Hi Shireen,

So, you're in Baltimore, in an apartment(?), but you have
someplace you
could over-winter your Acers p. in the ground. Understand that
I don't
suffer the cold you will, but I have to think that ANYTHING is
preferable to
keeping your tree(s) in the fridge. I've watched the
'cold-care' posts
here for years, and there are ways --and then there are ways--
do make
winter survival work. Your fridge has to be a last resort.

So . . . rather than tell you what I think you should do, let
me appeal to
all of those IBCer's who actually LIVE in the cold to help you.

Okay, so I think burying and mulching is probably best; Iris
may tell you to
cover with a rose cone also; others may say use a stryo ice
chest -
outside - ; but surely someone will come up with something that
will work
for you.

And, folks should NOT forget the seasonal care guides on the IBC
website. These provide solid info on wintering your trees.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

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I have a couple of Japanese maple saplings

that I kept outside in pots. With the cold

temperatures coming (zone 7), I was originally

planning to bury the pots in the soil for

the winter.



I recently ran across an article about

over-wintering in the refrigerator! Can I

actually use the crisper compartment to

store those saplings?!



shireen,



I am also in zone 7, central Arkansas, and either would work. I have kept
five needle pine in a fridge for the past three years and it works well for
me and assures their dormancy requirements. Most plants require a period of
about 1,000 hours for dormancy and the fridge will keep the temps at about
34 to 35 degrees which is ideal.



Jim Harwood, zone 7b

central Arkansas

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At 12:57 PM 11/14/03 -0500, Shireen Gonzaga wrote:
Hi again ...

I have a couple of Japanese maple saplings
that I kept outside in pots. With the cold
temperatures coming (zone 7), I was originally
planning to bury the pots in the soil for
the winter.

I recently ran across an article about
over-wintering in the refrigerator! Can I
actually use the crisper compartment to
store those saplings?!

Shireen

Overwintering in the refrigerator is possible, but really is a solution for
those that have no other alternative, such as folks that don't have a
meaningful winter.

You shouldn't have any problem overwintering your Acer palmatum in zone 7,
even if you live in a apartment as long as you can get them outside, such
as on a balcony. Acer palmatum are hardy in containers down to about 15F.
This can easily be achieved by keeping them in something like a styrafoam
cooler placed next to the wall of the building. You really need only do
this on the coldest nights. If it looks like it will be in the 20's or
higher, just leave them sitting out, but out of the wind and keep them well
watered so they don't freeze dry.



Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

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