Pot or Plant?

11 years ago

I just received my first order from Girard's, and immediately up-potted all of the trees (Picea glauca 'Pedula' (1gal), Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Jubilee' (1gal), and Picea orientalis 'Skylands' (ban pot).

My question is, does it make sense to keep them potted and let them develop further before planting them in the ground, or should I just get them into the ground immediately. Obviously, if I keep them in the pots they will be recessed into the ground to avoid having the pots heat up and the same treatment of mulch has been applied. I feel like I have heard mixed responses about whether it makes more sense to contain the tree in a pot or just get it right into the ground.

Thanks, Shawn

This post was edited by SC77 on Mon, Apr 15, 13 at 12:49

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
how much experience do you have ... in growing trees in pots???

and.. is there a reason they can not go in the ground ...

mother earth is so much easier.. than say.. winging it.. trust me.. i tried.. lol ...

BTW.. are they still dormant????

ken
gardener365
11 years ago
They always do better in the ground. No doubt about it.

Your small Skylands, that will need shade cloth protection for a few years. Later when it's established, then it won't need shade cloth.

Mulch, watered, you'll be good to go. I searched for Skylands screen but most folks photos are no-longer on the threads. I'll shoot Dave an email. He has good photos to help you.

Dax
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sc77 (6b MA)
Original Author
11 years ago
Ken, nope.. they can go in the ground right away... I somehow got the impression that it was better to let the small plants build up some roots in pots first before I put them in the ground... No experience, I am a newbie, just started collecting last year.. the 3 hemlocks I got last year are still potted and seem to be doing well, so maybe I just got lucky.. You will also be glad to know that I found a better location for the Skylands, away from the powerlines... Interestingly, right after your warning the power company came and slaughtered every tree and branch within 10ft of their wires...I was pissed, and they were just old crappy trees I didn't even care about... nevermind if it had been a signature cultivar that I grew for 10years!! The new location will allow it to grow without issue for like 50 years..

No idea if they are dormant, don't know how to tell, but I didn't request them to be sent that way, even thou I have heard your warnings about not doing that... guess I will have to read up on it.

Dax, Thanks...they will be in the ground by the weekend. Yep, I did research about the screen and plan to put the one Dave designed together... Here is the image & more recent link, might as well re-post for others searching...

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Skylands' by Dave's (Dcsteg) instructions 3/4 down the page

This post was edited by SC77 on Mon, Apr 15, 13 at 20:43