For those of you with plants in pots in the ground

Nybonsai12

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It's cold here in NY today. Like 9 degrees. Ugh, i think everything should be fine as the temps will be back up to 30's by week end, but I'll still worry a little bit. Reading through other threads getting jealous about people in CA doing there preparations for spring I was wondering when those of you dig yours up to repot, do root work, etc.

I have a cedar in the ground under mulch that I was planning on doing some minor root work to and repot around this time(at the suggestion of the very knowledgable seller), but it's just too darn cold so it will get pushed back. I was thinking once temps are consistently around 40 or so.

So when do yours come out of the ground?
 

GrimLore

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I am in 6b and we won't be taking anything out of it's winter position until late March or Mid April based on the last 4 years in this location. When I was in SW NY we almost always had to wait until May.
 

bonsaibp

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It's cold here in NY today. Like 9 degrees. Ugh, i think everything should be fine as the temps will be back up to 30's by week end, but I'll still worry a little bit. Reading through other threads getting jealous about people in CA doing there preparations for spring I was wondering when those of you dig yours up to repot, do root work, etc.

I have a cedar in the ground under mulch that I was planning on doing some minor root work to and repot around this time(at the suggestion of the very knowledgable seller), but it's just too darn cold so it will get pushed back. I was thinking once temps are consistently around 40 or so.

So when do yours come out of the ground?

If it's a true cedar I would wait a little while. They like to have root work done when it's a little warmer. I usually do it around the end of March here maybe late April for you.
 

dick benbow

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Mine outside just went thru upper teens to lower twenties.

With age and eperience comes the realization that with weather anymore, history ( or when we used to do it) doesn't have anything to do with timeing these days. I'll make my decision in March, based on long range forcasts. Normally I'd be looking at mid february in the past. used to be all danger of frost was passed by mid april, but you can't go by that now.

I have set up in my greenhouse ( I couldn't get all my trees in there so hence some in the ground) a box with soil and heating cables to control warmth. When I feel I need to get something done repotting wise in a timely manner, I make sure i have control of the warmth to protect the roots. With apologies to mother nature but I can't trust her any more ( darn climate change)
The good news is our summers are warmer with better sun. take the risk out of it and take control is my advice. :)
 

Nybonsai12

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If it's a true cedar I would wait a little while. They like to have root work done when it's a little warmer. I usually do it around the end of March here maybe late April for you.

I remember you suggesting this in my cedar thread. Looks like I'll be waiting a while. May I ask what you mean by a "true cedar". Mine is a golden atlas.
 

JudyB

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I have a blue atlas, and I do it close to last of my repots. I read somewhere that when the tips (roots) begin to show white, that is the correct time. So far it's worked for me. Better late than early, with almost everything. Larch are also picky about their timing. Too early and a late cold snap and you'll loose the tree for sure. But do it when the buds look like little brushes. You'll see the buds turn golden on larch, then they start to open soon. Some trees, like maples, you can do after they leaf out, before the leaves harden. So it's really dependent on species. Too early for everything right now....
 

lordy

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in rural Maryland my "usual" dates are into winter beds at Thanksgiving, start to lift around St. Patrick's day. What Dick says it true, however. Climate changes will dictate when YOU should move the trees. Watch out for rogue freezes after you get the trees out because they can be a killer, literally. PAY ATTENCH! Listen to the local forecasts and act accordingly.
 

Vance Wood

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Here in Michigan we usually don't touch anything till the end of April. Sometimes Michigan can turn real nasty in April with some of the coldest weather of the winter season. We have been in the single digest for over a week with dips to -2 below zero a couple of times. I know better than to hope for warm weather too early, it could be disastrous.
 

Nybonsai12

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Here in Michigan we usually don't touch anything till the end of April. Sometimes Michigan can turn real nasty in April with some of the coldest weather of the winter season. We have been in the single digest for over a week with dips to -2 below zero a couple of times. I know better than to hope for warm weather too early, it could be disastrous.

Vance,
are your trees in the ground? or something else? I would imagine more protection would be necessary with those temps.
 
