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novaplantguy_z7b_8a

Conifers In Containers - My Small Collection. Share yours too.

Just thought I would post some photos of my small collection of Conifers, most of which are in containers for now. Some will obviously be going into the ground eventually as they will outgrow their confines.

Would love to see photos of everyone's containerised conifers as well.

So here they are:

Group shot of planters next to the front steps:

Pinus Strobus "Elf". I have tried to do research

on this cultivar (if that is the correct term)

but have not found much at all.

From what I do know, it is a dwarf,

native eastern white pine,

that is MUCH more blue than the standard,

stays under 20 feet tall at mature height,

and is rather slow growing. If anyone else

has more info on this one, I would love to see it.

6 year old Virginia Pine (Pinus Virginiana) in a smallish half whiskey barrel type planter. It still has PLENTY of room to grow in there as its root ball is fairly shallow and small.

Another of the same.

Two of Pinus Thunbergii "Thunderhead" sapling.

Thanks for looking! =o)

Comments (41)

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Novaplantguy, they all look pretty happy! I can't help but notice you mulch the soil in the pots. What are your secrets to keeping the trees in pots looking so well? What do you do with them over the winter?

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey there. Thank you! Yes I mulch the pots. Just a small added layer of protection. Helps keep the moisture in as well. No real secrets. I just take care of them. I try to plant them in the appropriate soil, which for many means making my own, or sometimes just using the naturally occuring sandy clay loam from the ground. I don't really do much to them during the winter. I might put some small incandescent christmas lights on the pots to keep them from totally freezing, but our winters are not that brutal. We usually dont see temps much lower than 20F, and thats almost always at night. The rare occasion it does get down to 10-15F its usually very short lived, and we usually go above freezing every day. The average highs in the dead of winter are around 38-45 in the coldest part of the season.

    Do you have any suggestions on anything I should do for the winter? I love to hear what others do with containerised plants. Around here though, Conifers in containers are very common, and usually survive our winters here just fine.

    Btw... the pines in the rectangle container in the middle of the group shot are Pinus Mugo Fastigiata.

    Would love to see photos of others Conifers in containers!

    Thanks!

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Not sure you would need to do anything with your containers in winter. Due to lack of land, I grow all my conifers in containers and have for many years. I am a bit warmer than you in winter but I have never provided any sort of winter protection for my containered plants. And a few are mixed containers with other hardy plants. Same thing - never needed to protect. May be different if one was growing some marginally hardy varieties, but certainly for the pines illustrated above and my collection of mostly Chamaecyparis, a zone 7 or 8 winter is of minimal concern. IME, the potting medium is of more concern for the continued well-being of these plants than is exposure to colder temps.

    Sorry I don't have photos to add. No camera, either :-)

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks gardenpal48. Yeah, I don't plan on doing any "protecting" either. I don't think its going to get much colder than 15F here during the coldest part of the winter. The pots will freeze sure, but they are plastic. Not to mention some of the conifers I have in containers here, it gets much colder in their habitat, and the roots surely freeze solid there, especially the ones growing on rocks and / or with very shallow roots such as Red Spruce.

    So, anyone else? I know these forums are not THAT slow... I know you're out there.... ;-)

  • firefightergardener
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm renewing my photobucket account today and I'll post some photos when it's back up. I have a LOT of conifers in pots, as I've began to utilize my deck and patio spaces to grow more conifers.

  • severnside
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    'I'm renewing my photobucket account today'

    Wow, for a while there when your pics were down this place was looking scarily bereft.

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Firefightergardener, I would love to see your photos! You sound like me when it comes to Palms and Tropicals. Alas my obsession with Conifers is not as bad, but I do have more than what I posted photos of. Not much more though. Conifers are by far easier for me because I can leave them out all year, where as my tropicals all have to come in (usually around mid november) if I am going to keep them around for another year. My big 7 foot pigmy date palm is the the hardest. Its heavy and takes a fair amount of space.

