new japanese maple in container what to do during winter
adamsjm
17 years ago
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Comments (13)
myersphcf
17 years agoRelated Discussions
japanese maple in winter
Comments (3)Ideally, your trees would overwinter at somewhere between 32-40*. Temperate trees require a certain number of 'chill units' to release them from their dormant rest. After this occurs, they pass unnoticed into a period of quiescence (or quiet rest). During this rest, they are fully capable of growing, but are prevented from entering a growth phase by low soil temperatures. Most temperate trees are stimulated to growth within a few days by soil temperatures over 42*, which is why I suggested the upper limit of 40* .... to be safe. We don't know what species of maple you're talking about, but even if it's very hardy, it still won't like it's roots being exposed to extreme cold. Roots don't all die at the same temperature, they die incrementally as the temperatures drop. While it varies by species, and genetically by individual plant within that species, all roots on the same plant don't have the same tolerance to cold. These numbers may not be accurate, but it gives you the feel for what I'm talking about. Most temperate trees, even in zone 4, never see actual 6" soil temperatures much below 27*, with 25* being unusual. This is true, even in bare field agricultural conditions. We know that the finest hair roots - the ones that do the lions share of the work are the first to die. In many woody plants, these roots begin to die as soil temperatures drop below 28-30*. As temperatures drop further, larger and larger roots succumb to killing low temperatures. The point is - that many trees that SURVIVE are left with only the largest roots to support them because much of the rootage has frozen. These trees are slow to respond in the spring because they need to utilize stored energy to regenerate lost rootage before they can move sufficient water and the nutrients dissolved in water to support either growth or the flush of foliage that makes the food that allows the tree to grow (this, in the case of deciduous material). So, while trees might survive at extremely low temperatures unprotected, we KNOW it is better for the tree, especially from an energy management perspective, if we give them protection that ensures actual root temperatures don't drop low enough to kill even the finest roots. For most temperate trees, that means we should strive to keep low root temperatures in the upper 20s at their lowest, and below 42* to keep them from growing until spring when we can get them into good light w/o worrying about frost/freeze. Most of the above was a copy/paste job with a few modifications from a reply I left on this forum about junipers a while back. They do need some air circulation. They probably wouldn't do well in a frost-free refrigerator unless tented, and they don't need light while dormant or quiescent. Al...See MoreJapanese Maples in containers - I have no idea what I'm doing...
Comments (4)They have as much potential as you have patience. For example, next spring, you could simply sacrifice the top of the maple in the last picture by chopping off the top just above that little branch that comes off the main a few inches above the soil and just start over. The wound will heal completely in a year or two if you chop it correctly - something I can help with when the time comes. You could also layer off the top if you wanted to ..... lots of options. All the trees could stand a good shortening, but let them grow wild until after leaves fall & then do your pruning. Your tree has the same potential - all that's lacking is a little time & experience, which fortunately often seem to arrive coincidentally: ;-) Al...See Morecontainer japanese maple
Comments (11)If you took care to minimize root disturbance, you could probably pot up now with minimal distress to the plant, but the dissectums are very touchy about being moved between containers while in leaf, you may notice considerable leaf drying at margins. The plant is now preparing for winter and storing energy in roots and cambium for its upcoming rest and subsequent spring growth push. For that reason, I would wait until spring to change containers. The best time is immediately before budswell and before the plant begins its growth cycle. Read on for other info regarding over-wintering. Your tree would fare poorly indoors over winter. In addition to the fact your plant will react poorly to indoor cultural conditions (low light/humidity), your tree needs a dormant rest period and some chilling temperatures to insure it grows with good vitality in the coming (next) growth cycle. Temperate trees that are deprived of dormancy and the requisite chill that releases them from dormancy either exhibit very weak growth or enter dormancy at extremely unusual times, sometimes in the middle of summer or even during normal peak growth periods. This is usually fatal for the tree. The best place to overwinter your tree is in the ground. Leave it in its present container and bury the container to the rim next to a building foundation and mulch to prevent drying. Your tree would prefer to be located on the north side out of sun and wind. You can also overwinter in an unheated garage, but if you do, the tree will break bud too early. When this occurs, you'll need to move the tree outdoors whenever temperatures are above freezing and back inside when temperatures get near the freezing mark. Allowing the tree to grow in the garage with inadequate light will drain energy and destroy the appearance of the tree (very long internodes & weak, pendulous growth) unless you prune the weak growth off when you move the tree outdoors, but this is a huge waste of the tree's energy reserves. Al...See MoreFirst Attempt - Container Grown "Sharp's Pygmy" Japanese Maple zone 5b
Comments (12)Normally, the way I store my containerized trees or shrubs is to allow them to remain outdoors until deciduous leaf loss occurs and we begin to get rather cold weather, though they are grouped on the south side of a garage. Then I move them into an unheated garage that stays closed all winter, and group the pots in plastic baby pools to keep the actual pot off the concrete. Occasionally, I would throw a shovel of snow on the pots as though they were getting the same moisture the trees growing naturally would be getting, more or less. They won't really require light until early spring, when I would begin re-acclimating them by opening the garage doors during the day, then moving them out... it's a process. I always worry about leaving the pot, itself, exposed to the frigid winds we get, without the roots buried or protected, so if I didn't have the option of enclosing them in an unheated building, I would probably opt for burying the pots and mulching them well. I hope your insulation project works well. I think it will be fine as long as it can be protected from the burning cold of winds....See Moreadamsjm
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