Ok but by the time it is summer, the roots should be established in the soil right? Once its established, can it still take full sun in the summer?

Oh it depends...how big is the pot, how hot is the sun, how many hours of sun, etc etc. You'll likely be able to figure it out by observing. A 'mature' conifer could take the full sun in a pot with enough water. If these seedlings have big, developed root systems by the time it gets hot, yes, they should be fine. But you should upend the pots and look at the roots; don't just guess from looking at the tops.

I have my potted conifers in full sun and they're doing fine. I have mostly young conifers in pots. I Just make sure they get enough water in the summer. The only potted conifers I have placed in part shade are the ones that can burn in afternoon sun.

I grow all my conifers in containers and they are all in full sun. Same at area nurseries and the wholesale growing fields (and often in much smaller containers than I use!). The only ones I see with any approximation of shade are some with white tips, like Cryptomeria japonica 'Knaptonensis' and Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Barry's Silver', as these tend to scorch and brown in full-on sun.

And let me be the one to tell you that conifers do NOT necessarily need to be in the ground :-) I would consider container planting only a temporary measure for larger growing species or cultivars but dwarfs can be grown indefinitely in a container with proper care.

you have transport shock ...

micro climate shock ..

planting shock ...

why cant they stay in shade for a week or two.. while the roots get settled.. and start pumping water???

think in tree time ... whats a few weeks.. over the decades it might live ... put it in shade ...

theres what you can do ... and what you should do ... and giving it a week or two of shade.. imo.. is what you should do ...

ken

ps: wonder if i got my point across.. not sure i said it often enough .. lol

As stated, full sun in March in NJ is not the same as full sun in July. I doubt it will make any difference to the plants one way or the other to be in sun now or to wait until later in the season. It's six of one; half a dozen of the other.

Just to be safe, I will wait 2 weeks after planting to put in the sun. Another question though, its going to be a low 13 degrees tomorrow night and the pines are coming tomorrow. Should I keep them inside my garage for protection? Since they were just planted the roots won't be too strong yet to tolerate the cold will it? In another words, should newly planted pines or any conifers be protected from below freezing temperatures?

I would definitely keep it in the garage at that temperature. The temperatures will be warming up on Monday.

In the fall I protect my plants in smaller pots with a thick layer of leaves. The leaves will help insulate the tree during the winter. Some people bury their pots in the ground.

Note, A 10 gallon container or larger has a lot more soil to protect the tree during winter cold which means the tree will be more protected.

Note, in photo 2 you can see it's a battle to replenish the leaves that blow away from the wind.

All good advice, I like to insulate my pots from extreme cold and heat/sun. I guess full sun,even on black pots might not kill them, but the 5-1-1 dries out really fast. It's good you have lite colored pots, that will help.

This year I built a raised bed bed 3ft off the ground to hold all my fresh grafts and 1 gal pots. I will surround the pots with mulch to keep roots cool. And shade cloth is a must for BP fresh grafts if you get any that size.

My pines came and I just finished potting them in this 15 degree weather. The trunk was also already curved on all of them which means I don't have to train them to have a curved trunk like the techniques the Japanese do,right?

Btw Im keeping them in the garage overnight since temps will be down to 13 degree tonight. I just watered them but worried that the water will freeze even if inside the garage. If the water freeze, will it kill my pines?