Absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing. What type of potting mix you use for your conifers in container? How do you winterize them? I am considering containers for my increased mini conifer selection due to limited garden space. Your advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Vivian

@Vivian

I'm not a pro so I hesitate to give advice on potting mix materials; however, through several years of trial and error and after I have managed to kill a bunch of plants I came up with a formula that works best for me:

I - Potting mix:

2 part soil.

1 part pine mulch (fine one).

1 part peat moss.

1 part Perlite (or chicken grit)

II - Winterization:

I'm in Zone 7b. I do not winterize them at all. Small or big I leave them out through Winter.

I did lose some if the weather temp drops or rises rapidly , especially in early Spring when Spring frost hits and cold rain. But that only happens to 1-2 years old plants. Once established they can take temp fluctuation like a champ.

III - Watering:

Do not attempt to overwater them. You will kill them fast. Most conifers do not like wet feet.

In the hot summer, you can quick shower them twice a week.

For the Abies Koreana 'Ice Breaker', it is a lot more trickier than most. I have not been able to figured out the right amount of water for them yet, but I do know they will die once you overwater them.

VI - Fertilizer:

Since they are in pots, they need supplemental fertilizer. Use the slow Evergreen fertilizer sticks that Lowe's or Home Depot carry. Use them sparingly though. Apply them in early spring.

Growing conifers in pots is a bit challenging but it's worth the effort since you can move and combine them in any fashion that you like.

Good luck

John Nguyen

John, Thanks for the detailed information on potting mixture, winterization, watering and fertilizing! Very helpful. I have been successful with japanese maples in containers now I will also try conifers.

Vivian

@Vivian

"Try" it but don't get addicted to it :-). This hobby can be very costly, both psychologically and financially :-).

My wife complains that I spend more time for the plants than for her and I told her I need to stay "focus" :-). Yes .. stay focus.

Vivian, best of luck with containerized plants. I find it to be fun and rewarding.

Here's what I've done that has worked for me so far. I've switched my containerized conifers over to the 5 1 1 mix a few months ago and they're doing well (most were not happy in the peat based potting mix). I haven't had any issues so far. I add a drop of Dolomitic lime to provide the conifers with calcium.

I apply Osmocote plus in the spring and they respond well to it. During the winter I protect some of my potted plants with leaves and some stay unprotected. My Japanese Maples went into my unheated garage. Although they were outdoors in January when we dropped into the low single digits all survived except for one. They were protected with leaves so maybe that gave them some protection.

Survival of outdoor potted plants depends on their zone. 2 zones lower than your zone is a good rule of thumb when keeping potted plants outdoors.

This year I lost a potted cryptomeria japonica araucarioides that is rated at zone 6. It was in a large 25 gallon container so I thought it was more proteced but it turned brown and never greened up. Other than that tree all my potted plants survived.

The deed is already done and there are a lot of enablers here too:) 5 years ago the only conifers I have are the regular stuff already in the yard when we bought the house. Now the fleet of conifers and Japanese maples are growing in an alarming speed and I am running out of space to plant so I have to keep some of them in containers. But this is a healthy addiction!

Stuart, Thank you for sharing your experience. Glad that 511 mix has worked for you. I also have been using something similar to 511 (more a 411 or 311 to accommodate my need for less frequent watering during summer) for my many Japanese Maples and have been successful for the last 3-4 years. Glad that this mix also worked for you for conifers. It seems that John also use a similar mix for his beautiful selection of trees.

Vivian

Also consider “gritty mix”. I’ve been using it for my woody plants including conifers and japanese maples.

It’s a bit of a pain to make (screening and mixing...almosr need a cement mixer), but has been a terrific mix for me.

It is a long lasting mix that doesn’t break down as quickly as the 5-1-1 and it’s variants will. Very good drainage. I give a quick watering daily (usually). I don’t think you can overwater gritty mix.

Not suggesting anyone change what works for them, just giving another option.