    Anyway, look forward to seeing lots more pics from everyone and hearing how you grow yours in containers. Thanks!

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have but one conifer container with a mix of conifers and other plants. As things outgrow it they are moved out and replaced with something different.

    A bit of faux bois.

    Wider view.

    The plants are planted in two plastic storage boxes which I sink in the ground for winter. The phormiums in front are overwintered in a "cool" room in the house.

    tj

  • firefightergardener
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    TJ, I love your wood pot setup there, looks custom and fits perfect with conifers.

    I had worried that my conifers in pots would drowned in our wet Winters here but so far so good, only one plant loss in about 100 pots. This will be a fun experiment(and painful for the back one day), seeing how long I can grow certain plants in pots. A few shots today:


    -Will

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice container plantings! Very decorative!

    I only have a few at the moment, and not a very good picture of them at that, but here they are:
    (Left to Right) Calocedrus decurrens, Cryptomeria japonica 'tansu,' Cupressus pygmaea, Cryptomeria japonica 'Vilmoriniana,'
    (and a Sequoia sempervirens off to the right):

    {{gwi:850454}}

  • gardener365
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's nice to have extra trees... I give them away to my neighbors, friends, & family.

    Dax

    some of this years grafting rootstocks

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! Great photos everyone! Love em all. TJ,That little wooden planter looks awesome! Firefightergardner, you have TONS of them. I do have a few more I will post some photos of. Mine are almost mostly natives of my state / area though with the exception of the mugos and black pine.

    I see you list your zone as a 7/8. Do you ever freeze? Do you just let your pots freeze?

    Were border line 7/8 here, but every winter is different. Last winter we had far more of a 7a type winter, and had the most snow of all the major US Cities here. (75" at national airport, but many places had considerably more than that.)

  • firefightergardener
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I live near Seattle, home to the mild Pacific Northwest climate. We seldom see temps below 25 in Winter and many years we don't see snow at all. Occasionally we see dips into the teens or single digits and all of the plants in my photos here survived record cold for us last year(2 degrees faren). Most of my pots are the newer 'fake' fiberglass pots or the double-paned hard plastic pots which my back appreciates when I move plants and they probably handle freezing temps a bit better then pottery. I'd go with wood more if it wasn't so heavy and expensive.

    Here's a few more shots I took.





    -Will

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks all for the compliments on the container. But it's not wood, it's cement.
    Faux bois.
    This is a pic taken with a bit more color change right before it was put away for the winter.

    tj

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    TJ,

    You had us all fooled. Those first pics you posted of it I could have sworn it was a hollowed out log. The stand you have it on looked just slightly less "natural" but if you had told me it was real wood, I would not have questioned it, especially if I had not seen the bottom part. =o)

    So what do you do with the container over the winter? I guess it gets TOO cold for too long where you are to leave it out huh? That, and it being a type of stone I guess it would be subject to cracking / breaking with the frost / ice heave wouldn't it? Are you more concerned with that, or with the plants freezing and being killed? Just wondering.

    Firefightergardener, I know you have tons of things in containers, and I'm not going to ask you to ID them all for me. I think I actually know some of them. The one I do want to know about though, is the second to last photo you posted in your second post, dead front and center, with half of the pot cut off by the bottom of the photo frame. What is it?

    Ill get a few more photos of my smaller native conifers in pots that I have, uploaded tomorrow.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Will, you're the reigning container champion, I do believe. Love the color and variety.
    I think I see quite a few parvifloras....those are my favorite, as far as needle bundles are concerned.

    TJ, that planter is sick!


    Josh

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My plants get sunk in the ground (they're in lift out storage boxes) and the trough and stand go in the garage.
    Cold isn't hard on it, but wet and cold would be.
    The plants are probably hardy enough so yes, I do it for the trough's sake.

    tj

  • firefightergardener
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The pine in the second to last photo is P. thunbergiana 'Thunderhead'. I find planting conifers in pots very worthwhile since many of them grow slowly, look good year round and are hardy enough to survive our mild-Winters out of the ground.

