Overwintering Younger Japanese Maples

HI;

I am in Neenah, WI. I've enjoyed reading many of the old threads here over the past couple months. I have a question that I think someone here will be able to answer so I signed up for an account today.

Japanese Maples that are established do fine here. I've never seen one die that is established in the landscape. I am on the edge of zone 4/5. I know this isn't the primary area most of you are in, but am hoping that someone here will be familiar with my climate.

This year I bought some Japanese Maples from a Nursery in Ohio. Most I will overwinter in a room that I am going to keep about 20 degrees. They are all 1 to 3 years old.

We have not had a frost yet, and it looks like it will be at least 2 more weeks till frost hits.

A little over a month ago, I had 3 Japanese Maples came in that I planted directly in the ground, I think they were all 2 year grafts. They are Koto no ito, Emporor I, and Twombly's red sentinel. I will of course have them well mulched in.

I am getting a bit nervous that these trees are still on the young side to survive our winter here. I've not planted out trees this young before.

I am wondering if I should just add extra mulch for the winter and leave them in the ground or if I should dig them out, overwinter them in a protected environment, and replant them in the spring.

I'd really rather not disrupt them by digging them out, but don't want to lose them over the winter either. If chances are that they are not established enough in the ground to make it, then I would much rather dig them out and re-plant them in the spring.

Thanks very much for any suggestions,

Jamie Dolan
Neenah, WI

 

Hi Jamie,

I am not very well placed to give advice for cold climates but I have learned a lot from other forum members who live in colder areas. It is all a matter of risk analysis.
Digging them out and sheltering them until next spring undoubtely carries less risk than leaving them in the ground.
If you leave them in the ground and if you have a normal winter with some snow cover whent he worst cold hits, then you are probably OK as well.
If they are in the ground with no snow cover and an exceptional cold wave hit your area, then they may suffer.
If they are in the ground and you have an exceptionally warm late winter/early spring with early leaf out and then hard spring frosts, then they are probably dead.
In any case a thick mulch is good protection for the roots.

Gomero

 

Thanks for responding. I guess the reality is that they have only had about 5 weeks in place to grow some roots and I should be able to scoop them out whole and dump them in a pot. Then I will know I will be safe with them, keeping them in a temp controlled room.

I think I should wait till after leaf drop before digging them out, does that sound like a good plan?

Then hopefully if I plant them in the spring and give them the full summer to take hold, I won't have any worries by the time next fall comes around.

Thanks very much;

Jamie Dolan

 

I think that is a sensible idea, spring planting has a higher success rate than fall planting in marginal climate zones, plus the trees will be an extra year older before they have to face a full winter.

I would transplant them as soon as possible to the pots, rather than waiting till after leaf drop. There will be much storage root development during this coming few weeks, and better to have it in the container where it will be retained rather than in the ground where it may be lost again during transplant.

 

Thank You

Jamie

 

Hi,
I'm not too far south of you (I don't think). I planted some about 5 weeks ago here, but they were larger maples. I am familiar with Koto no ito and Emperor 1, which are both really hardy for me. However, I think if you bought one gallon or maples that have only been grafted a year or so, I would dig them and keep them in storage over the winter. You are pretty far north to be growing them and while you probably get more snow coverage than I do in Central Illinois, it would still be risky. Having said that, storage can be challenging, too, especially with keeping them from drying out too much, but not letting them get too moist. One thing I do with all my maples outside, as long as they are small enough, I wrap them in either that floating row cover stuff (don't know exactly what it's called) or burlap. I take this off in April when buds are starting to push. Are there many people growing Japanese maples in your area? Do you have them planted in protected areas? I am really curious about this. Where are you in relation to like Madison or Milwaukee?

 

HI:

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I am in Neenah, WI, you can see on the map above that I am about 1.5 hours north of Milwaukee County, and about 2 hours north east of Madison. Neenah is right on lake Winnebago, and I am just a half mile from the lake, so it stays a bit warmer here than in area that are near by. We show up in the 5a zone range on the map.

There are not a lot of Japanese Maples around here, but there are other people that do grow them. The ones I see growing around the city all look fine. I have a nice crimpson princess in my yard, south side, that is older now, and the wost that happens is that I have a little tip die back.

I built a room in my garage that I am going to keep heated to about 20 degrees to store my Japanese Maples and other potted plants as well as Bonsai in. Much of my yard is semi-protected because of how much stuff I have planted in the yard.

I think tonight looks like it is going to be our first hard frost.

Jamie

 

Thanks for the info. I would think the lake would help. Directly across east of Lake Michigan is Wavecrest Nursery and they grow all kinds of plants that I wouldn't be able to grow in Central Illinois. Sounds like you have a perfect area to store them overwinter. My garage is under the house, so it works well, too. When it gets below zero, it rarely gets lower than 25 degrees F.in the garage. Plus, I have a new truck that won't fit :) and this winter I will have the entire garage to store my maples. Previously it was really hard to water because I had them tucked under tables, on shelves, etc. to allow for the car. Plus, when I dragged in snow there was all the salt to worry about (no drain in the garage).
Kay