are you growing them in pots .. if so ... how did you deal with the pots over winter ???

There are a lot of ACS members in New England. If you join the Society you will find some nearby or in similar gardening conditions who can give you advice and share experiences with you.

Ken, I read that as the plants are started in the basement and then planted outside.

They are all in pots. I am selecting for the hardiest individuals from among hundreds of total plants grown from seed. And, honestly, I would feel guilty bothering people with every one of the problems I am experiencing... I ordered a book overnight:Growing conifer seedlings, transplants, and trees in an outdoor nursery by Donald B. Hilliker.

That said, the long version of the problems are as follows.

Abies koreana, Pinus cembra, Pinus longaeva, Pinus nigra 'Austriaca', and Pinus sibirica all came through the winter (along with others, but they're fine).

Pinus longaeva came through quite strong. Abies koreana, Pinus cembra, and Pinus sibirica, came through okay.

Two weeks after the last snow storm it got extremely hot. We had 90degF temps for three days. I don't think I watered enough at that time.

Since then I have been moving them into different light on different parts of the property. I believe that I have been successful finding good light and watering levels for Pinus cembra and sibirica, and Pinus nigra 'Austriaca'.

Almost all of my Abies koreana and Pinus longaeva continue to do very poorly. The pinus longaeva picked up when I moved them into more sun, but I believe that when I moved them again (I was going to set up a new space just for them) I really upset them. The half dozen Abies Koreana that survived are doing very poorly.

While I know that I can find a lot of the information that I'm looking for doing research online that can be extremely time consuming and I am working with dozens of different plants (from self-seeding annuals to Pinus longaeva). So I am looking for a comprehensive resource on conifers--like a textbook--that can give me a broad base of knowledge from which I can draw because I haven't got all the time in the world :)

hi sara .. i reread.. and still dont see that ...

i have lots of experience in growing hosta in pots.. and trying to successfully winter them over ... its the whole ground and pot freeze thing ... etc ... so it made me wonder ...

forums have been so dead.. i was just hoping for a conversation ...

ken

If you are getting spring frost damage then you need to choose different kinds of conifers - USDA 4 is pretty cold so there may not be a big range of conifers suitable for your area.

Otherwise for additional commentary here you should provide details of what you are doing with your plants in regard to planting out and what is happening to them in spring.

Just my two cents.

Last spring cannot be considered 'normal' with hard frost occurring multiple times, late in the spring over large areas.

And it doesn't matter how 'zone hardy' your conifers are on paper.

Small, young, tender, new from seed conifers that have had perfect growing conditions, then brought up from the basement and placed outside, will many times die if hard freezes occur, more so if the freezes happen multiple times or for extended periods.

Generally, you can't take plants that are growing in a warm, moist, protected environment, similar to an incubator and throw them outside into harsh, cold weather and expect them to thrive. It's just too much of a shock for them. At least in the colder climates and areas experiencing colder than normal spring temperatures.

Addison,

Can you post some pictures of you plants in question for us to see?

Two weeks after the last snow storm it got extremely hot. We had 90degF temps for three days. I don't think I watered enough at that time.

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the trees should have still been dormant.. and i find it hard to believe they needed any water ...

the pines ive tortured in pots ... just about never needed water ....

i presume your ground freezes ... correct ... that means your pots also freeze solid... and any rain or snow thaw in a frozen plant.. can lead to an ice cube in the pot.. and roots need air.. probably more than they need water.. that time of year ...

no time to reread.. did you tell us what you pot media is.. is there any issue of age.. that it has worn out.. and is not shedding water as trees prefer??? .. how big are these trees ...

ken