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks again everyone for sharing the awesome photos! Hopefully even more will share here. Anyway I Just thought that I would update this thread. My little mini collection has grown a bit since I first posted this, both in number, and in size of the plants. I'll start off with a wide shot of the whole thing:

    I call this little area my "winter" garden.
    From far left: Pinus Thunbergii Thunderhead, Pinus Strobus 'elf', (tall farthest left) Cedrus Atlantica 'Horstmann' (blue dwarf), Pinus Virginiana, Pinus Mugo Fastigiata, Picea Abies (Norway Spruce) / Columnar Blue Spruce, 2 Picea Rubens (Red Spruce) saplings.

    Picea Rubens (Red Spruce) close up.

    A couple more (different) Picea Rubens saplings:

    I have about 6 total Picea Rubens seedlings/ saplings. I also have 2 seedlings or small saplings of Canaan Fir (Balsm Fir?) as well that are not pictured. I also have a few small native cedars, and 2 - 5 foot tall Pinus Taeda (Loblolly Pine), also not pictured.

    Got some pretty good growth on everything that I already had over this summer.

    Would love to see more! I know there are lots of container growers out there. =o)

  • ykli
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello,

    Nice collection.
    For winter (not so cold here), I leave them outside without particuliar protection, except the very small ones (small pots). The small ones are kept into a temporary green house.

    Abies Concolor Compacta

    Cedrus Libani Green Prince, waiting to be potted this autumn

    Cedrus Libani ssp. Brevifolia Kzenwith

  • ykli
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Abies Lasiocarpa Logan Pass : June 2011

  • ykli
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Abies Koreana Silberperles : June 2011

    Abies Koreana Kohout's Icebreaker

  • ykli
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pinus Contorta Chief Joseph : June 2011

    Pinus Densiflora Umbraculifera : June 2011

  • gardener365
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thuja occidentalis seedling #109 from cultivar 'Wintergreen'

    Picea abies 'Gold Dust'

    All Spring pics.

    Dax

  • ykli
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Taxus Baccata Jack's Gold

  • severnside
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pinus heldreichii 'Irish Bell'

  • severnside
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Taxus baccata 'David'
    {{gwi:610201}}

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for sharing the fantastic photos everyone! Love it! I especially love the Picea Abies 'gold dust'. Such great little trees, but difficult to find.

    I added a new conifer to my little collection. A small Serbian Spruce. Took a few photos yesterday. It was our first overcast and cool 'rainy' day (it rained rather heavily 4 times, and then misted most of the night)since mid May, and our first day below 90F (most of those were around 96-99F) Since July 3rd or 4th, and our first day we did not pass 80F since early may. Dare I say it almost felt a slight bit like fall! What a nice change!

    The Cedrus Atlantica 'Horstmann' As well as the Picea Omorika are both going to be planted in quite a bit larger wooden planters this fall, probably sometime in October so this area will probably be somewhat rearranged in the future.

    Slowly this little collection in just over a year and 1/2 has grown considerably. Looking back at the first photos and what is has grown to now I almost have to think... Uh oh. I think I might have a problem! LOL!

    Thanks agaian for sharing everyone! Great pics and plants!

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I know this is an OLD thread, but I was looking for something and one of my photos came up in the search. I was actually looking for this thread, as well as other info. LOL! I have not been as active on posting here in the past couple of years, but I'm still around and still have my plant addictions. I will have to post an update to this thread with photos in the next week. I'm about to go through and do some major repotting work. I still have just about all of these conifers in containers, with the unfortunate exception of the Blue Atlas Cedar Horstmann blue dwarf. It died this past spring. I'm going to guess that it was too rootbound in its pot, which I was supposed to repot last fall or this past srping. I unfortunately never got around to doing it. It burst forth with alot of growth this spring, and in a month the new growth died off except for the bottom third. It put out a second flush in mid summer, and that flush died as well then all the needles quickly shed. Its likely my own fault for letting this beauty slip away. That said, everything else seen in my photos in this thread is still very much alive and doing wonderfully! Once I get much of the repotting done this week I will post some new photos so you can see the kind of growth I have gotten. Some are slow growers, some moderate, but all generally look great. The champions by far of container culture have been the Pinus Mugo Fastigiata, but most all of them have done great. The Mugo's are in the long skinny wooden rectangular planter. They are still in that same planter together and I think you will be amazed at how bushy, filled out, larger and beautiful they have become! The are about to get seperated into their own containers as I think 3 years together in their container is enough. Hope everyone is doing well! Happy Fall! (whats left of it anyway)

