Potted tiny pine seedling in the winter
buffalo999111
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I have a seedling (maybe ponderosa pine?) that I started a little late in the year. It's only like 4 inches tall. It has been indoors in my unheated sunroom, but now the weather will start to drop consistently and the sunroom nears the freezing point for many months in winter. Should I let the seedling just stay on the windowsill or should I bring it inside? Or bring it outside?
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Comments (6)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Pine Tree seedlings
Comments (7)i have no clue how to remove such from those peat pots ... there is a conifer forum ... which they are.. i dont know if you will get any better info there.. but there are some peeps in the pest and disease forum.. that have lots of experience.. with all kinds of things ... its the pot itself which is the problem ... you would do it.. when they are large enough to handle ... which is probably not for 6 months or so ... pine seedlings are nearly indestructible .... and can take a lot of abuse ... what i recommend.. is potting it into a quart pot .. even a gallon pot.. and letting them grow ... if there is a plastic or net thing holding the peat together.. see if you can remove that first ... once the roots grow thru it.. it might be hard to remove ... and most important.. is what media you put in the bigger pot.. and i suggest a cactus mix.. trees.. which conifers are ... NEED very high drainage.. and a media that hold a lot of water.. will lead to root death ... and that is why the PEAT is a problem.. it holds too much water i have hundreds of free range pine seedlings all over my drought ridden mineral sand yard .. and they NEVER get watered or anything .. just about the only way to kill them.. in my estimate.. IS WITH TOO MUCH LOVE ....[so do not 'feed' them either] good luck ken...See MoreHow to over-winter tiny seedlings?
Comments (6)Follow-up: turned out that I had slightly under-estimated the number of seedlings, since I'd just grabbed buckets of leaf duff with them buried in it. There were 68 all told, and every one different in leaf shape and color. (Is this the norm?) I potted them up in some pretty bad "loam" delivered by a contractor for something else, and got them established before winter. All but one survived potting. I have an unheated greenhouse/solarium attached to the house, and put them out there until November, when the leaves dropped. Then moved them into complete shade under the table to prevent sun scald and freeze-thaw. Kept them moist - probably too wet - and put them up in the sun again in March. All survived except for two that a chipmunk nibbled and two others that may hove gotten too wet or dry. They are out in open ground now, and as they reach 16" I'm transplanting them to final locations (or giving away). The forty or so I'll be leaving in the ground this year I'll probably mulch with wood chips, unless there's a better suggestion. Thanks for all the good advice!...See MoreGrowing a pine seedling
Comments (3)crikey.. where are you ... most of us are not digging up trees and conifers in August ... but even if you did.. it might be good to wait to plant it until fall ... and in the meantime.. i would keep the pot in bright shade ... its about the pot .. rather than lifetime siting ... can we make sure on the ID ... what gal said ... what media did you use in the pot ... ken...See MoreWow, Tiny 4 and 1/2month old seedling trying to flower.
Comments (27)Agartta, ha ha you crack me up. I was going to say “it’s not how big it is.............. Maria Elena, No, I had no issues with growth last year. The larger plant with the seed pod in the photo above was one of our own seeds we grew through our Winter and even with the cold, those seedlings still grew well. Our growing season this year started with heatwave conditions from the get go. The tiny seedling and the 4 varieties planted at the same time, (Rinoa’s seed) grew very slow from the beginning. (All four different varieties behaved the same.) Our babies had to adapt quickly to the heat, but I believe this is what slowed them from the beginning. As for fertiliser - we don’t fertilise our babies regularly, they usually get enough nutrients from the soil mix. But, as these grew slower, we did supplement them occasionally with a little fertiliser, (one with a slightly higher nitrogen content). Fertiliser did not seem to help with growth. We do also, feed all our babies with seaweed solution (seasol) while they are small. As for whether it harms the baby flowering early, I don’t know, but I will let you know if I notice anything different with this one. I agree that it takes a lot of energy from the plant to flower, as it also does for growing seed pods. But, I am sooo curious to see if this little one can flower....so fingers crossed. :) Here’s a photo of the seed/variety this little one is from. (Rinoa’s photo)...See Morebuffalo999111
7 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years agobuffalo999111
7 years ago
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