Questions - winterizing brugs

Hi again - need more help. I am sure these are common questions and if someone can slap me on the hand and point me to an older thread, that would be great.

Or, if this is the right time of year to help educate newbies, I suspect there are others who might benefit from this. I checked FAQ's and didn't see anything and also scanned several months of threads.

I have 5 brugs outside in the ground. 2 between 5 and 6 feet tall and the rest are runts. Several small ones are still potted and I think these will be fine.

I dont want to start from scratch again with rooted chunks and would like to bring these indoors.

Questions:

1) How big a rootball should I plan on digging up? Can I assume for the larger ones, a foot in diameter, down about 12 inches?

2) Will the tree suffer if any of the roots get sliced during digging?

3) How big a pot? Should I get organized and keep them in pots for life or is it OK to put them in the ground then pull them out for the winter? (One nice thing about keeping them in the ground, less prone to drying out)

4) Could I keep my best specimen up in my sun room for the winter or should I just let them all go dormant in the basement with minimal light and water?

5) How much light or water when going dormant for the winter?

6) When's last call? Is there a bottom temperature? When do I really need to get them inside - can it wait a few weeks or should this happen this weekend or shortly after.

Just sent you mail....

Shirley

I have the same question's....Can I get a copy of your email of info please.

Impie - just sent.

You can post it if you want. There were just so many questions that it was easier for me to copy and paste your questions and mail to you.

Please send me a copy as well, thank you!

Here are Brugie's answers

Questions:

1) How big a rootball should I plan on digging up? Can I assume for the larger ones, a foot in diameter, down about 12 inches? It is going to depend on what you find when you start digging. I would trim the roots by 1/3 and then pot them up. By the way, the roots are not easy to trim.

2) Will the tree suffer if any of the roots get sliced during digging? See above. Whack away!!

3) How big a pot? Should I get organized and keep them in pots for life or is it OK to put them in the ground then pull them out for the winter? (One nice thing about keeping them in the ground, less prone to drying out) If you want to grow them in the ground, but pull them every year, you can get a 5 gallon nursery pot and drill holes in it about an inch in diameter. Place the holes at different heights and in the bottom of the pot. When you plant your brug, then plant the pot into the ground. The roots will grow through the holes and in the fall, you just use a shovel and slice around the OUTSIDE of the pot and it is ready to bring inside. Sit it inside a plastic bag in the basement, or wherever you store your brugs so that it can be watered a little during the winter months. Next spring, take it out of the pot, trim the roots and replant it in the pot again so it is ready to go into the big hole in the ground. Bingo....you have a tree or bush that some say live longer than 12 years when cared for properly.

4) Could I keep my best specimen up in my sun room for the winter or should I just let them all go dormant in the basement with minimal light and water? Brugs need a period of rest. Usually January and Feb. You could put your best one downstairs to rest and then bring it up to start growing. The only thing about this is that you will need to cut back the new growth about six inches because it will be too weak to withstand the outside conditions in the spring.

5) How much light or water when going dormant for the winter? Mine will get only the light that comes through a garage window. (Our garage is slightly heated, so it doesn't freeze) and only enough water to keep it alive. Maybe water once a month. You will have to check because everyone's conditions are different.

6) When's last call? Is there a bottom temperature? When do I really need to get them inside - can it wait a few weeks or should this happen this weekend or shortly after. Versicolors will die below forty degrees. They can stand a night light that, but extended cold will kill them. To be outside for a while, 55 degrees would be best for the versicolors. The rest can handle a lot of cool, but when the bottom hits about 40 degrees, I bring them all inside. I usually put them in the other garage and pull them out when we have some nice weather. Too much work and I won't be doing that again.

I hope I've been able to help you some. I just thought it would be easier to do it this way than to try to write on all the questions on the forum.

Good luck with your overwintering. I'd take some cuttings, because no matter how hard I try, I always lose one or two of my favorites.

Shirley