potted oak trees

[mach1cj]

H, I planted a couple of acorns this summer in 6" pots. They came up and are doing great and are about 9-10" tall. I'm not quite sure what I should do this winter, bring them in or leave them outside, or maybe in my garage. It's get pretty cold here in Northern Ohio. any ideas?? thanks

[rainbowgardener]

Leave them out. They are native to your area and will survive just fine. Unheated garage would be OK once they are dormant. Do NOT bring them inside - they need the cold dormancy. Biggest worry would be the pot. Depending on what kind of pots you have them in, some pots will crack with freeze thaw. Since yours are babies and are in pots, which is more vulnerable than in the ground, you probably should give them some winter protection, like putting your pots in a sheltered area and mulching over them.

[ButterflyLady29]

While oaks are native to Ohio, they survive best in the ground. Potted plants are iffy, especially in northern Ohio. They would have the best chance in the garage if you don't put them in the ground. But, oaks have a really long tap root that has to have room to grow. The tap root usually goes down as far as the trunk goes up. If you can't put them in the ground they at least need a much deeper pot. A 5 gallon bucket would work, just make sure you drill some holes in the bottom. You can put the pot in a hole in the ground and cover it with leaves.

I have an oak tree that I kept indoors it's very first winter. It was planted in a 2 liter pop bottle and ended up losing the top off it that spring. I planted it in the ground a couple years later and it's doing fine 20 years later but the poor thing had a very rough start.