Can a Maple skip one year of dormancy?

9 years ago

Hey, I was wondering. Can a Maple skip just year of dormancy? Just two days ago I dug up a Sugar Maple sapling about 9 inches tall that was in one of my Grandma's flower bed.

I then put it in one of those small four in pots like you'd get with one of those seed starting kits. Well when I dug it up I broke some of the roots and I was thinking of keeping it inside this winter to regrow some of the roots that were lost. The leaves on it are still green for they haven't turned yet.

I live in zone 5 in northern Missouri and its been real mild here this fall. So will it hurt this maple if it skips one winter of dormancy? I'll cou

ld just keep the leaves on it and just set in a cool window where it could some dormancy since it won't be growing cause of lower light levels in winter. Please let me know. Thanks.

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Comments (4)

ttihomir7
9 years ago
I wouldn`t do it,

Its against its natural way.
hemlock140 Zone 8B
9 years ago
There is no advantage to keeping it inside unless you get a hard freeze that could kill the roots. Leave it out, and if you get down below about 25F put it into an unheated shed or garage until it gets back above freezing.
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User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Or just plant it. It can be dormant in the ground. Unless you fear very cold temperatures, the roots should be fine and the tree will break dormancy as soon as the weather warms up.
Embothrium
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Cold climate adapted plants need a dormant period every year. These have little, if any root activity when the top is not doing anything.

Growth of hardy deciduous trees and shrubs is so closely connected to the seasons that if these do not set winter stem buds these kinds are actually not able to make new growth the following spring, will then peter out. This can happen when cuttings of these are rooted, yet fail to develop and mature completely new stem growth the same growing season.