Winter Preparation-What Do You Do

[ColinFraser]

I put on a sweater . . . if I'm feeling cautious I might move a couple of tropicals up against the house. That's about it.

 

[wireme]

Thats the north side of my house, which is the best place for a coldframe. Not enough sun there to put benches. My benches are on the west side of my house actually, behind that fence.

I have to stay well away from the side of the house. Otherwise the trees would get clobbered by roofalanches.

 

[Soldano666]

I do this to keep the voles from chewing my trunks. Just regular old aluminum screen

 

[mattspinniken]

I do this to keep the voles from chewing my trunks

this will help but be careful I have had them tunnel under similar stuff

 

[Soldano666]

this will help but be careful I have had them tunnel under similar stuff

Mannnnnnn...... I've been lucky so far. Maybe il cover the top soil with some hardware cloth.

 

[lordy]

Very nice, but aren't you worried about mice and varments going through the deadbolt and handle holes on the door?

I occasionally see evidence of mice trails thru the mulch, but never in the pots. The worst problem I had one year was that I delayed getting the trees surrounded by the doors and rabbits pruned some valuable branches. No delays on the ground anymore. Straight from benches to the compound.

 

[Paradox]

I have to stay well away from the side of the house. Otherwise the trees would get clobbered by roofalanches.

There is no overhang or slope on that wall. The sloping sides of the roof are the other 2 sides of the house perpendicular to that wall. So it is pretty ideal for coldframe placement.

Put some mothballs in nylon stockings or mesh bags around your trees (not on the soil). Mice hate mothballs and will avoid them.

 

[M. Frary]

I went and got some steel roof sheets. I'll bury the bottom edge about a foot down. My enclosure will be 6 foot tall and 16 foot square. The top I'm leaving open,

Mice hate mothballs and will avoid them.

I did that last year. Didn't seem to work too well. I'm going to use mole max and poison too.

 

[wireme]

There is no overhang or slope on that wall. The sloping sides of the roof are the other 2 sides of the house perpendicular to that wall. So it is pretty ideal for coldframe placement.

Put some mothballs in nylon stockings or mesh bags around your trees (not on the soil). Mice hate mothballs and will avoid them.

I figured as much, thought I'd mention it because you never know, somebody might overlook that when using the side of a house. It would be awful to hear that first big slide and thump and realize that was not such a good spot after all!
Myself I have no room on the gable ends of the house, porches and stairs and stuff.

 

[Paradox]

I figured as much, thought I'd mention it because you never know, somebody might overlook that when using the side of a house. It would be awful to hear that first big slide and thump and realize that was not such a good spot after all!
Myself I have no room on the gable ends of the house, porches and stairs and stuff.

You could always design your coldframe to handle it. It could be built from wood or have a wood sloping top do that any snow falling off the roof of the house hit's the angled top of the coldframe and keeps going. It would just need to be sturdy enough to handle it.

 

[wireme]

You could always design your coldframe to handle it. It could be built from wood or have a wood sloping top do that any snow falling off the roof of the house hit's the angled top of the coldframe and keeps going. It would just need to be sturdy enough to handle it.

Could do. I don't think so though, when I do build something I'd like to design it so that I can open the roof and allow snowfall inside when I want to. I probably will build something just for trees that are further along, in bonsai pots with some styling and branch density, time invested.,,
Rough stock, big boxed buggers and rough developing trunks I think I will just keep mulching.

 

[Paradox]

Could do. I don't think so though, when I do build something I'd like to design it so that I can open the roof and allow snowfall inside when I want to.

Can be done. Just put a hatch/door or two in the top.

 

[CWTurner]

I went and got some steel roof sheets. I'll bury the bottom edge about a foot down. My enclosure will be 6 foot tall

What, no barbed wire along the top? Sounds like a mini-supermax.
Can't blame you after last years damage though.
CW

 

[wireme]

Can be done. Just put a hatch/door or two in the top.

Rollable insulated tarps I'm thinking.

 

[M. Frary]

What, no barbed wire along the top? Sounds like a mini-supermax.
Can't blame you after last years damage though.
CW

I'm thinking about putting hardware cloth across the top though. Nothing in but snow and air.

 

[parhamr]

Winter seems to still be a ways off, for me:


Yesterday I watered a bit and today I applied a little balanced fertilizer.

This year I have better wind protection so I might only take action if/when the daily lows get down below 20°F. I'm in the urban core and have a mild climate so the heat island generally protects my trees.

I typically only move trees that require dormancy into a more shaded section of my yard. For all other trees I tend to push the pots together as a windbreak.

 

[mattspinniken]

I'm thinking about putting hardware cloth across the top though. Nothing in but snow and air.

This is what I did but mine is only 4ft tall. Last year I had bird damage believe it or not from a robin. I also I put hardware cloth on the bottom.

 

[Diolated]

Up here in Siberia (a/k/a the Upper Peninsula), I just dig holes and bury all my trees, pot and all, in the ground about an inch below the pot. I then cover with lots of mulch. I also put a homemade wire mesh/fencing type cage over the deciduous trees to prevent hungry critters from gnawing on the branches. All the trees then get buried by the snow, which we get a lot of here. This is all done along a privacy fence line to shield against the prevailing westerly winds. The ground temperature stays relatively constant all winter, and this process seems to work fine for my trees -- I haven't lost one...yet. I do, however, only work with trees native to the upper Midwest because of our long, cold winters so my over-wintering success is probably more related to tree itself more than anything I do.

 

[M. Frary]

cage over the deciduous trees to prevent hungry critters from gnawing on the branches

There are animals who eat coniferous trees too.

 

[Wilson]

Trees starting to get piled together for a long sleep! Trees on the tables get moved when the real cold comes.