boy you dont do things the easy way.. do you .. lol

first.. what is a container????

the key here.. in winter.. is to KEEP THEM DORMANT ...

lets start with you telling us where you are.. z6 means little ..

i like to say.. get it dormant.. keep it dormant.. and that is most of the winter battle ... so no matter what you decide.. the goal is to keep it dormant.. and that is where the warm garage might not be best ...

next.. tell us about your soil type ... and whether or not we can rely on drainage in winter if we start digging holes ... in other words.. can we water a plant if you stick it in the soil ..

next.. how big are these things???? .. if no one ever told you.. size matters ... especially in regard to your options ..

next.. if small.. can you tip them out of the pot/container .. and tell us if they are severely rootbound ... if so.. they will need root surgery ... but i am not sure i would do that in winter ... i guess it depends on where you are ... and what a container is .. and what your soil is ...

as you can see.. other than telling us you got them.. you havent given us much to work with ... how about some actual facts.. and perhaps a pic or two.. to give us a flavor of it all ...

and finally.. tell us how great the bargain was.. to inspire you to do this .... NOW???? ... lol...

ken

ps: in my sand.. and presuming it was not frozen solid ... i would probably sink them.. pot and all.. and figure out what to do with them in mid to late march.. when the soil thawed enough to dig them back out ... unless you are talking about those 2 foot cubed wooden CONTAINERS ... and if so.. i would put them in shade.. and ignore them until planting season for your area ...

Ken thanks for jumping in to assist. I see now that I did not offer enough information so I will answer all your questions 1 by 1. Later on today I will take some photos & post them. I can not right now as it is raining hard.

1. As for the pots. They are the typical black pots that the nurseries use to display the specimens for sale. The sizes of each are listed below next to the description/size of each plant.

2. My location is zone 6a in Pennsylvania between Allentown & the Poconos.

3. About my soil, it is terrible, a mix of clay & pulverized shale, I'm in the Slate Belt area. For all my landscaping I have brought in literally "tons" of enriched topsoil, compost etc. which I have ammended to the planting areas, turning in deeply & well. I have been working on this soil for many years. Right now there is an area in the rear of home (shaded most of the day, early morning sun only) that is ready for planting, drainage would be good & the hose bib is close by if needed.

4. Well if size matters, here goes.....
(all measurements taken from where soil & truck meet to top of specimen)
Norway Spruce #1 is 3' tall in a black 12"w x 9"h pot.
Norway Spruce #2 is 2 1/2' tall in a black 10"w x 9"h pot.
Boxwood Spiral is 3 1'2' tall in a 15"w x 12" h pot.

5. When I take the photos later today I will tip these babies out of the pots & shoot photos to show the condition of the roots.

6. Now as for the bargain, the Norwood Spruce were $7.50 ea. & the Spiral Boxwoods were $8.50 ea. At those prices I thought I would give it a try to bring them home & hopefully be able to save them from danger.

Even though I am a novice & will follow direction & work hard to protect these guys.
My ground is not frozen at this point & I do have a nice shaded area behind my house.

I am not sure how you "make sure to keep them dormant", watering, mulching etc in this situation.

Any education/input would be greatly appreciated.

wow.. when challenged.. you get to it.. lol ..

Norway Spruce #1 is 3' tall in a black 12"w x 9"h pot.

==>> i dont have to look ... a 3 foot tree in a 9 inch pot will need serious root surgery ... which i would do in march or so ... in z5 MI ...

to keep a plant in a black pot dormant.. NEVER let the black pot be in sun ... if the roots thaw.. and start growing.. while the plant above is dormant.. because air temps are less than the pot.. problems might start ... make sense ???

the conifers.. are full sun plants .. so your all shade area.. is not good for permanent placement.. but fine for winter storage ...

the soil sounds horrible ... too risky for healing them in.. pot and all ... i would fear proper drainage ...

get a box. ... that will hold all the pots .. not the plants.. just the pots .... place it in shade .. place pots in box.. fill with something ... and ignore until march ... easy as that ..

