I'm trying a bunch of young grafts this year. I wanted to grow my collection a little quicker without spending a ton of money. This way I can observe more cultivars and if I really like any, I will spend the extra cash and get a large one. Anyway, I'd like the best growth out of them so I'd like to get them in the ground asap. Normally with a larger plant, I would just plant them right now but since these are going to be young and more fragile, I'm guessing it would be best to wait for the harsh weather to be gone. Now if I wait till spring, is it better to plant them before they leaf out or would it be better to wait until all chances of frost have passed and then plant them? I just feel like waiting until late spring I will lose a lot of time that they could be establishing the roots in ground before the hot summer weather comes. Thanks for any help.
Where completely hardy fall is best. Since fall is pretty much over (depending on what climate you are in) spring would be the next time. Root growth in spring is much less than fall, at this point you will not see full establishment demonstrated by normal lengthening of top growth until spring 2014.
Although I agree completely with Ron about root growth, if the grafts aren't fully healed (at least) you will have a high loss rate planting them in the fall. Essentially the plants are too small to die back without losing the entire graft. Our problem is wet during the first winter, but I imagine cold or snow could cause the same problems. (Sorry, I don't know what the climate is in Marengo). My strategy is to stay in the pot until the union is well and truly healed over, the graft is showing good growth and some increase in height and girth, and there is strong root growth. Even then, with palmatums (as opposed to some of the stronger understock on pseudoplatanus etc understock), I plant in spring. My experience is that the first summer of getting established, even if it shows less root growth (as Ron mentions) it will have a better chance of making it through that first crucial winter... -E
It's cold and wet here and going to get a whole lot colder soon. I'm in northern IL, zone 5. I've always read that it's ok to plant as long as the ground is not frozen. It's not yet, we are still in the 40s but I figured that rule probably doesn't apply to these young trees because they are more fragile at this age. If that's true and I'll have a better chance of them surviving if I wait to plant in the spring then that's what I'll do. When planting in the spring is it better to plant them while they are still dormant or do I need to wait until there is no chance of frost?
Since they're in pots and you're going to water them, it's OK to plant them out after they're in leaf. But you're going to harden them off more or less anyway, assuming the pots are kept outside as spring approaches; so I don't see much difference to a frost when in the pot or a frost when in the ground. I guess if I were you I'd wait until there was no chance of frost if they have been kept inside. Personally I give plants that are slated to go in the ground plenty of time to acclimatize once the worst of the freezing/thawing cycle (great for pseudomonas) is over, so I do try to plant before leaf out. I don't always succeed though.