over-wintering nursery stock

JimMorrissey · Dec 6, 2005

I've got a few trees I purchased recently and am wondering how important it is to get them in the ground for the winter. I'm not sure where I'm going to plant them so I'd rather not if they'll be OK up in the air still in their burlap. I'm in Vermont and it does get cold. We didn't hit single digits last night, but it was about 15 and getting colder by the day.

SPIKER · Dec 6, 2005

jim you should cover the root ball as it can freeze pretty badly exposed.

smaller trees it is recogmended to simply dig a trench, and lay the roots down into the trench so that the crown is facing south, then cover the roots with dirt, the tree should be at a low angle not straight up so that it is suported along much of it's stem leaning aginst the side of the trench dug. this keeps roots moist & protected from extreme temps,
yes the dirt will freeze frost pretty deep but they only need protection from the really cold stuff.
mark

Bob_Skurka · Dec 6, 2005

Another reason to 'heel' them, as you described, in for the winter is to keep the winter winds from dehydrating the root ball.

JimMorrissey · Dec 7, 2005

Will do tomorrow. Maybe I'll hit them with one last shot of water too. Thanks.

Birdman · Dec 7, 2005

Several years ago my wife brought home 3 apple trees that she got from a nursery, really late in the year, and like you I was not sure where I wanted to put them. So I put some loose straw down on the back patio and sat them on the straw. Then I put bales of straw all around them and then put more loose straw on top of the root balls. All 3 survived. I put all the straw in the garden the following spring. Seemed a lot easier than digging a trench, been there, done that.

psuedofarmer · Dec 7, 2005

if you want them to survive, get them in the ground ASAP.

each year i plant 1k+ trees. most of these trees are for resale, so i put them in pots. once winter comes around, i use the BH to dig a trench (to the depth of each bucket/pot) and over-winter them.

i've tried surrounding some of my trees with bales of hay - this didn't work - best to get them in the ground to limit cold damage.

having said this, i should point out that i'm zone 3.

good luck
pf