Winter rains

Cuda52774 · Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:08 pm

I may have asked this before, but can't find the thread in which I asked it.

Being a beginner, I'm worried about the amount of watering my trees are getting from rain when they aren't using as much water during their dormancy.

Do I need to be worried about root rot during the winter months with the soil being soaked once a week? The soil my trees are in is not very free draining since they are still in the potting soil that I originally bought them in. I'm waiting for spring re-potting to put them in a better soil.

I may be being overly cautious, but I don't know how much is too much when it comes to rain.

Cuda

alexinoklahoma · Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:05 pm

Not a problem unless its the kind of area which willows and other 'water-lovers' would prefer

If water stands there, or if it is the last part of an area that dries after rains, then there *may* be an issue. See where I'm coming from?

Just opinion, too - ain't there to see first-hand, of course...
Alex

Cuda52774 · Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:51 pm

I don't have them in the ground. They're in containers and I'm about to bring them in for the winter but I want them to stay outside as much as possible during the fall. I was also worried that I was bringing them in too early but all have lost their leaves except for the juniper of course. I've noticed that the juniper still uses more water than the others making me think it's not completely dormant yet.

Maybe I should just leave the juniper out for a while longer??

Cuda

alexinoklahoma · Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:20 am

I do not think it gets cold enough in Atlanta to worry about a Juniper

Here in Central OK, I have *never* protected any Juniper, and no probs (yet?)... A pot above ground will not have sog issues from rain(s) as long as the soil-mix is 'free-draining' as recommended. Bad soil may show issues if rains persist for ~months+ (not just a couple rains here and there, so to speak). The (dormant) roots are pretty tough...

Alex

Cuda52774 · Fri Dec 05, 2008 1:18 pm

Thanks Alex! Yeah, I'm not so worried about the june. It's my maples that I'm worried about. I defoliated my J. Maple because we were having a real cold snap and I wanted to bring it in permanently. Also I wanted to get a look at it's structure without leaves so I could start thinking about the direction I wanted to go with it. Now I'm worried I may have been premature in doing so. Maybe it wasn't dormant yet and needed a couple more weeks of outside sun??

I know I sound like an over protective mother, but I find myself a little obsessed with my trees. LOL. I think about them all day. Geez......

I don't think I've ever wanted spring to come so badly in my life.

Cuda