Dilema - Too many potted hybrid oaks going into WI Winter

[Travis Aasen]

Looking for some wintering advice: I have less than a dozen or so potted Chinquapin oaks as I head into a Wi winter. So, do I take these into a heated garage (45-50 degrees) or leave them in their 2.5 gallon pots outside? I will not be able to get these into the ground this year in all reality. It's hunting season and just don't want to go back in the areas where these need to go.

Appreciate your thoughts everyone!

 

[DocHolladay]

I’d let them go dormant and make plans to put them I. The ground come spring.


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[BoneCrusher20]

Looking for some wintering advice: I have less than a dozen or so potted Chinquapin oaks as I head into a Wi winter. So, do I take these into a heated garage (45-50 degrees) or leave them in their 2.5 gallon pots outside? I will not be able to get these into the ground this year in all reality. It's hunting season and just don't want to go back in the areas where these need to go.

Appreciate your thoughts everyone!

I've read before that bringing them in the garage is bad idea, as something about like "dormant" sun they still need it, not sure the legitimacy of that, but i've also never experimented.

I have similar dilemma with some grafted apples in pots i just won't have time to a. get in the ground and b. fence each of them individually for winter, so i've got them in a little 10x10 corral tightly packed together and put trunk guards on each and plan on taking tractor bucket digging up some dirt and dump it around the edges and then shovel dirt in the little areas between the pots, basically creating a mound to help with our cold to help protect roots. I've read can use straw and pack it around, obviously introduce a home for mice, so not ideal, but dirt ball should be frozen and have trunk guards, so hopefully would leave them alone, can ask me next year what works better may try both.

we are at slight disadvantage from others we really got to protect our roots, as not uncommon in our area to get those 1-2 week stretches of deep negative temps.

 

[Native Hunter]

It wouldn't take long to plant less than a dozen trees in your yard and then dig them up later after hunting season (or next spring) and plant them in their final destination. That's what I would do. If you live at a place where deer will come into your yard at night and browse them, just plant them in the dog pen. Good luck.

 

[TreeFan]

I dig a trench - row - furrow - about 8 inches deep, put the pots in it and fill gaps with dirt. Pots are at least half way buried. For areas subject to animal damage, I put up posts and run some chicken wire around them. Pretty easy and I rarely loose any, especially oaks. I have also left them above ground and tend to loose maybe 10 percent. My pots are 1, 2, and 3 gallon aireated and not plastic. A 1 gallon pot left above ground has about a 50 percent chance of survival. They get moisture from snow and rain. There are 2 locations, upper and lower Michigan where winters are harsh at times.
Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[mattpatt]

I’m in TX so your results may vary but all I do is leave them outside in their pots. Bunch them together in a group and mulch them in with leaves and grass clippings. Whatever I can find. Be sure and cover the tops of the pots but leave all the stems exposed. I’ve had good luck overwintering trees grown in pots this way with nearly 100% survival rate. Again, I live in TX so our winters are not as harsh as some.

Matt


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