessary accessories. Everyone know 5 seeds does not give you a good chance to get seedlings, specifically for Sequoia trees. I was disappointed.