Leaving a potted plant over winter?

8 years ago

Hey folks,

I bought a Quickfire that I may not be able to get in the ground before freeze-up.. Will it survive in cold room storage? The cold room in my basement gets into the low 30s when it get really chilly... The garden centre employee claimed it would survive in my garage but that gets much colder when we go into deep freezes.. Our winters have the potential of reaching as cold as -20F. I think the roots could be damaged in the garage.

Thoughts? Thanks!

Featured Answer

waynedanielson

8 years ago

you know what's a fine time to plant something?

Can you put a shovel in the ground? it's planting time!

sometimes we get too concerned about perfect timing. sometimes we get caught up in details that do more reveal our own biases and predilections than helping someone get to furthering their understanding of the subject.

In an ideal world, you'd be able to have six weeks of soil temps above 40 degrees. In an ideal world, nurseries would time their clearance sales to be about the six week window...alas, the world we live in doesn't work that way. And we all have other things going on in life...so sometimes, we have to do things in a less than optimum manner.

If you have to leave things in the pot over winter, heel them in in some kind of material that will prevent excessive freeze thaw cycles from occurring...there's your bigger problem. It's not so much cold on a pot above ground...it's that a small mass of soil and roots above ground warms up and freezes much faster than the same mass in the ground.

Mulch things in with a late planting...again, this is somewhat dependent on where you are...if the ground freezes and that's it, it's not such a big deal. If you have a long cycle of freezing and thawing weather, smaller plants in particular are subject to frost heaving...so a little extra mulch to prevent this from happening.

Don't worry too much about controlling all factors to their maximum. It's a trait of people that we're good at. It's a trait of nature that good enough usually is, and there is little more powerful than the will of a living thing to stay alive. And if nothing else, you have a learning opportunity.

And the lessons learned through doing beat lessons learned just about any other way.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
8 years ago
How cold does your garage get? The basement is too warm. So long as the garage stays above zero, and it probably does, it should be fine.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
whats a quickfire .. see link ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Quickfire&t=ffcm&ia=products

oh.. i added 'plant' ... came up with a hydrangea ... and its seems to be listed to z4 ... is this it??

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Quick+Fire+Hardy+Hydrangea+zone&t=ffcm&ia=web

if so ... just get it in the ground... hopefully we have a couple months before full winter min temp ...

ken
Related Professionals
Waco Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Fort Dodge Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Saginaw Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Brainerd Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Milwaukee Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · San Diego Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Rochester Landscape Contractors · Chula Vista Landscape Contractors · Sarasota Home Builders · Atlanta Home Builders · Salina Home Builders · Houston Home Builders · Bemidji Home Builders · El Paso Home Builders · Victoria Home Builders
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
duplicate post ... nvm the above.. see link for fuller discussion .. ken

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4947227/leaving-a-potted-plant-over-winter?n=5
splaker
Original Author
8 years ago
my cold room is in the low 30s during the peak of winter cold.. there us a vent to the outside.. 40s if it's a mild stretch.., I keep a winter hardy fig in there and it re-blooms every year...
Embothrium
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Woody plants are a lot better off not going on and on in the same pots. Roots soon get congested and deformed, organic potting soils break down and become airless. Being trapped inside containers is basically anathema to roots, which are otherwise very outward oriented. Bonsai are kept going in the same small containers for very long periods by pruning both the roots and the tops back, replacing the soil every year.
splaker thanked Embothrium
splaker
Original Author
8 years ago
Embothrium, just going to keep them potted for this winter only...
waynedanielson
8 years ago
I'd get a few bags of leaves or a couple bales of straw, or even a pile of mulch...and heel it in outside. The leaves/mulch/straw act as insulation to prevent the freeze/thaw cycles from having too much of an effect.
Embothrium
8 years ago
Significance of them going until next spring in same pots and potting medium depends entirely on what condition the plants and the medium are in right now. In both cases there are tipping points that are reached after which decline occurs if conditions are not corrected. Fall, after winter stem buds are set is a time when there is a major elongation of existing roots. So this is a time when the roots having become quite crowded due to still being in the same pots is highly likely. And the hot conditions of summer, with associated frequent watering make this also a time when an undesirable level of breaking down of the organic component of the potting medium may also be present.
splaker thanked Embothrium
splaker
Original Author
8 years ago
I am going to try to get these plants in the ground this weekend.. Our deep freeze is still a few or several weeks off.. My concern is that I have to move at least 2 plants to accommodate - I don't want to hurt these transplants. Is it too late? Should just wait til spring to move the existing shrubs? they were planted this year and so not fully established... Thoughts?
whaas_5a
8 years ago
I'd suggest what Wayne says. Can you put them up against the house otherwise?

You know how nurseries overwinter there potted stock? They put them in an unheated hoop house. So if you can put this plant in a shaded (like northeast location) that is out of the prevailing winter winds (likely northwest) then you are set.

This is a tough plant to begin with.
splaker thanked whaas_5a
Embothrium
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Dump them out of the pots and look at what condition they and the potting mix are in. You can always replace the potting medium, pull or shake the roots open and put them in bigger pots before placing them in winter storage.
splaker thanked Embothrium
splaker
Original Author
8 years ago
got one in the ground! One more to go!
Embothrium
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Plants don't know anything about "good enough". If their basic requirements aren't met they just go ahead and deteriorate, then die. "Aw, just throw them in the ground" could almost equate here to "Aw, dogs don't need that much water" - as I said previously what is going to work in this particular situation at this time depends entirely on what, exactly is the current condition and circumstances of the specimens being asked about. Recognition of the limitations of plants, acting accordingly isn't being fussy or highfalutin'.