  • sluice
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great thread!

    This Picea engelmannii is going into its fifth winter in this pot. Collected as a small seedling in fall, 2009. Sited for maximum sun exposure.

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As promised, here is an update to my original post and on the conifers pictured in the original posting. Well, its a partial update anyway...

    First up: Picea Omorika 'Bruns' Then and now:

    This was the first repotting into a larger wooden container in early May of 2012 from its original retail container seen next to it in the photo:
    {{gwi:687086}}

    Here is the repotting from today 11/23/2013 into a substantially larger composite plastic / resin pot: (when I went to repot this it was growing through the wooden container and into the ground. I managed to get the tap root out safely without breaking it. Only one fairly small root was broken off. I broke up the root ball some as it had filled the wooden container for the most part. It now has MUCH more room to grow. It is in my version of Al's gritty mix which I will discuss later on in this post)

    Below the old wooden container which I had to break the bottom off of to get it out safely is next to the new container. I'm hoping that it will be good in this container for at least 2, possibly 4 more years. There is ALOT of room in it for sure. I trilled 8 drainage holes in the bottom of the new container, and 6 all around the bottom sides about 2" up:

    Here below is a close up of the top. Notice in the old photos the top had 4 branches and none were a clear "leader". They were all about the same size. Over the last two years those 4 branches have continued to grow almost equally, with just one growing slightly more vigorous than the others. None of them was coming straight out of the top. I staked that slightly larger one as it was the largest, and it was slightly more upright. I'm attempting to get the plant to recognize that branch as the leader and hoping next year it will take over as such. You can also see one of the cones it produced this year. It produced 4 smaller cones that were a vibrant purple color. each cone was about 2-3" in length. For the experts here do you think this staking will do what I want it to do?

    Below, Pinus Sylvestris 'Gold Coin' in its new container. It had been in its retail container until it was repotted into this much larger composite stone like container on 11.11.2013. You can see the original container in the original posting. I had been controlling Pine Needle Scale by picking and hosing off, but over this summer the infestation got much worse. I twas treated with a dormant oil before repotting which is why it is not as "bring" as it was. It also did not grow as vigorously this past summer due to this infestation. I will retreat if we get another warm spell before severe cold sets in ( but thats happening as we speak going down to mid teens tonight) and will use a systemic granular to work into the soil in the spring.

    Next up is the Pinus Strobus 'Elf" in its new container which is much larger than the one it was in in the original posting. This too had two small branches that had become infected with the Pine Needle Scale, and was treated with the dormant oil before repotting on 11.11. 2013. The same treatment will apply to this one weather permitting, however if I can control / get rid of them with the oil treatment then I will not use the granular systemic. The lower 2/3 that appears dark green instead of its normal bright blue is what was treated. The oil turned it this dark green. This one as you can see has proven to be fairly slow growing and I think will be fine in this container for 2-4 years. Its root ball had not fully filled the old container it was in.

    last for this update, are the two Pinus Mugo 'Fastigiata'. You can see them in the same container in the first photo in the original post copied here:

    Below, they are still in the same container 3 years later, but will be repotted during a warm spell this winter, or next spring. You can clearly see they have been very happy in their home and have done excellent in full sun. Growth has been slow to moderate, with them filling out more (becoming bushier) than growing too much vertically. This photo of them was taken 11.11.2013:

    Here is the mix I am using. Its the same mix I have used for a few years now, and is basically Al's gritty mix. It is 1 part CLAY BREAKER soil conditioner by garden pro, 1 part "TURFACE MVP, 1 part "GRAN-I-GRIT" Growers size, and about about 2/8ths Miracle grow potting mix. I test it before I use it to see what the perched water table is going to be, and that it drains well. It drains very well, and the perched water table that I get from this mix was consistently about 1/3" or so that sat in the bottom, but slowly drained out after an hour or so. Again, to the experts, do you think this is a good enough mix for container culture? So far its worked great for me.

