Conifer seedlings

When I was out gathering leaves, I discovered 2 tiny conifer seedlings, unknown. They were about 1" tall. Anything special for taking care of them? I only have 3 conifers, two unknown junipers and a weeping hemlock, so I am not an expert on conifer care, especially tiny seedlings. I mulched the soil immediately around them, but it was hard because they were so tiny.

They are growing a couple feet apart, and will be in full shade next summer, beneath the canopy of 3 deciduous trees.

lupinelover,
It's good to see another "lover" out there!

I occasionally find small juniper or pine seedlings in my garden beds. I usually dig them up and put them into pots so they can grow without the competition from the surrounding plants. The seedlings usually don't come up in a good spot in the garden anyway and I don't want to accidentally weed them out.

Since the seedlings are so small they will be easy to move. Just use a trowel to dig them up and put them into a good soil mix (houseplant potting mix). Don't use the dirt from your garden as it is too heavy and will become packed down in a pot (unless you have VERY good garden soil). You could use a mix of 1/2 garden soil and 1/2 potting mix if you would like. Your seedlings will grow much faster in a pot than they will where they are growing now, especially since they are growing in the shade. You will also be able to put them in brighter light if you put them into pots.

After a season or two of growth in the pots you can move them to their permanent home in the landscape (the plants will still be quite small and should be protected with chicken wire until big enough to fend for themselves).
Good luck,
Mike

Thanks, Mike :) I will pot them up during the next thaw, probably in a couple of weeks. We have continual thaw/freeze all winter here, that is why I try to be so careful to mulch all the garden beds in fall.

Should I bring the seedlings inside? Since I have no clue what they are (they could be anything, except arborvitae at this stage) I didn't know if they required cold at this stage to develop. I can put the pots in my unheated greenhouse, or put them indoors under grow lights.

Yes, I am definitely another "lover" : tree lover, rose lover, lupine lover, aroid lover, most plant-lover :) In fact, it was seeing your name that inspired me to choose mine :)

lupinelover,
Wait until spring is here, for good, before you pot them up. Don't bring them inside. They are hardy trees and do need a winter dormancy to develop properly.

In the fall, sink the pot(s) up to their rim in the ground to help protect the trees roots. A plants roots are usually less-hardy than the above ground portions of the plant.

You should be able to tell whether they are pines or junipers or whatever by the way the seedlings look now. If the seedlings have long-ish needles it is probably some sort of pine. If the seedlings have short, spiky leaves then it is probably a juniper. You will need to wait several years before you find out what species they are.

After you have grown the trees for a couple of years you can start to look for their final spot in the landscape. Don't let them get too root-bound. After the second season knock each out of its pot carefully to make sure its roots are not circling at the bottom of the pot. If the roots are circling, then re-pot into a larger container and remove any circling roots before moving to the larger pot.

After planting the trees in the landscape I would put a circle of 24" high, 1" chicken wire around each tree to protect them from rabbits and other small creatures that might hurt them.

I'm glad I could help with choosing your name (indirectly, anyway).
Take care...
Mike