Winterizing trees among other questions

[Jeyrsmith]

Hey everyone so my addiction has grown ive bought more trees mainly junipers, i got them at a local hardware store in the garden section for cheep, didnt wanna go buy nicer ones yet until i know that i can sustain them so these little guys are my trainers and hopefully long time trees

So my question is how should i winterize them i was just planning on sticking them in the garage all winter until spring then shaping them, trimming and planting them in the ground for a few years while their trunks develop and thicken

So should i stick to my original plan or just go and plant them in the ground now and maybe go buy some mulch and cover them, i wasnt sure if i should try and "repot" them into the ground so close to a probably harsh winter here in Massachusetts as we usually get feet of snow and single didget temps near February, as theyll use most of their stored energy trying to develop their roots in the new soil.

Also while im on the subject i have a chinese elm and a water jasmine i was planning on keeping them indoors all winter and slight water maybe fertilizer (PELLETS) every 2-3 months during winter

Edit so i had a brain fart im going to put the elm in the garage too i was talking about the jasmine keeping indoors but i plan on keeping the elm in the garage and covering the windows with a blanket or something to limit any sun that could get in

 

[Japonicus]

Junipers I can help with over Wintering, Elms, not so much.
The garage can heat more than the out of doors on a sunny day
where they can break dormancy a lot easier than in the ground.
In the ground outdoors, the roots will probably not need watering, or very infrequently.
Also the fresh air is better, but yes, an unattached garage, unheated, where the temps mirror
the outdoor temps more so than a garage connected to the house can work, though
I've never used an "indoor" situation like this ever myself.
I killed a slew of bonsai in a cold frame one Winter.

The snow is a fantastic insulator. It holds moisture, and protects from the most harsh bitter drying winds.
Snow is an insulator, go for it. Just be sure to keep them away from an area with possible crashing icicles
or where you know water will drip from the Sun heating the roof above through past experience,
you know where it occurs, and ice build up can break some branches, especially in the wind.

2nd option...
You can heel the pot as is, into the ground, breaking up the ground around it some
just enough to pack it back in, then mulch a little. I break up the removed dirt vigorously with a shovel
to make repacking a synch.

3rd option...
Also, as I do now, mostly Junipers, Pines, Hinoki Cypress, Spruce and so on...
I put them on the protected side of the house, pots on the ground huddled up
and mulch them well. Under cover of my sunroom, I water them occasionally.
@M. Frary is in Zone 4 in MI. Let him tell you how he Winters his Junipers.

 

[Japonicus]

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/lets-talk-winterizing.35387/
For your Elms in case you haven't seen this thread yet.

You should edit your info to include your USDA grow zone.
https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ You can enter your zip code
at this website or perhaps it's easy to locate on the map there.
Some places vary wildly in just a few miles inland vs coastal and difficult
sometimes to see on the map just which zone you are.

 

[M. Frary]

You got mild winters. You can keep both the elms and junipers outside.
I set mine on the ground on the north side of a shed,mulch then in with straw up to the lowest branches, and walk away. The whole lot is surrounded with steel sheeting buried a foot into the ground to help keep out voles.
Snow is your friend. It insulates the trees. Mine are completely covered for months on end. We normally get temps. down to minus 20 or more for a couple straight weeks.
In the spring my trees are fine.

 

[Jeyrsmith]

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/lets-talk-winterizing.35387/
For your Elms in case you haven't seen this thread yet.

You should edit your info to include your USDA grow zone.
https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ You can enter your zip code
at this website or perhaps it's easy to locate on the map there.
Some places vary wildly in just a few miles inland vs coastal and difficult
sometimes to see on the map just which zone you are.

Zone 6a : -10 to -5 boston Massachusetts
Sorry i think i fixed it in my profile

 

[Jeyrsmith]

You got mild winters. You can keep both the elms and junipers outside.
I set mine on the ground on the north side of a shed,mulch then in with straw up to the lowest branches, and walk away. The whole lot is surrounded with steel sheeting buried a foot into the ground to help keep out voles.
Snow is your friend. It insulates the trees. Mine are completely covered for months on end. We normally get temps. down to minus 20 or more for a couple straight weeks.
In the spring my trees are fine.

