Wintering Over Tree and Shrub seedling/cuttings in Z6?

Most seasons I start a few tree and shrubs from either seeds or cutting and my success rate is pretty good. The problem is wintering over things like Acuba and C. Myrtle. 90% take in the pots or nursery but the first winter in a killer.
How do most of you folks handle your one year old babies to get them over the hump? Dark garages, covers, or just hope?

I don't know the answer, as its my first winter to try, and winters aren't bad here in zone 9, so I am planning on planting several species I can "trust" with heavy mulch and a rare blanket.

However, I LOVE the garage idea: open it on nice sunny days, close it the rest, mulch the plants heavily, and you have your poor man's greenhouse. I don't have the option, but I do have a study with french doors, lots of morning sun, shade the rest of the day. My plan is to over winter there with "Vacations" outside when it is nice out.

Good Luck!
Renee

Every winter I convert my garage into a plant warehouse for my young critters. Minimal light and forget about them. Maybe once in a while i toss some snow on 'em just to keep some dampness. I usually do this with around 40 trees and have had 100% success.

Last year I had 100% success. All the babies were in pots that were placed for the winter in the flower bed around my back deck. They were covered with SHREDDED leaves. The shredded leaf covering in some spots was 2 feet high.

In early spring I removed the mounds of shredded leaves and used them in making beautiful compost to nix with my potting soil.

I have a 2 foot deep hole in my yard. Every fall I place all my first year started plants that I have been setting in nursery pots, I place them in the hole & cover with dry leaves & cover with a tarp. I then tie down the corners with rocks or old bricks, protecting the plants from the wind. In the spring I do the clean up & things begin to get green. The sucess rate is very high. Our frost level is 2 feet in my area (7b). I do not know the exact temp of the ground, but I would think it is in the high 40's.

Okyo, what does " Our frost level is 2 feet in my area (7B)." mean? I am in 7B and the frost melts off the leaves by 10AM. We do have 2 to 6" of snow once or twice a year. Your Winter hole idea sound good - fortunately, can put my pots in the garage when it's going down to the teens.

thanks,
paul

Last fall was my first experience doing something with tree seedlings. I had a large assortment and tried different things. Most sucessfull was something similar to Okyo except not as deep. I then added mulch, 2-3" and covered everything with a low wooden box (not air tight). Since I'm in zone 6, the snow cover provided the extra insulation. That had a 6 out of 6 survival rate. The direct sows without any protection had the worst results but still had 3 out of 5 survive. I also did direct sows with protectective tubes and got 2 out of 3 to survive.

The area I live in has had some changes over the last couple of years. This past summer we have had record heat in the 90's for many of the days of July & August. This has taken a toll on all of my gardens & also doing my gardening, it has been to hot to try to start any first year cuttings. We have set a record for the amount of 90 deg. days. The winters in Manassas Virginia has been very strange to say the least. We were taged with the 7 b zone. I am a x contractor & all the Building Foundations that I have prepared in the past has been 24 inches deep. This is below the frost level (safe area). This protection keeps the foundation from heaving upwards. I am no weather man but all the indications I see around my area; we will have a hard winter, the squrels are allready in high gear storing for the winter. Propagation is being put on hold till things get back to a sensible temp.

Hello all,
I have been growing tree seedlings for several years now. What kills the seedlings is the fluctuation of the temperature in the small pots. I got some of the styrofoam bins that fresh fish comes in, washed them out well, and I use them for over-wintering my small seedlings. I have found that no matter how cold it gets outside, the fact that the bin makes the change very gradual means that almost every thing survives. The only precaution I would take is to make sure that everything is well watered before it goes in the bin and keep the bin in the shade. I am in zone 6a but we can get -20C weather for several days running.
Robb

I have been wondering what to do myself, we live in the high desert which gets very hot, and the nights cold, in the winter around Jan. Feb. March, it gets in the 20's in the night. I have a pepper tree that dies back no matter how i mulch it. I want to move it to a sunnier area and try, but otherwise I need to put it in a pot and move it somewhere for the winter along with the seedling I am starting now, but have had no clue what to do with them.

I will mix it up a bit and bring some potted stuff into the garage and try a trench covered in remay(sp) and leaves which I have no shortage of. The direct sows will get a lid of a fish tote and leaves..

Should the ones I bring in get any light or should I just let them go cold stone dormant with an occasional watering?

Being just a stump head I don't mind a 3 out of 10 success rate or sumpin. Didn't cost me anything to try except spending some digging time playing around.

Thanks for the responses....

I'll over winter mine in a shelf in my septic tank. Just kidding.

Funny fellow you must have one hell of a nose. To make that statement.

It's not a bad idea hellnzn but you have clearly been touched like so many of us...

I'm touched all right. One gets desperate enough to joke about things that almost make sense. It would be moist and dark and warmer in there. But no, too much.

hellnzn.. If you and I do in fact winter over plants in the septic system lets just keep it between us. Not sure I want my neighbors watching me climb down to water. I guess I would not have to carry the water down with me anyway and YES it would be moist and dark and warmer down there. Might be a few other things too..

I know were just joking but an awful lot of people DIE entering their septic tanks so should there be another whack job out there who thinks it "might" work, DO NOT CLIMB INTO YOUR TANK!!!! Could lead to a RIP scenario.

Anyway, even though I like the smell of low tide and horse and dairy farms even I have my limits. ARG!!!!

I agree we don't all have the IQ to know better. I should know this since I work with the disabled. DON'T OVER WINTER PLANTS IN YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM PLEASE. BACTERIAS AND WORSE ARE WAITING FOR YOUR PLANTS AND YOU TO BE NEAR THERE TO WREAK HAVOC.

THANKS FOR THE REMINDER GIRL.

That would be Man but I still have my boyish good looks. A walking chick magnet!!!! Cough Cough..

Pardona me Senor Rott. No need to cough.

I had a very close friend that died trying to save is youngest son who fell in a old septic tank on his farm. His son was saved but the father did not make it & left behind 6 children. Bad subject with me. I find it hard to belive that anyone would go out on a limb & risk their life & joke about it. Maybe I am a old prune & value life too much.

This whole topic got out of hand. Sorry for any or all who were offended. My intention was too make a joke about a safe warm place to winter plants, that nobody in their right mind would or should take in any way seriously. Humor is relative and does not translate well on a screen often. That said, I am sorry Okyo that this dug up an old wound. I am going to suggest that anyone with a spare refrigerator or freezer that is not operable or affordable could overwinter there, if you made the doors safe so nobody could get locked in.

Ok sounds good. my pepper tree did not respond to that, it still froze to the ground as usual but as usual comes back to be a 3 foot sprout each year. ho hum. Maybe more leaves, Lord knows I have enough Mulberry and Elm leaves here.

how high did you mulch around it? Somethings do die back to the ground ..... remember I had it piled 2 ft high

I may try that there. The darn tree is almost in complete shade anyway so I should move it. poor thing.

My grandson did most of the leaf work last year. He hated having to shred all those leaves. He was hoping I would say .... thats enough ... the rest can be placed out for trash pick up.

Since I just retired, and realizing how much better the flower bed are with shredded leaves for mulch, I intend to expand the amount of leaves that will be shredded ..... I plan to spend 1 or 2 hours/day doing the shredding myself....

I will be confiscating leaves from nearby neighbors.

I do not think my friendly next door neighbor will want to donate ..... she has commented frequently how she intends to use shredded leaves for mulching next year.

Don't you all have a forest in your backyards between streets Mary? Do you know I am from Ohio?