I think it's a little late for transplanting in MN (zone 4), but I
recently found 6 small Spruce trees (1'-2') in the wild and want to
try transplanting to my yard. We've had an unusually cold fall and
the average daily high's have been in the 30's. The ground isn't
frozen yet, and I think we may have a warm-up on the way.

The question is this, should I pot-up these transplants and keep them
in a sunny basement window to develop some more roots before putting
them outside? I'm afraid if I move them directly outside that the
damaged roots won't be able to grow any further because of the temps.
By potting them and waiting for a few weeks, will I screw up their
dormancy schedule?

Any thoughts would be great!