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ken_adrian

first year grafts and winter issues

i got quite a deal on some first year grafts ... just got them ...

how would you deal with them???

just plant them out???

pot them and polebarn them??? moving them in say.. january.. if i can avoid breaking a toe... trying to dislodge a pot frozen to mother earth.. been there.. darn near done that.. lol ...

cold z5 MI ... where i had a z4 winter last year .. and hold no hope.. for anything mild this year ... [lot of optimism there.. lol]

a third option would be to pot them up ... and simply tip them over.. just before snow fall.. and let snow blanket them ... if only i could be sure of said insulators depth ...

i think.. my biggest fears .. are harsh winter wind desiccating them [the greenery rather than a root concern] .... and mid winter thaw.. with pot thaw .. following by dropping back under zero within a few days... what i call ..... going in and out of dormancy ... [the root concern] ....

give it your best shot.. what would you do.. in my area ... speculate .. i dont care...

one thing for sure.. they have to go into the ground.. or a proper pot .. by this weekend ...

what do some of you home grafters do with this type of stuff?????

ken

ps: when i was new to my learning curve.. a decade back or so ... i lost on this type of situation [i think i put them in my nursery bed...] ... but one would think .. i should know a little more now.. but the bad memories are making me hesitate ...

pps: another option would be a BAP .. as arrowhead bob used to call them ... fill with wood chips... and leave them in the pots they are in.. and hoik that sucker into the polebarn.. done that before ... big azz pot ... BAP ... lol ... and hit it with some snow once in a while .... to keep some level of moisture....

Comments (11)

  • jarpe
    9 years ago

    I had same problem with dozens of first year grafts and i have now planted them all to (what i think is) their final position. They have also chicken wire cage around them (to protect from rabbits), wich also allaws to shade them from late winter/early spring sun.

    My nursery friend told me about picea abies that visual parts can tolerate low temperatures down to -50 degrees celcius But roots can only take about -15. So if held in pots, having snow cover is important.

  • whaas_5a
    9 years ago

    Low temp hit 0 in my garage last year. ALL my one year grafts died, even hardy ones like Pinus strobus. The scion didn't die the rootstock died.

    Plant them out if you want them to live.

  • jarpe
    9 years ago

    Then again all my late summer grafts stay potted outside for first winter. Here we have plenty of snow that usually is enough to protect plants from too low temps. Propably they would die here too when held in garage whitout warming.

  • maple_grove_gw
    9 years ago

    Hi Ken.

    I see little advantage to overwintering in a pot if you're just going to plant come spring anyway. Plant them out now. On the other hand, if you want to grow them on in containers, then obviously you need to overwinter them somewhere.

    You don't need to wait until January to bring them into the polebarn. Once temperatures are under 40, your plants are dormant. In my zone, garage overwintering is ideal...my garage is consistently 10 degrees warmer than outside temp's and it never drops lower than 20 F, plus the temperature is buffered so that it doesn't change much night versus day. I've successfully overwintered over a hundred container plants each year for several years now, without losing any (well, maybe one) or having any break dormancy prematurely (never happened). I bring them in any time after Thanksgiving, but certainly before temperatures stay below freezing.

    If the temperature in your pole barn stays warm enough for the roots, that's a good option. This would be 10-20 degrees higher than the low end of hardiniess for the rootstock species. If not, you could insulate by mulching into a holding bed, which would just be a larger version of your BAP, big enough to accomodate all your grafts.

    whaas, I'm sorry to hear about your losses last year, hope there weren't too many. Were there larger plants that handled it better?

    I've read that plants that have been recently up-potted handle cold temperatures better since there are fewer roots on the periphery of the pot.

    -Alex

  • outback63 Dennison
    9 years ago

    Ken you are asking questions that you advise people on all the time.

    Shall I book a place at the Altimers Resort getaway for an extended visit? LOL.

    Your best shot...plant them in the ground mound a little straw over them for protection and don't worry.

    I never by the small stuff. I am not going to grow them for someone else to enjoy. 3.gal is as low as I go.

    Dave

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    dave.. do what i say.. not what a do ... worry like an old hen.. .lol ...

    the barn removes direct winter sun... direct winter wind ... which is bad in winter ... but it warms sooner in spring .... causing them to leaf out early .... but if i leave them in there... just opening the doors on sunny days.. all is well... lol.. unless you have 1650 pots of hosta coming two months early ... and not enough floor space for them all ...

    otherwise... its just as cold as outdoors .... sand floor.. T111 sides ... no insulation ... it never fails to amaze.. below zero.. crippling winds.. and you step in there.. and could open your coat ...

    in the ground they go .... maybe a rose cone on one or two ...

    ken

  • baxswoh
    9 years ago

    Since it is in the ground they go......

    treat with a good anti desiccant.

  • j0nd03
    9 years ago

    If you have access to a tractor, dig a long trough and plant them all together in one spot and cover it with mulch. Then move them in spring when you know exactly where you want them or up pot them at that time.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    lol jon ... there were only 5 ... little over kill there..

    they are all planted ...

    key comment was: Ken you are asking questions that you advise people on all the time. -- dave wins ...

    guilt works wonders ... lol ...

    even planted a few from last year ... go figure... caught the headcold from 7734 doing it .... but .. it is done ...

    ken

    ps: try to remember your first calculator ... punch in the numbers.. turn it around... lol ...

  • j0nd03
    9 years ago

    You made it sound like there were 20+ plants

  • severnside
    9 years ago

    ^^^ Ha ha, the length and plea of the OP indicated at least a truck bed full of conifers.

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