"Shiltsy" wrote in message
om...
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!

And what will you do with them in a few weeks when the ground IS frozen?
Plants adapted to the outdoors simply will not do well indoors, despite all
our good intentions - wintess the fatalities of so many "living" Chrtistmas
trees as an example. Since your ground is not yet frozen, dig them
carefully, attempting to keep as many large roots intact as possible, and
replant immediately. Don't forget to water them in well. The roots will
still put on growth - plants that are adapted to northern climates continue
to to develop root systems well into the winter. They will be far happier in
the ground than they would be inside a structure for any period of time.

pam - gardengal