Mucho Mulch - But Which

[DougB]

Yup it's that time of year when all great minds turn to mulch - ops I mean turn to the subject of mulch. When we discuss winterizing our trees and that they should be mulched we seldom specify just what materials we are talking about. After all mulch is just like bonsai soil - there is no end to the subject.

How about telling everyone just what you mean when you say "mulch". Please provide
* your zone
* species of trees
* depth that you mulch
* exact name/type of material(s) you use

Any discussion of results over the years would also be appreciated.

 

[M. Frary]

Zone 4
American and Siberian elms
Procumbens,shimpaku and parsons junipers
Tamarack
Scots,mugo and Jack pines
American and hops hornbeam
Amur maple
White spruce
I use straw
A bed maybe 6 to 10 inches deep to set on.
Bury trees up to first branch.
North side of shed to block sun
Works great. I also count on snow for insulation.
35 below zero here and colder at times. My zone 4 trees made it plus 3 zone 5 Chinese elms. Rest of my zone 5 trees croaked.
In my setup zone 5 trees can take 20 below. They did every winter past but last year was brutal.
I have 5 trees that will need extra this year just in case. They are going in an enclosed porch mulched in just like my others.

 

[Dav4]

N. GA 7b. Typical lows into the 20's and occasional upper teens, though we will hit single digits once or twice a winter. When the lows are going below the low 20's, the trees get moved off the benches and onto the ground. When the lows are going into lower teens or single digits, I'll pile leaves around the pots until the temps normalize. When I lived in MA 6a, everything, inside my garage or outside, was mulched with wood chips that went up and over the top of the pot about 2" and almost up to the trunk. In both locations, I have kept Japanese maples, tridents, Chinese elms, junipers of all sorts, Japanese black and red pine, and quince.

 

[clevetromba]

USDA upgraded my area from zone 5 to zone 6a in 2012. Our average low temperature in winter is 20 F, but last year we had 10 days that were below 0 and once it reached -11.
Siberian elm
Zelkova
Mugo pine
Norway spruce
Kingsville boxwood (this will be the first winter for them)
Privet
American hornbeam
Weeping Willow
Last winter I placed all trees on the ground tightly packed together on the East side of an unheated garage with bales of straw on three sides. I built a shed "roof" enclosure around them with 2x4s and plastic. I loosely piled dead oak leaves around the pots and on the surface of the soil, maybe 3" deep.
Everything was fine.
Not sure if the enclosure was necessary or not. Half the time the snow on the top was so heavy it ripped the plastic loose and caved in on top. Maybe this year I won't use the enclosure.

 

[sorce]

Great lakes finest weather in zone 6.32xz.

Air. On third floor sills.

In the baskets!? We'll see!

They die? New collection.
Stack ranking!

Sorce

 

[DougB]

Thanks folks. Great start.

How about you?

 

[GrimLore]

How about you?

6B Dublin, PA
Any and all Deciduous and all Junipers -
Up to the top of the rim of the container.
Larger stuff on the ground slipped into a larger Nursery container filling the space in with mulch.
Small stuff on the ground in a large plastic storage containers with bases drilled for drainage. I leave a few inches in between them and fill the space with mulch.
Funny, I don't use mulch as I feel it rots and "could" invite other problems so I use Pine Horse Bedding which is processed Pine chips. Inexpensive too at most Farm Supply places.

In the Spring removing the pots is a breeze and I leave the pine in the larger containers until the sun dries it. I can then store it all in the unused containers for the summer, covered, anywhere.

Grimmy

 

[rockm]

Northern Va. Zone 7

I typically don't put anything into storage until Thanksgiving.

I've got Amur Maple, ponderosa pine, cedar elm, bald cypress, kingsville boxwood, regular boxwood, zelkova, hornbeam, barberry, live oak, satsuki and regular azalea, black cherry and wisteria.

I mulch everything, six inches over the container. Everything but Amur Maple and ponderosa pine, which are left out unprotected all winter. Live oak is transported to a cold greenhouse for the winter.

All pots placed on bricks on the ground next to a fence or windbreak then mulched over (bricks insure clear air space between the bottom of the container and the ground surface--excellent drainage is VERY important with outside overwintering), also use a two foot covered cold pit with same mulch treatment

I've used pine bark, hardwood bark, cypress bark -- from Home Depot (only common thing is it's shredded, not nuggets). Rot has nothing to do with overwintering, rot is pretty minimal in wintertime.

I overwinter cedar elm, bald cypress, kingsville boxwood, regular boxwood, zelkova, hornbeam, barberry under mulch no cover.

Japanese and trident maples go in the covered cold pit.

 

[clevetromba]

Northern Va. Zone 7


Japanese and trident maples go in the covered cold pit.

doesn't the pit fill up with water?

 

[sorce]

doesn't the pit fill up with water?

covered

I reckon not!

Sorce

 

[rockm]

doesn't the pit fill up with water?

Sorce is right.

The pit has a lean-to roof made from boards that are removable. I take them off to let snow in, which is the best insulation/mulch there is. However, I have to check every now and then to make sure there isn't standing water in the bottom. I set bricks into the bottom of the pit before putting trees and mulch in. The bricks give an inch or so drainage room underneath the pots.

 

[sorce]

Not cuz I'm right,
Cuz the brotherhood!

I'm gonna have an excellent day again today!

Thanks RockM!

Sorce

 

[clevetromba]

Sorce is right.

The pit has a lean-to roof made from boards that are removable. I take them off to let snow in, which is the best insulation/mulch there is. However, I have to check every now and then to make sure there isn't standing water in the bottom. I set bricks into the bottom of the pit before putting trees and mulch in. The bricks give an inch or so drainage room underneath the pots.

Wow, that's like a little root cellar! What a great idea - if you need that kind of protection for a few trees, otherwise it would be a huge job digging a pit large enough to fit more than a few. My city has a thick layer of clay about 8-12" deep that would prevent drainage of a pit though.

 

[rockm]

My area here in the tidal portion of Va. has thick layers of marine clay that make life difficult if you're digging. I managed to punch an inch diameter PVC pipe two or thee feet down into the bottom of the pit. The hole pulls water in a like drain. Doesn't make it a drain though. Monitoring the roof and how much snow goes in is the key.

Digging a five foot by three foot by two foot deep hole by hand is not all that hard, but it's not easy either. I also don't have a big backyard, so even If I had the energy to dig a bigger pit, it would be impractical.