What Would You Do Differently? Another, "let's learn together," thread

ShadyStump

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It seems to me the majority of members here are in the northern hemisphere, and spring is on it's way there. Autumn always brings loads of questions about over wintering your trees, and I thought we might all benefit from sharing our experiences now that we've given it all a go.

So how did you do it this year, and what, if anything, will you change for next year.

Personally, I have all my cold hardy trees on my back porch which is covered but only enclosed on the north and west sides. The ones I could I slipped into cardboard boxes then filled with leaf mulch, while others were too big for the boxes I had. They were all set as close to the house as I could manage, then half way through the winter I decided to hang plastic around them like a coldframe.
Next winter I think I'll skip it all together for some and just set them directly on the ground next to the house uncovered or at best under a lean-to or something. Winters have been wetter recently, and I think the snow would do more to protect them from extreme temperatures better than my current setup, as well as give my conifers more light.
 

penumbra

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Deep Sea Diver

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Fix my crappy cold frame. (I said that last year too and got sidetracked on another project.). I wouldn’t have a clue how to heat mine! 😉

Build at least another bench. Research and purchase shadecloth.

Best
DSD sends
 

Pitoon

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Fix my crappy cold frame. (I said that last year too and got sidetracked on another project.). I wouldn’t have a clue how to heat mine! 😉

Build at least another bench. Research and purchase shadecloth.

Best
DSD sends
Make yourself a hoophouse, you won't regret it!
 

dbonsaiw

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Not sure how my first overwintering went just yet as it's still winter here in NY. The trees that are still in nursery pots were buried and mulched all around. Trees in grow boxes were in a tent and mulched all around. The tent is good to shield from desiccating wind, but otherwise does a lousy job at maintaining temperatures. I may simply pass on the tent next year and actually took the tent off last Sunday. I left the frame and have some shade cloth I may drape on it for the summer months.

I didn't really mulch on top of the trees and that is something I will change next year. I was afraid of mucking up the soil by placing mulch over it, but that shouldn't be an issue.

I also have one tree in a milk crate that's been hanging out in my garage in a larger container filled with Styrofoam packing peanuts. It seems to have done a nice job with insulating the crate and preventing quick temp changes.
 

PA_Penjing

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So far my dudes are all still dormant, just the way they are supposed to be. I usually break bud a little earlier than I want because I was keeping trees on my benches. But the sun was warming the pots. This year I kept the conifers shaded and the deciduous in a (sometimes) warmer than I’d like it garage. So the jury is still out. Unfortunately if I put my deciduous on the ground in the shade they just become squirrel food
 

Hack Yeah!

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Fortunately, I live in a fairly temperate climate. I have a half dozen tropicals i bring in for the winter. All of my other trees I place on the ground next to my benches. Being fairly new to the hobby I have very few if any developed trees at this point, so I figure best to get any cold intolerance out of the herd.
 

Carol 83

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Knock on wood, I am having my most successful year indoors with my trops. I have learned something every year and tried to improve their conditions and care. I'm a bit concerned about the azaleas and crepes in the garage, the temperatures have been wildly fluctuating all winter. 60 degrees yesterday, 19 degrees currently.
 
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I’m new to the hobby, and it’s still winter here (5b, SE Wisconsin), so I’m in a mild panic to see if my hard work has survived. I only have hardy and native species; I just huddled them together on the ground with mulch for winter.

For the most part they’re pulling through. American larch has withstood everything the ice and snow threw at it; junipers are looking a little beat up and deeply bronzed, but probably fine; same with the boxwood. If anything has suffered, it’s my sad mame hinoki cypress and Canadian hemlock.

I struggled with this setup. I hated having all my trees huddled on the ground. I had to stoop over, dig around in the mulch to feel for moisture, and it was impossible to really appreciate anything. Next winter, I plan on moving everything to my north-facing glassed in porch. Maybe runs 10-15 degrees warmer, and no wind. I’ll need to take a more active role with them indoors, but I think I will be happier and gain more insight into the work that needs to happen for each project.
 

19Mateo83

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I kept mine on the south east side of my house tucked up against the house with leaves and mulch piled up against the pots. The neighbors house and fence did a good job of blocking the wind. Everything’s looking good so far.
 

Deep Sea Diver

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Ground growing is great until the squirrels and rabbits find your succulent, unprotected, eye-level deciduous saplings on a cold winter's day.
Rabbits are the biggest issue for me until I bought this product. Just add four sturdy stales and one can protect a pretty big area. No more damage in the past year.

About 23.00 on Amazon. DeBird - Bird netting (Heavy Duty) 7.5’ x 65’).

cheers
DSD sends
 
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