It's the middle of winter here but it has been unseasonably mild. A lot of my trees are budding, swelling or leafing. Should I repot these now? I have repotted the leafing ones (Chinese Elm). In the book it says it is best to repot when the buds are swelling nearly all the maples are doing this. I don't know if we are going to go back to cold[er] weather.
What should I do?
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sean117Ply
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Gnome
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sean117Ply,
Considering that the Chinese Elm is sub-tropical and that you have already re-potted it you could bring it inside if you have a good location for it. They don't need the same length of dormancy temperate trees do.
Trees that have buds swelling can still be left, a few cold nights and they seem to slow down again. I sometimes get a few buds that break early while the majority stay tight longer. Even buds that break and remain small are not really a problem. If the trees in question can stay in their current pots another year that might be an option. Evaluate each tree individually, if you must re-pot one this early it should receive extra protection.
I would not be too anxious to encourage your trees to break dormancy this early. Are these trees in a shed or garage? Are they getting a lot of sun during the day? You might want to reevaluate your storage strategy for next year. It is best to keep them dormant as long as possible so a location that does not warm up too early is preferable.
I find that there are a few weeks each spring that I must be ready to move things back and forth but it is way too early to be doing that. My advice is to wait it out if at all possible.
Norm
Considering that the Chinese Elm is sub-tropical and that you have already re-potted it you could bring it inside if you have a good location for it. They don't need the same length of dormancy temperate trees do.
Trees that have buds swelling can still be left, a few cold nights and they seem to slow down again. I sometimes get a few buds that break early while the majority stay tight longer. Even buds that break and remain small are not really a problem. If the trees in question can stay in their current pots another year that might be an option. Evaluate each tree individually, if you must re-pot one this early it should receive extra protection.
I would not be too anxious to encourage your trees to break dormancy this early. Are these trees in a shed or garage? Are they getting a lot of sun during the day? You might want to reevaluate your storage strategy for next year. It is best to keep them dormant as long as possible so a location that does not warm up too early is preferable.
I find that there are a few weeks each spring that I must be ready to move things back and forth but it is way too early to be doing that. My advice is to wait it out if at all possible.
Norm