Another winter thread cause I’m a newbie!

[ohiogrown]

I’ve done some research and I understand each person situation is Different. I’m from central Ohio, I think zone 5. This is my first winter with trees and I know none of mine are anything to brag about but I still want them to make it threw the winter. If I’m understanding right the deciduous trees need to be sheltered from the ice and wind. The confers can stay outside? Also what about a larch? So I have a shed I put my deciduous trees in and i have a temperature gauge so I can monitor the temperature. So far it seems to stay a few degrees warmer then the temps outside. Do you think this will work for the deciduous? I have a crepe myrtle I think I read I should get a heat pad for it to keep the roots warm? For My conifers I herd Ryan Neil say that with them on the ground they are 10 degrees warmer. So I moved all mine to the ground. They are kinda against a brick building I was hoping this would be enough to sheild from the wind. Also if I need to I could cover all the pots with pine bark? Or I could put them in the shed too if that would help? I figured the ground would be the best bet. I also have the option of putting under My benches. Or if they are okay on the benches I’ll put them back on.? I’m going to post some pictures of my situation and you guys can tell me what would be best. Sorry for all the questions I just want to get this right. If I could get some suggestions it would be very very helpful. Thanks!

 

[M. Frary]

You can leave deciduous trees out all winter. Mine are. They will be fine come spring.

 

[JudyB]

You must provide protection for your crape myrtle should you want it to live thru the winter. I use a heat mat under mine,(and in a cold greenhouse) but it's in a bonsai pot. I don't know if you could get away with the shed and no heat mat.
I would think about putting anything deciduous that's not hardy to one zone colder to you in the shed. Or you can dig and bury the pots into the ground and mulch them in. Pick a spot that won't get winter sun, and somewhere with a windbreak, or create one. The conifers should be ok outside depending on what they are. Got any JBP? you'd have to protect that differently, they're not cold hardy here. I would think about mulching around them, but be on the lookout for rodents that like to live in mulch in the winter. I used to do hardware cloth under and around to keep them out when I did outside overwintering. Is your larch Japanese, or American? Japanese are not as hardy, and will need protection here. But American laughs at cold weather...

 

[ohiogrown]

You can leave deciduous trees out all winter. Mine are. They will be fine come spring.

So yours are just out on ur benches? You don’t do anything?

You must provide protection for your crape myrtle should you want it to live thru the winter. I use a heat mat under mine,(and in a cold greenhouse) but it's in a bonsai pot. I don't know if you could get away with the shed and no heat mat.
I would think about putting anything deciduous that's not hardy to one zone colder to you in the shed. Or you can dig and bury the pots into the ground and mulch them in. Pick a spot that won't get winter sun, and somewhere with a windbreak, or create one. The conifers should be ok outside depending on what they are. Got any JBP? you'd have to protect that differently, they're not cold hardy here. I would think about mulching around them, but be on the lookout for rodents that like to live in mulch in the winter. I used to do hardware cloth under and around to keep them out when I did outside overwintering. Is your larch Japanese, or American? Japanese are not as hardy, and will need protection here. But American laughs at cold weather...

My deciduous trees are Japanese maples, Chinese elm, seiju elm, native maples: red,silver,sugar. The larch I’m not sure. I got it from the gift shop at the Columbus Ohio franklin park conservatory. My conifers are pinyon pine,Virginia pine,eastern white pine ( I know I know!), black spruce, and Alberta spruce .

 

[sorce]

I'm not saying my way is the right way....

Just some interesting thoughts there...

https://bonsainut.com/posts/506951/

Sorce

 

[Cadillactaste]

Varments can kill a tree. Wasn't it you @M. Frary who lost a tree Will gave you from such fate? Or was that someone else? Any tips you learned from it?

I'm dead on my feet...lack of sleep does that to a person. If not you...who was it?

 

[M. Frary]

anything?