    Thanks for reading all of this and I hope you enjoyed the update! Looking forward to seeing and hearing more!

  • sluice
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The trees look great! No expert here, but your mix seems excellent for container culture. I'm a big fan of Turface MVP.

  • shadeyplace
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My son in law has a restaurant and outside large black tall pots. My daughter and I have been trying to plant things that are LOW maintenance, drought tolerant etc. because even when they say they will water them they DON"T! We are thinking about succulents and evergreens. Last year they killed an Alberta Spruce and some box like shrubs.. What would be a good evergreen to plant in tall containers that is very low maintenance and can go a while with neglect. We have now volunteered to go by and take care of things once a week in the warm weather>>>We do not want to spend a lot of $$$ on a specimen plant and have it die in two weeks. They just do not care...just want it to look good.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree....the mix looks well-suited to conifers in containers. Just be sure to provide nutrients to your trees :-)

    Josh

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey there. Thanks! @Sluice & @greenman28, yeah I'm a big fan of turface MVP as well. Fortunately its much easier to get now that I live out in the country / mountains. The southern states here will just order it for me when I want it, and they carry the Gran-I-Grit in stock all the time. I have had great success with this mix thus far.

    What do you recommend as far as fertilizing regimines? What kind / how much / often? For the larger containers I'm considering going to conifer specific ferts. The smaller ones I may just stick with the usual miracle grow. Believe it or not, Miracle Grow has done very well for all of my plants. I know some people hate it, but I have had great results.

    Would love to see more updates from others since this thread is so old. Love seeing how everyones things are doing!

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Shadyplace7: Im sure someone else here could give you much better advice than I on your question. I have had luck with Pinus Mugo Fastigiata in containers as you can see. However any container plants are going to need water in the winter season as well. You can't just plant something that will survive winter in a container such as a conifer or something deciduous, and not water it all winter. Unless of course you get ample rain / snow that melts on a fairly regular basis. With my conifers if I find they are very dry or it has been dry then I try to use the days that are above freezing to water a bit. You also may have better luck getting better answers if you post a separate thread for your question.

    This thread is old and perhaps people have tired of it as it does not seem to be generating much interest anymore. Hope you find the help you are looking for! Best of luck!

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Shadyplace7: Im sure someone else here could give you much better advice than I on your question.

    ==>>>>

    that is a very polite way of suggesting that shady start their own post .. instead of hijacking this one.. with irrelevant questions .;... its not like to forum is so active... we dont have room for another post.. and add a pic of the site for really good info ... its not that we dont want to help.. its simply that you do it in the appropriate place ...

    as to nova's fert question ... i have grown pine in pots for 3 to 4 years.. with no fert ever .... and in fact with little or no water other than ma nature provides .... more as an experiment.. rather than growing prime stock.. mind you .. lol ...

    the issue is.. whether.. when you water.. do you water so heavily.. that water runs out the bottom ...

    if you do.. then maybe you are watering too heavily.. but that aside.. if so.. then you are flushing the good stuff out of your pot.. along with the excess water ...

    and in that case you would need to replace A LITTLE nutrients ...

    you are not a nursery.. you need not hyper-fert to rush fast grown plants to market.. so you really should not need all that much fert ...

    i would suggest ... 1/4 strength liquid maybe twice a season???? .. max ...[so if it says one teaspoon per gallon.. mix 1/4 teaspoon per gallon ...

    pine trees simply do NOT need a lot of food .. in fact.. your success.. is indicative of how easy they are to grow ... so dont go screwing it all up.. by loving them to death thru excessive fertilizing ....

    continued luck ....

    ken

    ps: and i killed a lot of potted stuff.. with time release.. using the wrong formula.. with the wrong time frame dump [ in MI a 3 or 4 month program is tops.. you dont want to be ferting.. into late summer.. and your plants are zooming going into fall frost/freeze .... rather than properly hardening off] ... and being the cheap SOB i am.. the cost was ridiculous.. for the little i needed ...