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It all depends on what type of trees. If you are using locally native or at least locally naturalized stock, your plants, in the ground, should be able to handle just about whatever temps ma nature throws at them. If the stock is tender, less hardy, or underwent recent heavy work, a heating cable into the ground is not a bad idea and or a tarp for when it gets real nippy. I know some pile the snow on top for insulation. I haven't gone the heating cable route yet although someday I will. and my winters are probably more mild then yours. I think yesterday was the second time I broke out the hat and gloves this winter when it was in the 20's here. Cold enough to freeze the salsa at the taco truck.
I generally don't start re potting anything until I see signs of movement on top. Even then, I prefer fall repotting.
 

bonsaibp

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I remember you suggesting this in my cedar thread. Looks like I'll be waiting a while. May I ask what you mean by a "true cedar". Mine is a golden atlas.
Lots of trees are called cedar but actually aren't-Eastern Red Cedar, White Cedar etc..
The only true cedars are Atlas, Deodar and Libani (sp) they are native to the middle east and I think in the Himalayas.
 

rockm

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"True cedars" belong to the Cedrus genus

Cedar used commonly can refer to any number of species that specifically AREN'T cedar, but pine, etc. ;)
 

Paradox

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Mine aren't in the ground but I won't even think about repotting anything until the middle of march at the very earliest and that depends on the conditions that year. We have gotten snow in April some years so if its still pretty cold in March, I wait. I have also done repotting as late as May. It really depends on the species.

I watch the weather and watch my trees. I time repotting/root work based upon those two factors in addition to the species I'm dealing with (mugos get repotted in summer).
 

Vance Wood

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Mine aren't in the ground but I won't even think about repotting anything until the middle of march at the very earliest and that depends on the conditions that year. We have gotten snow in April some years so if its still pretty cold in March, I wait. I have also done repotting as late as May. It really depends on the species.

I watch the weather and watch my trees. I time repotting/root work based upon those two factors in addition to the species I'm dealing with (mugos get repotted in summer).

Along with Junipers, Hinoki Cypress, and Scots Pine.
 

DesertPanda

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I am in 8b and I have started to pull the hardier stuff out of cold storage. I do not have anything inj the ground right now but will wait on any repotting until probably mid to late February. The temperatures current are running low 60s to low 70s during the day and high 30s to low/mid 40s during the night. We may have a drop towards the end of January or the beginning of February but frankly it will not be that bad.

I will say that this is the first time that I have pulled trees out of storage this early in the year. We tend to alternate between heavy (fo0r our area) and mild winters. It appears that this is going to be a mild one. I agree that you should always take a look at the weather and run from that.
 

Vance Wood

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I am in 8b and I have started to pull the hardier stuff out of cold storage. I do not have anything inj the ground right now but will wait on any repotting until probably mid to late February. The temperatures current are running low 60s to low 70s during the day and high 30s to low/mid 40s during the night. We may have a drop towards the end of January or the beginning of February but frankly it will not be that bad.

I will say that this is the first time that I have pulled trees out of storage this early in the year. We tend to alternate between heavy (fo0r our area) and mild winters. It appears that this is going to be a mild one. I agree that you should always take a look at the weather and run from that.

Boy!!! you guys starting to think of getting things out of winter courters? We are just now getting hunkered down for the long haul.
 

Beng

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Posted this in another thread, but late march is when I usually repot here in NYC area. I usually end up moving repotted trees into a temp controlled cold house a few times after repotting if temps are forecast to freeze. Otherwise they live outside from the last week of march on. So cold here that it hurts my eyes to walk outside right now. Those of you in texas and california please send spring our way.
 
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Wow. We are 9b and still have 2 more months of possible frost, maybe a light 29-31 and once every ten years we get into the teens, but our Acer rubrums, Prunus angustifolia, Celtis Laevigata, and some Taxodium and others are already starting to pop for the season. Granted, if we get a freeze the new growth will freeze off. If this happens to our bonsai it can weaken them for the upcoming year. So we cover the recently wired and repotted, Exp our Taxodium. We are repotting our deciduous trees such as Tridents and hornbeams now and in a week or so we will be repotting junipers then broadleaf evergreens. Around March we finally get to Pines and the rest we missed because of time or the fact that they were wired or cut earlier and were giving them time to recover for a couple of months before we worked the roots (IE junipers) Then we go into tropicals. Interesting how some of you still have months to wait before work can begin.
 

daygan

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Wow. We are 9b and still have 2 more months of possible frost, maybe a light 29-31 and once every ten years we get into the teens, but our Acer rubrums, Prunus angustifolia, Celtis Laevigata, and some Taxodium and others are already starting to pop for the season. Granted, if we get a freeze the new growth will freeze off. If this happens to our bonsai it can weaken them for the upcoming year. So we cover the recently wired and repotted, Exp our Taxodium. We are repotting our deciduous trees such as Tridents and hornbeams now and in a week or so we will be repotting junipers then broadleaf evergreens. Around March we finally get to Pines and the rest we missed because of time or the fact that they were wired or cut earlier and were giving them time to recover for a couple of months before we worked the roots (IE junipers) Then we go into tropicals. Interesting how some of you still have months to wait before work can begin.

Try not to gloat too loudly :p It is interesting (read patience-trying) though.. I have trees in a 9a zone that should be opening their buds by mid March and trees in a zone 7 that won't be doing the same until probably April or May.
 
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