I am in Oklahoma and am wondering if I have over-prepared for winter. I have a cheap shelterlogic greenhouse. I mulched my trees on the floor of the greenhouse. I placed a sensor on the floor under the mulch to monitor the rootzone temps. So far our winter has been mild with temps fluctuating from low 40s to mid 50s during the day and at night occasional dips into the 30s. My floor sensor hasn’t registered temps below 42 in several weeks, except for last night. Last night air temps got down to 26 and the floor sensor registered 38. I am concerned that the trees aren’t getting the necessary temps for a good dormancy. Is this a valid concern or is this not a big deal?
What trees are you growing @trent.strum?
How cold does it usually get wher you are and for how long?
I have a wide variety: jbp, doug fir, quince, shinpaku, parsimons juniper, eastern red cedar, Japanese apricot, and a few others.
Weather here is about extremes: we can easily hit single digits and then next day in 60s in winter.
Mid-December is really when winter sets in and January is our coldest month. We had a few hard freezes early November so I moved my trees into winter storage. But last 2-3 weeks have been warmer. So Im wondering if my winter protection was too early and whether having left them in winter protection despite warmer temps recent may result in any negative impacts.
I believe the ideal is a gradual decline in temperatures to allow the trees time to acclimatise and then the revise in Spring- but how often does that happen?!
Just my survival stratigy /habit…
I let most of my trees (roots/pot) get below 30F. Mixed herd similar to yours. Your listed trees would benifit colder dormacny… Keep them there most of the winter if able. That s where mine are TODAY. Sheltered, mulched and covered with a tarp. 30F… Happy campers… Over 20 years I might have lost 2 or 3 to winter cold. More to voles… I
I WILL REMOVE TARP if temps >45. For evergreens. Note: they do not need light <30F…
Read the 'Winter care below 20 ’ thread…
I did the same strategy last year but I didn’t have the temp sensor to read temps under the mulch. So I didn’t realize they stayed as warm as they do relative to air temp.
I think I’ll move them back on the benches but out of the wind for a while.
Thanks Kurt!
Follow up - Do you cover the top of the pots with mulch? My mulch is currently only around the sides of the tree’s pots and the trees are open to the air. I’m in southwest Idaho and we can get down into the teens at times during the winter. I guess what I’m asking, is it only the roots I’m protecting or is it the whole tree?
I will also check out the other thread your recommended.
(This my survival strategy… it might not be acceptable for others… It might seem complicated, but I like my trees… and it has worked for me for 20+ years.)
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I DO cover the deciduous trees up to the tops LIGHTLY packed with whole maple leaves. Hopefully some snow over that…They all go into a protected enclosure under my kiwi arbour when temps get >30F. Then mulched. I throw a tarp over the top <20F. Just remember to get the leaves off if spring temps get pot temps > 35F . They start popping buds and sprouting leaves and need the sun…
(Photoes at the ‘winter care below 20’ deg thread.)
The evergreens only get leaf mulch over pots. They get a separate cinder block enclosure with x tarp/ 2x4s support over top… below 20F. Off when temps >45. They will need the light. Winters here (Pacific NW) have been odd lately. Temps down, up, down, up…
I have about 145 trees right now. Most are small 15- 35 inch trees. Several are 100 lbs… 45".tall. ponderosa…
No, I usually have no problems with fungus. Palative sulfer spray in fall / spring if you think it is a problem.
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I do not worry about the large evergreens as much. The smaller ones get closer watch and protection if temps get >10F. It has been -15 here several times in the last 20 years. Usually after a good snowfall. Good insulation…
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Most of the club members here use poly tunnels or some other covered protection. Just mulched over top of pot with bark. Some put their trees inside unheated sheds. Some just bury pots in ground in a protected corner.