the box... by filling with soil.. compost.. leaves... etc .. is making a larger 'mass'.. that will stay colder in case temps spike ..etc ... just a little failsafe ... in case of some heatwave ... the shade also helps that ...

lets see what others have to say ...

and BTW.. i am NOT talking about boxwood.. as pots in winter.. its all the same .. after that.. i dont know or do boxwood ...

oh .... watering ... since they will bo outdoors.. and open to rain/snow.. and dormant.. they should not need much water.. every few weeks ... insert finger.. if dry.. add a couple ice cubes/snowball .. which will melt when temps are appropriate.. which would be when to tree needs some moisture .. if they dont melt ... the dormant tree wont need water ...

this is z5 science.. i wouldnt be surprised if some z6'ers come along and tell me i am making a mountain out of a molehill .. so be it.. i have addressed the issues.. so you can contemplate such.. i be learnin you .. lol ..

time to bake.. no time to check for typos nor lack of clarity ...

ken

Thanks for the info Ken. You seem like a man with alot to offer us all.

You would be surprised what I have grown in this horrible soil.
There was nothing when I started, not even a decent lawn.
I work a large area & then start planting when I have improved the soil.

All my evergreens, trees, flowers, etc. have done well.
Even have a thick lush lawn, put in alot of time.
I have just never tried to do this wintering over of nursey stock.

Like I said I do have a large area that has "new" (purchased) enriched top soil about 18" deep near the house (morning sun till about 10am).
I bought the soil in to improve a grade/slope in the yard above a retaining wall.
Below the new soil is filter fabric & 3' of drainage stone.
I know because I built the wall.
This (in my humble opinion) could be a safe winter sleeping place for the little ones.
Your idea of the box is brillant, I never would have thought of that.
Your box would probably be easier than digging the holes & sounds like it would offer the needed protection

Question: If I decide to put the "pots" in the ground should I cut off the top of the pots (the soil stops about 2" from the top of the pot) so the trunk is never in standing water, wether it be from rain or snow melt?
What are your thought?

Let me know if you have a chance, plan on doing this tomorrow.

Sounds like I am going to have to learn about root surgery between now & March.
With guidance/advise the little guys may stand a good chance.
I have just found my new "project".
Or is there anything else you feel I should do differently?
You have more experience than this newbie.

Sara,

Ken has given enough advice to get these conifers into March.

You need to revisit when it's time to plant them for good.

Pots should have weep holes in bottom of the pot. If not punch a few in the bottom of pot with an ice pick to provide drainage.

Dave

If I decide to put the "pots" in the ground should I cut off the top of the pots

==>> naw.. to hard on some pots .. tip the plant out.. and add enough native soil.. to reset the plant at.. or just above the pot line ... and then cover the pot so it is not in sun ..

and dave said: You need to revisit when it's time to plant them for good. ==>> make that a few weeks in advance ...

and just to ease your mind.. it isnt brain surgery ... bare root them .... spread out the roots.. any kinked or making a 90 degree bend.. snip above the bend ... hopefully the rest will straighten out by hand.. but if any are simply too circling.. snip them off ... dig hole.. make a mound in the middle.. place plant on top ... insure proper depth.. backfill.. and do PROPER watering for all of next year.. mulch PROPERLY ...

the key here is that they are still dormant when doing it all ... and remember that the roots are supposed to come out of dormancy as the soil warms.. and start growing.. to start pumping water.. for the plant to come out of dormancy ... and by the time these things bud out some time in may or so.. the roots will have had 6 to 8 weeks to regenerate.. before the budding out starts stressing the water system ...

thats it in a non-scientific nutshell ... so as you do the research.. you know what to hone in on ...

BTW.. w/o reading back .. trees.. which conifers are.. are planted in full sun.. in NATIVE SOIL [but for the worst clay] ... save your amended beds for foo foo stuff ...

pix??

ken

If the soil in the pots freezes solid, the trees are at risk. You need to keep them in a cold place to maintain dormancy, but keep the soil in the pots from freezing completely. Putting them down in the soil, and mulching may do the trick.

--Spruce