Overwintering potted trees in a garage
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Embothrium
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No garage, overwintering strawberry pots
Comments (4)Living in the condo presents some 'problems'...do you have balcony? How many pots? I would make sure the soil in pots is very well draining; then keep them close together & if possible, surround with dried leaves. Maybe you can make some kind of bed - no bottom, just to keep pots together & keep the leaves around the pots & as mulch on top (from 2x4, or even fencing panels-doesn't have to be really sturdy). You could use chicken wire to make a cage, it will keep leaves from blowing around. If on balcony, do you get lots of snow in? They still need some moisture as Drew mentioned, so make sure they are not covered up with something like plastic. Good snow cover should actually insulate them. Worst is if you get constant freeze-thaw. As long as there isn't water sitting in the pots, they should be ok to overwinter. Rina This post was edited by rina_ on Mon, Sep 8, 14 at 9:35...See MoreOverwintering Potted Plants- Garage or Outdoors?
Comments (1)Even bulbs that are hardy to zones 4 & 5 don't see actual SOIL temperatures much lower than 25* at the VERY coldest, so storing them outdoors w/o protection is out. You could bury the pot next to the foundation of a heated building & mulch, but it's a PITN to dig them up and clean the pot, not to mention worrying about the bushy-tailed rats finding them, when all you need to do is layer them in your bulb pan & put them on the garage floor & forget about them (except to toss a LITTLE snow on them from time to time) for the winter. They will stratify nicely & get their roots on, so they'll be ready to go any time after January - whenever you give them several days of at least 50ish temps. I've always used my garage for stratifying and forcing early spring bulbs. A walk-in cooler or refrigerator would work too, if you or a convenience store owner/friend (or similar) can devote the space. Al...See MoreOverwintering hostas in glazed pot: will the garage work?
Comments (15)go for it.. just as an aside.. pots can crack for one of two reasons ... not counting teenager kicking it .. lol .. if unglazed.. the pot itself can hold water.. freeze and crack ... or .. if the media is too wet .. and it expands as its freezing.. the pot can crack ... think water bottle in freezer ... its a hosta.. have sonny boy tip it out in the veg garden. shove that sucker in the ground.. clean out the pot.. and store it.. is the way i would go ... but you have experience with geraniums.. so you are further on the learning curve than i am.. so go for it ... something looks off with your H ... like it might be planted too deep ... check that next spring.. and insure it hasnt sunk in the media... which basically means .. lol .. repot it anyway ... full circle.. do it now.. and just shove it in mother earth ... ken ps: and when you do repot.. search the recycle bins for a regular pot.. and use a pot in pot system.. so next fall.. you can just yank the pot out ... for storage ......See Moreoverwintering young potted trees
Comments (8)Up here a garage makes sense in winter for a lot of plants, down in TX I think the garage will get too warm on sunny days (which is most of them in winter) and coax them into early growth. Better to leave them in the coolest, shadiest place you can find outside where, as Tornado points out, you will be less likely to need water them. In my garage, even in winter, I still need to water deciduous stuff about once a month because the dry air sucks moisture out of the soil. They don't need a lot of water of course, but you don't want it to get bone dry. Evergreens actively transpire...camellias are the worse. Sometimes needing water more than once a week if it gets really cold and dry. (the garage is kept at or near 32F minimum, barring insulating malfunctions) It doesn't help that Camellia Forest uses a very friable bark based mix that doesn't hold much water. Makes you appreciate why they need strong root systems in marginal climates, and why I've lost plants like 'Red Jade' even at temps above 0F if they were in spots with winter morning sun. It just dries them right out....See MoreBillMN-z-2-3-4
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