  • firefightergardener
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    GREAT looking plants. Love how you've upgraded to nicer pots too. I have several plants that have been in the same pot for five years+ now and similarly they are doing pretty well.

    -Will

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Honestly,
    you could stick with the Miracle Grow, and fertilize according to the directions. Obviously these are not tomatoes, so you could reduce the dosage to 1/4 strength and fertilize every couple of weeks during the growing season.

    Josh

  • NoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey there everyone. Thanks for the replies!

    Ken: Well I was mostly just trying to help them get answers to their questions. I know for me personally I'd start a new thread for a question like that as opposed to burying in an old thread.

    As for loving them too much, well, I definitely am not one to do that! haha. as it is I have been doing Miracle Grow as I said, normal strength, once to at most twice per growing season. Usually just as the buds fully open, then once in mid summer. I do it about 1/2 strength. As you can see the results . I may water once or twice to the point of water coming out of the bottom, but then again it is a very porous mix that I'm using too so even that is not alot of water. I don't wanter a whole lot honestly. If there is reasonable rain I cut the watering way back. I check them about once a week or so and if they are DRY 2" or so down into the mix then ill do a watering. The main reason I even asked about ferts was mainly to gather thoughts on using a conifer specific type of fert as opposed to the general, all plant nature of MG. I suppose though that sticking with what has worked is my best bet.

    Will: Thank you! I've always admired how great yours look in containers as well. It's shown me that it can be done and done well and that's what I'm going for.

    I 'm going to upgrade a few others as well. Most have (or had) been in their new homes for 3 years now. While some were probably fine I like to err on the side of giving more room than not having enough. I think that is how I killed the horstmann blue dwarf, by NOT upgrading it fast enough. (ive killed a few others as well from not enough attention to the containers.) Granted it was a larger plant though. The Picea Omorika 'Bruns' was at its limit. One more growing season in that pot and I likely would not have been able to get it out of the ground (the roots were well into the ground through the bottom of the pot) and / or it would have died from not enough space / dessication. This upgrade for that one should last 3-4 years, and may be its last upgrade before needing to go into the ground. The P. Mugo Fastigiata are getting separated into their own containers to give them a bit more room. However nothing near as large of a change as what I did for the P. Omorika. They are much smaller plants in general and I think have adapted to more cramped spaces among rocks high in the mountains. I also think that the P. Sylvestris 'Gold Coin' ( if it makes it through it s scale infestation which is fairly bad) and the P. Strobus 'Elf' will likely be fine for another few years in their new homes as they have PLENTY of room and are not exactly fast growers.

    Josh: Yea I think I am going to keep doing what I have been since my results have been great to this point. As I said I was just looking for opinions on possibly using a conifer specific fert to maybe boost / enhance them a little bit. But hey, if it aint broke don't fix it right?

    Thanks again all! As always I'd love to see more photos of container conifers!

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nova,
    the truth is, most plants use the main nutrients (N, P, K) in a very similar ratio. That ratio is close to 3:1:2. If you are using a 12-4-8 or 24-8-12 Miracle Grow formula, then you're close to an optimum ratio already. The only thing you might consider adding for a boost would be the micro-nutrients...and of course, supplementing the Calcium that Miracle Grow tends to lack. Conifers will survive and grow in limiting conditions, but they will flourish if given even a little love. Try fertilizing more regularly and just see what happens.

    Josh

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Dream Design Construction LLC
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Loudoun County's Innovative General Contractors