And uh yeah. It was I who lost trees to voles. Not just 1 but over 100.
My trees sit on a bed of straw then buried in straw up to the lower branches.
I have 2 Chinese elms that seem to take the cold better than others but I cover them completely over with straw.
The whole enclosure is steel sheets buried a foot down to prevent V.C. tunneling in.
This whole thing gets covered in a few feet of snow. They stay frozen until end of april or the beginning of may. I leave them in there until the last hard frost passes. By then they are thawed and ready to go back out on benches.
I haven't had trees wake up too early. The straw insulates from cold but also keeps heat out in spring keeping everything nice and frozen.
I like frozen and snow. Once you get past a couple years of wintering you should have an idea what works best for your area.
And winter can kill trees. Trees worked too late in the season. Weak trees. It's the nature of the game. It's also why I didn't enter the winter follies contest. I would kill any tree worth winning a contest because of those factors. There isn't a tree to be found that can take too much work in late fall and survive the winter.

 

[Tieball]

I’ve done some research and I understand each person situation is Different. I’m from central Ohio, I think zone 5.

Not that it changes your plans but I believe most of Ohio is a 6A. They recently went back to numerous states and restated the zones....the new zoning takes into account underground piping, electric grids, buildings and such. Earlier studies did not take these temperature changers into account. 6A would be the zone application of ground attached, ground growing, plants and trees I believe. Here’s a link for your reading...
https://www.ohio.com/akron/lifestyle/new-plant-hardiness-map-puts-region-in-warmer-zone
You have some good advice from the experts above in the earlier posts. Narrowing down what you do....is the challenge.

What I have...mostly Zelkova, Hackberry Celtis Sinensis, American Elm, Korean Hornbeam, a Purple Smoke Tree experiment, and Field Maple sit in the ground all year. I apply a few windscreens made of a green woven plastic material fence...it’s sort of similar to a 90 percent sun screen/shield....leftover rolls from PGA tournaments I managed. I do this windscreen only for the Zelkova right now. The Hackberry trees will get a screening once the 10' tall trees are chopped down. I can easily feel at least a solid 10 degree difference inside the windshielded area....but not to a point where it is to warm. The screening is only 4' tall. On mild winter days it seems neutral in temperature. The open top allows the full collection of desired frost, rain and snow dished out by nature....minus the sub zero wind chills. Miscellaneous parts of windscreens are rolled and buried in the surrounding ground preventing penetration by the underground and ground level diggers....they hate plastic mesh that is manufactured not to tear. Works for me...not for them. I generally work with trees that belong outdoors in my area and cultivate them to stay outdoors and enjoy dormancy and growing. I guess the Zelkova and Hackberry trees are my zone exception...but they’ve been growing just fine for 5-7 years now.

 

[Cadillactaste]

And uh yeah. It was I who lost trees to voles. Not just 1 but over 100.
My trees sit on a bed of straw then buried in straw up to the lower branches.
I have 2 Chinese elms that seem to take the cold better than others but I cover them completely over with straw.
The whole enclosure is steel sheets buried a foot down to prevent V.C. tunneling in.
This whole thing gets covered in a few feet of snow. They stay frozen until end of april or the beginning of may. I leave them in there until the last hard frost passes. By then they are thawed and ready to go back out on benches.
I haven't had trees wake up too early. The straw insulates from cold but also keeps heat out in spring keeping everything nice and frozen.
I like frozen and snow. Once you get past a couple years of wintering you should have an idea what works best for your area.
And winter can kill trees. Trees worked too late in the season. Weak trees. It's the nature of the game. It's also why I didn't enter the winter follies contest. I would kill any tree worth winning a contest because of those factors. There isn't a tree to be found that can take too much work in late fall and survive the winter.

Thanks Mike! I thought you had upped your game in protecting your trees. But couldn't recall how. Still sucks about the loss you took. But you learned from it...and flipped them varments off by upping your game.

 

[M. Frary]

Thanks Mike! I thought you had upped your game in protecting your trees. But couldn't recall how. Still sucks about the loss you took. But you learned from it...and flipped them varments off by upping your game.

I'll get some pictures of what I like to call the northern wall.
I had to come up with something.
Another thing I forgot to say is I used a bottle of molemax inside the pen and out around it's outer perimeter.
Plus to help prevent infestations of boles,keep the surrounding clean of debris,tarps,logs,and keep the grass ultra short.
It all worked last year. I'm shooting for 2 in a row!