Okay i think im digging some holes this weekend and just putting the planter pots in there so i can extract them come spring and train trim and repot into the soil so they can grow over the next few years should i use the dirt from the holes to insulate or just grab some mulch

The elm is in a planter too but its small maybe less than a ft in height but 1in in girth of trunk , ill probablu put it in the hole with the others huddled up in a group, im only worried about the giant trees surrounding my yard one good snow storm and tons a branches fall so im gonna probably aim for the middle of the yard the only problem is theyll get sun alot in that spot

 

[Jeyrsmith]

Junipers I can help with over Wintering, Elms, not so much.
The garage can heat more than the out of doors on a sunny day
where they can break dormancy a lot easier than in the ground.
In the ground outdoors, the roots will probably not need watering, or very infrequently.
Also the fresh air is better, but yes, an unattached garage, unheated, where the temps mirror
the outdoor temps more so than a garage connected to the house can work, though
I've never used an "indoor" situation like this ever myself.
I killed a slew of bonsai in a cold frame one Winter.

The snow is a fantastic insulator. It holds moisture, and protects from the most harsh bitter drying winds.
Snow is an insulator, go for it. Just be sure to keep them away from an area with possible crashing icicles
or where you know water will drip from the Sun heating the roof above through past experience,
you know where it occurs, and ice build up can break some branches, especially in the wind.

2nd option...
You can heel the pot as is, into the ground, breaking up the ground around it some
just enough to pack it back in, then mulch a little. I break up the removed dirt vigorously with a shovel
to make repacking a synch.

3rd option...
Also, as I do now, mostly Junipers, Pines, Hinoki Cypress, Spruce and so on...
I put them on the protected side of the house, pots on the ground huddled up
and mulch them well. Under cover of my sunroom, I water them occasionally.
@M. Frary is in Zone 4 in MI. Let him tell you how he Winters his Junipers.

Thanks for the suggestions that really helped i appreciate it so much

 

[Yoppyx]

Ive gotten through two successful winters with my Junis. I dig a hole, fill er up with dirt, then add leaves on top for insulation, making sure to not harm the branches. Good luck sir, Winterizing is always spooky on a budget. Also i make a protective kind of wall with fallen logs to keep winds down.

 

[Jzack605]

Hopefully it’s ok I add this question here...

Any issues with overwintering trees with wire? Hinoki Cypress in particular. I seem to remember someone saying they had issues with wired branches and the cold.

 

[TN_Jim]

..thanks jzack...if you were in Long Island and your first freeze was circa October 15, when would you exactly go about taking them off of 5gal. buckets and putting on north side..............
like all of them
gotta garage...no garage
no digging..
just fashioned wooden barrier to keep in the leaves and straw?

a maximum light for the next month question till moving them as well.

 

[Japonicus]

Okay i think im digging some holes this weekend and just putting the planter pots in there so i can extract them come spring and train trim and repot into the soil so they can grow over the next few years should i use the dirt from the holes to insulate or just grab some mulch

The elm is in a planter too but its small maybe less than a ft in height but 1in in girth of trunk , ill probablu put it in the hole with the others huddled up in a group, im only worried about the giant trees surrounding my yard one good snow storm and tons a branches fall so im gonna probably aim for the middle of the yard the only problem is theyll get sun alot in that spot

While digging the holes, you said you bought several Junipers, plant a couple
disturbing, spading up at least 12" lateral hole not too deep. Place a 12" cheap tile
in the bottom of the hole so the top of the root ball rests normally a ground level.
Remove from the nursery can. Splay the roots as evenly and laterally as you can.
Right now is PERFECT timing for this if your ground is workable. Sopping wet here.
Anyway, dig these up 2 or 3 years from now, (in April with at least 2 or 3 growing seasons)
trim the roots laterally, work bonsai soil into the hole, or chicken grit, or lava rock (aggregate of sorts)
and replant in the ground for another 2 or 3 growing seasons. You will get desired results.
After the 1st year in the ground, the ones in pots will look squat compared.
You just have to keep foliage open pruning through the Summer keeping desired branches,
leaving many plan B branches, but open to breathe, and back bud too.
You can lift the tree to wire it now and then.

So, you're planting these in the middle of the yard?

 

[Japonicus]

Hey everyone so my addiction has grown ive bought more trees mainly junipers,

How many of what kind and what size?

As for back filling the holes, the dirt is fine, then mulch up some, keeping the bark exposed.
I normally add a little more mulch and cover the bark prior to sub zero forecast.

I set mine on the ground on the north side of a shed

+1

 

[TN_Jim]

How many of what kind and what size?

