where are you .. z5 is too broad an area to be certain ... [please go to your members page.. and add big city next to that z5 .. thx]

where are they coming from .. zone-wise ...

will they be dormant???

is you ground frozen solid like my z5 ..

i specifically ordered some for next week.. with specific instructions that they be shipped dormant.. as such.. they can stay in my cold garage.. until the soil is ready for planting.. hanging in the suspended animation of dormancy.. until MI decides its time for spring.. which i dont think will ever come ...

offhand.. i dont know the pot you are talking about.. i would not hesitate to put them all in one bigger pot with some loose media or mulch.. just to make a larger mass that wont freeze and thaw.. in case the garage warms up ... the roots come out of dormancy first.. so protecting them .. cold.. a bit longer.. wont hurt ...

ken

Thanks Ken.....I updated my profile (Chicago suburbs). The trees are coming from the University of Idaho so I would assume they would be dormant.

pm and ken,

I got an order of 40 trees from them 2 weeks ago. 30 conifers and 10 hardwoods. I'm a happy girl! They don't come in a pot, it's a seed plug, peat moss with netting over the plug, although a few species didn't have netting . Yours will come in a plastic bag, boxed.

I think Ken is on the right track with throwing them all in one big pot with decent potting mix or mulch and store in an unheated garage. Mine haven't broken bud yet, so I think you'll be fine. I would definitely get them out of the bag once you get them. The box was very well packed but a few of the plugs had broken during shipping. I potted those up right away.

Enjoy your seedlings!

Barb

Thanks. So when is the best time to plant the Frasiers? After the ground thaws? When we reach a certain temperature? After the threat of frost is past (mid-May)?

I'm near Denver, way different climate than yours, but I think our planting dates are about the same. April is prime planting time here, followed by late September/early October. I would venture that your ground is still frozen. Like Ken said, when you can work the ground (when it's not frozen anymore and is not too wet) I'd plant them. My best guess would be sometime in the next month. I wouldn't wait till May. The longer you wait the less time the trees have to acclimate before the summer heat.