Andria
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:48 pm

Winterizing Potted Trees on porch

I am trying to protect my trees which are currently in plastic pots/ peach &pussy willow tree from extremely cold weather. I have wrapped the roots in plastic & blankets & just bought a tarp & some canvas to further protect them--(We are getting extremely cold weather the high will be zero)
looking for other suggestions to successfully winter them over outside on the deck.
Thanks!

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

If you can't bring the plant indoors, such as into an unheated garage, then wrapping is probably the only thing you can do. Be sure to wrap the top growth of the plant, as well as the pot.

I remember my grandmother wrapping some of her plants in multiple layers of burlap and newspaper to protect them against very low temperatures. Those plants were in the ground, though. Anything in a pot was taken into the basement or the garage.

If you can't bring the plants indoors, then in addition to wrapping them, move them as close as possible to the wall of your house. Heat is absorbed by the walls during the day and radiates at night, keeping the nearby air slightly warmer.

Andria
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:48 pm

I appreciate the suggestion of covering the whole plant. I was able to wrap a tarp around both trees & put them next to the door wall. Hopefully this will work. I did consider trying to bring them indoors, but this past fall when I brought in other plants (before frost) I had an outbreak of fruit flies inside...


When it warms up again, should I remove some of the layers & uncover the trees? Also water once a month?

Thanks!

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

Yes, when it warms up to the level of cold that the trees have successfully tolerated in past winters, I would uncover them. They are dormant, so there isn't a lot of photosynthesis going on right now. But the bark should be exposed to the air and light, I think. If it's going to be windy, I would keep them covered, or at least in a spot protected from the wind. Wind can desiccate the plant and cause significant damage, because the roots can't absorb water from frozen soil.

It's difficult for me to offer suggestions about how to treat the trees after the very cold weather ends, as I don't know where you're located. This is an international forum, with members from all over the world. If you want to share the area where you're located, it would enable me and our other members to give more accurate responses to your questions. Many of our members list their by using their USDA Plant Hardiness Zone number as part of their profile. Since I don't even know what country you're in, the best help I can offer, I think, is the link to Wikipedia's article on the subject. The article contains links to determine your zone number if you're in North America, Europe, or Australia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone

Andria
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:48 pm

I am in zone 5



Return to “Container Gardening Forum”