Overwintering young maples - moisture requirements

Discussion in 'Maples' started by fortyonenorth, Oct 22, 2011.

  1. fortyonenorth

    fortyonenorth Member

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    NW Indiana
    Hi there - I'm new to the UBC forums, but have enjoyed reading many of the threads. I'm also new to JMs, though I've been gardening with various ornamentals for many years. I had planned to buy some JMs next spring but in the course of my research, I couldn't resist the temptation to buy a few this fall. I plan to overwinter them in my unheated garage. It should be a pretty decent environment. Here in zone 6b, temps will fall below freezing in the garage, but since it's below grade on three two sides, I don't think it will get bitterly cold - I'll have to keep an eye on that. Here's my main question: what are the moisture requirements for potted maples during their dormancy? Should I keep them barely moist or can I let them go dry until spring?

    Thanks in advance for advice.
     
  2. maf

    maf Generous Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    The maples will need some moisture, don't let the pots get totally dry. I'll leave it up to someone who overwinters in a garage to recommend how much to water, but aiming for barely moist sounds about right.

    Temperaturewise, as long as it stays above -10C (14F) in the garage you should be ok. If the pots stay frozen for a long period you can put snow on top of the soil, that way they will be watered automatically when there is a thaw.
     
  3. bmarkus07

    bmarkus07 Member

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    Temperature fluctuation in a moist media is much slower than in a very dry media. Not to get too technical, this has to do with the latent heat of fusion, essentially the 'heat' released as water changes to ice and its resistance to change. A moist container will take much longer to freeze, and also much much longer to thaw, this is a good thing in an overwintering situation. It means less temperature fluctuation. If they are bone dry, the temperature will fluctuate much more rapidly, and when they go from very cold to warm periods you can cause some root and bud damage.

    If you over-saturate the soil, you can also damage roots by providing an anaerobic environment and creating a soil expansion issue (when water turns into ice it expands by 9%, think about what that can do inside a container).

    If you find it difficult to water them, and your garage is around 40/50F for an extended time, easiest thing to do is put some ice cubes on top of the soil.

    Best-

    Brent

    Rare Tree Nursery
    www.raretreenursery.com
     

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