As for back filling the holes, the dirt is fine, then mulch up some, keeping the bark exposed.
I normally add a little more mulch and cover the bark prior to sub zero forecast.


+1

pumpkin pie smells good

 

[Jzack605]

..thanks jzack...if you were in Long Island and your first freeze was circa October 15, when would you exactly go about taking them off of 5gal. buckets and putting on north side..............
like all of them
gotta garage...no garage
no digging..
just fashioned wooden barrier to keep in the leaves and straw?

a maximum light for the next month question till moving them as well.

First time I’ll be overwintering bonsai will be this one. I have a protected corner I will put my Hinoki’s, cryptomeria, cedar, redwood and bald cypress. Was going to put mulch down but probably straw now that I think about it. A 10’ B+B dogwood that I plan on chopping will get mulched.

Actually this is the second winter. I did have a little juniper when I was younger and actually brought in house and left next to a cold window all winter. The tree did just fine actually but I think that was a freak incident and the drafty old window might have made it doable? Wouldn’t recommend it.

Good time to put in ground though. If that’s the goal for next year I’d just do that. They’ll be fine through the winter if planted now. Put some mulch down and don’t plant too deep. Some hollytone would be a good addition.

 

[TN_Jim]

First time I’ll be overwintering bonsai will be this one. I have a protected corner I will put my Hinoki’s, cryptomeria, cedar, redwood and bald cypress. Was going to put mulch down but probably straw now that I think about it. A 10’ B+B dogwood that I plan on chopping will get mulched.

Actually this is the second winter. I did have a little juniper when I was younger and actually brought in house and left next to a cold window all winter. The tree did just fine actually but I think that was a freak incident and the drafty old window might have made it doable? Wouldn’t recommend it.

Good time to put in ground though. If that’s the goal for next year I’d just do that. They’ll be fine through the winter if planted now. Put some mulch down and don’t plant too deep. Some hollytone would be a good addition.

it was 90+* here last week.
was conveying a hypothetical of my possible October to your location

little digging, level...nothing on ground...insulating roots in pots with leaves and straw, boxed in with scrap wood & wood screws...I’ll feel it...gotta bring all these herbaceous plants in

 

[TN_Jim]

miss you peter buck..autumn

 

[Jzack605]

it was 90+* here last week.
was conveying a hypothetical of my possible October to your location

little digging, level...nothing on ground...insulating roots in pots with leaves and straw, boxed in with scrap wood & wood screws...I’ll feel it...gotta bring all these herbaceous plants in

Gotcha; well you got my answer/plan. Are you in Tennessee? Hence the TN in your name? You could put the Junipers in the ground despite the heat, just keep them watered and don’t let dry out. Or you could wait until temp drops some and transpiration from the soils is insignificant. Just remember being in a pot exposes plants to stress in heat just as much as they might in cold; especially in a black nursery pot. They’ll lose available water in pots quicker than in ground. On LI we don’t hesitate to plant as late as December, and even later into winter months; essentially as long as the soil isn’t frozen. If you’re going to put in ground next year anyway I’d just do it this fall/now. It’ll remove the anxiety of overwintering a plant in a pot. Junipers are hardy buggers. You could still do your shaping in ground, in fact plants will heal better and quicker in ideal settings and planting in ground gets you closer to that ideal environment.

 

[Yoppyx]

Also the first frost wont kill your junis. I pretty sure the roots just cant get to -9/-10 celcius. If you bury them too early that's risky aswell.

 

[Rjoyce]

Hey @Jeyrsmith, I am in Burlington, MA and this is what I did last winter. I basically made a pit, put the trees on some boards, then filled all the space up to the first branches with mulched leaves from the yard, and threw snow on/around the trees throughout the winter. Some of my trees include juniper (procumbens), and chinese elm, and they all came through the winter just fine. If you are planning on putting the trees in the ground to grow for several years, this is the time of year to do it, as long as you don't do too much work to the roots. Basically slip potting into the ground, back-filling with local dirt, and mulching it in should be enough to get the trees through winter and ready to take off in the spring. I just did this with one of my chinese elms for the first time, so we will see how that goes.

Also, if you are going to throw snow on the trees, just be gentle about it so as not to break the branches. I actually packed some of the snow around the trunks and under the branches to provide support when possible. Good Luck!

 

[Rjoyce]

Another post with more pictures of last year's winter set-up.