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Keeping potted bushes alive till spring, HELP

rehabbingisgreen

13 years ago

I've become the keeper of a few bushes that I need to figure out how to keep alive till I can plant them in the spring in the ground. We've had one night of freeze and there's just no time to get these babies in the ground.

I'd like to keep them in the house and put them out next year in the ground. I appreciate any help! I just want to keep them alive.

I have a red flowering quince, a st. Helens azalea, and two spirea.

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Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
you have about 2 more weeks to get the job done properly.. outside ... in my z5 ...

temperature is not relevant ... except for your comfort

none are going to thrive as house plants ... and may fail ...

just about the ONLY way to kill a quince or the spirea ... would be trying to make them into house plants ....

is the azalea deciduous ???

ken
rehabbingisgreen
Original Author
13 years ago
If I put them out won't they freeze without any time to establish themselves?
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ginny12
13 years ago
I assume they are in pots or b&b. How big are they? That matters.

Ken is right--no house plants. Two techniques have worked for me--

1--Keep them outdoors as long as possible til consistent hard freezing weather. Keep them watered. Then bring them into a COLD garage and keep them barely moist til early spring. You don't want to see any new growth, leaves emerging etc. Then again move them outdoors to a sheltered location--or plant them--and be vigilant about watering the first year.

2--Plant them now. Water consistently if it doesn't rain. When you have consistent hard freezing weather, cover them with something like oak leaves and netting to protect them.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
13 years ago
Umm, they aren't exactly human. They aren't even wimpy felines which often decide it is too cold to go out even when humans think it is quite nice. They are plants. Except for the azaleas, which I'd need more information about, they are quite hardy plants. I'd say cold for them doesn't happen before the ground freezes, so around here that would be about Christmas most years.

So you only have about two months to get them in the ground. If you are really going to be too busy for the next two months, then putting them in a garage is probably the best idea, though I have done OK with hardy shrubs in large leaf piles.
rehabbingisgreen
Original Author
13 years ago
Ok the plants are in the ground. Keeping fingers crossed and new babies watered.

Thanks everyone for the help. I normally just plant things in spring and even in summer if I can provide initial shade and plenty of water.
bruce1_2009
13 years ago
If the plants were established in the pots, that is, not dug up within the last month or so, they should be fine planted out. A rule of thumb is that potted plant material can be planted any time you can dig a hole for them. Some protection and fastidious watering will certainly help, but be careful not to overwater. The soil need to be moist but must not be waterlogged. Remeber that plants that are dormant do not take up water the way they do as when in active growth. Also, soils tend not to dry out as quickly in the cold conditions of fall and winter.

Bruce
artcmigala
13 years ago
Fall is best for planting most shrubs. I have overwintered shrubs in pots buried in leaf litter next to my compost pile with success.

Shrubs and trees can go in the ground until the ground is frozen. They don't care, they're dormant.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
rehab ...???

are you not native to z5???

in my z5 ,... there are two planting seasons ...

fall .. when the trees lose there leaves ... when that happens almost everything is dormant.. and takes well [goodly???] to transplant ... 6 to 8 weeks prior to ground freeze .. done PROPERLY ...

and then at ground thaw .. around 4/1 ... 6 to 8 weeks before the heat of summer starts around 6/1 ...

there are some posts in the tree forum about winter holding of pots.. which cover this same issue ...

so .... there are two planting season in z5 ...

ken

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