whats the ambient air temps.. IN THE GARAGE????

in my z5.. i would just put snowballs/ice cubes.. and when temps get high enough.. they melt into the media ...

dormant trees dont need all that much water.. just that the media does NOT get totally devoid of moisture ... what one might call freeze drying ...

so i would hesitate with the watering can ... just no control there ...

dormant trees do NOT need all that much sun either.. i have had such in the pole barn for 4 months ... its irrelevant basically ... but i would harden them off before throwing them back in full sun ...

and.. shall we presume you are zone pushing??? ...

zone appropriate trees.. should not need protection ... other than the black pot in winter sun ...

ken

Hi Merlinus,

I also overwinter containerized conifers in the unheated garage. Optimal watering frequency will depend on a few variables such as the nature of the potting soil they're in, container size, size of the root mass, and ambient temperature. In short, they should be watered when they need to be.

What you should do is, get a bamboo skewer, the kind you would use on the barbeque when preparing kebabs. Insert it into the lower region of the soil mix. Remove it and check whether it's moist or dry. If dry, it's time to water, if it's moist, don't water. You should do this for each plant individually - don't generalize the results from one plant to all of the others.

This method is much better than trying to gauge when soil goes dry visually; the top of the soil may appear dry but the root zone of the container can be quite moist. You don't want to overdo it with watering over the winter as your conifers will not be happy if you do. I find that I water once every 2-4 weeks while my containers are in the garage (Dec.-March).

Alex

Thanks for the very useful info -- much appreciated! Temps in the garage range from near freezing to about 40 degrees.

The bamboo skewer method seems useful in determining moisture -- I will give it a go.

All of these plants are in black nursery containers. That's why I am overwintering them in the garage. Only two are zone pushed -- a Cryptomeria japonica and Cedrus deodar.

Three other Cedrus are in the outdoor garden area, but are protected by metal hoops and straw.

if otherwise zone appropriate.. you could just get a box from the grocer.. deep enough to hide the pots ...

put all the pots in it.. and insulate with straw ... and leave them outdoors ... the pot mass will moderate all the pots ...

i smoke outside.. in winter.. often in the garage...

and a closed garage.. just by sun beating down on it.. can be 20 to 40 degrees warmer than outdoors during the day ... and it retains that heat long into the night ... and there is NO WIND in a closed garage ...

be very careful about it all.. perhaps crack the window to moderate heat buildup .. etc ...

you should really be able to tell how damp a pot is.. by how much it weighs ... always keep a pot full of DRY media around.. and then simply compare dry to moist ...

let me put it this way.. if the media is holding a gallon of water.. then the pot should weigh around 7 pounds.. and if you cant tell 7 pounds.. from a few oz of dry media.. give up man .. lol ...

there is nothing like hoiking a pot.. thinking its dampish.. and nearly putting it into orbit.. when you put your back into it.. and it weighs nothing .. lol ..

anyway.. in the deep of winter dormancy.. err towards dry ...

come root growing time .. that is when the plant will need the water ...

ken

Given that the temps are rising into the 40's over the next two days, my idea is to take the conifers out of the garage for watering. After the pots have drained, I will then return them to the garage, making sure that they are not exposed to the winter sun.

That way I do not have to worry about excess water flooding the garage and ruining my stored paintings!

i have an old kids wagon around..

i used to fill it with plants.. with a board across for added floor space...

and take my plants for a walk each morning ... and evening ...

i meant to correct.. above.. that i would NOT put them in a black cave.. some light is good.. i just over-emphasized ... to make my point ...

and i now wonder how much water they need.. that you would be putting so much water into a pot .. that it floods out the bottom ... its a dormant tree, my wizard. dont over do it ... think more along the lines of a couple shots worth .. not the watering can ...

ken

The plants are living in a mix of 5:1:1.25 of bark fines, grey pumice and excellent quality potting soil, so water runs through quite quickly. But I will not use a watering can, although a shot glass is perhaps a bit small!

Maybe a bunch of snow placed in the top of each pot will suffice. And although it is in the mid-40's today, temps will drop rapidly again starting tomorrow.

Maybe a bunch of snow placed in the top of each pot will suffice.

==>> absolutely ... same as an ice cube.. i just figured you didnt have any snow laying around..

ken