Dormancy Requirements

Hello All!

I know, I know..I don't want to have to start thinking about winter yet either...BUT!

I have been researching the dormancy requirements for Pomegranate and Crepe Myrtle and after having acquired both at Bill Valavanis's open house, I'm Interested in hearing the opinions on the dormancy requirements for both. I can satisfy just about any tree, I have many weird spots in, under, and around my house that all provide different exposures and protections, yet there seems to be a lot of different recommendations for both Crepe Myrtles and Pomegranates (standard not dwarf) so I thought I'd ask here for second opinions. Give me minimum temps and for how long ..sunlight-no sunlight..that sort of thing. I had already researched both species and knew I could give them proper dormancy (I wouldn't have bought them if I didn't think I could) I'm just after some tips and tricks/recomendations.

I have a few ideas of my own, but I'm ready to be wrong!
My best and my thanks as always
-jay

The following are from my own experience. I have killed enough of them to qualify.
Crape (sic) myrtle is best treated as a temperate tree, with full dormancy. It is hardy to Zone 7, so it has to be stored a little more carefully than your pines & maples. Follow whatever works for Korean hornbeam. I keep mine with the other hardy trees in the sunporch, which is not heated unless temperature in it goes below 25 F. Once the leaves fall off, it doesn't need any light until next spring.
Pomegranate is trickier. It must have a dormant period, but it is only hardy to Zone 8 or 9. You will have to find a location that is cool enough to induce dormancy, but not really much below freezing. The leaves may or may not fall off, depending on the variety. I'm still working on this.
Iris

The dirt floor crawl space under my house remains a constant 30F all winter, measured it last year-absolutely constant. So Leaving the Myrtle outside till leaf fall then sticking under the house with all the other deciduous trees should work. I was reading things like "needs to be kept at about 45-50F" Perhaps that is for Dwarf varieties. This is a Raspberry Dazzle (sounds delicious doesn't it)

My rental house is on a slab and unused in winter, its temperature stays at about 42F then dips to just about freezing in february once the slab finally cools down, I was thinking the Pomegranate might go in there. Along with my Kurume and a few other trees that are a bit less hardy (ie. my Trident) Other recommendations were treating the Pom much like a Chinese Elm, yet my Chinese Elm lives in the crawl space all winter and his soil freezes solid, I wouldn't want to do that to the Pomegranate. Some were saying allow the Pom to stay outdoors till it drops its leaves then place it in a cool sunny window. You see now why I asked. There seem to be a few different Ideas regarding the Pom.

thank you Iris

I just looked up Raspberry Dazzle and Monrovias website indicates the plant is hardy to zone 6. I'm "technically" zone 6 but I wouldn't bet plants on it, I'd err on being zone 5, but anyway, that gives me hope that she should be just fine under the house at 30F
-jay

I have both dwarf Crape Myrtle and Poms, but will not otherwise contribute to this discussion because my climate is so different.

The zone 6 recommendation is, of course, for plants in the ground. Plants in pots need at least one zone subtracted, and I'd err on the side of two zones for safety.

The only Pomegranate I've ever had died left outside in a zone 8 winter. I'd give it full protection in your area.

I have no fear for the Crape Myrtle at this point, I can provide nearly a zone 9b/10a winter under the house, so that was easy. 30F

That Pomegranate will stay outside to take a few LIGHT frosts, hopefully I can get the leaves to drop. from there it heads to the vacant rental and will hover at about 42 until january at that point I will probably bring it back up to the house and place it in my cool 50F south facing office window. Thats the plan so far...I'd hate to mess it up its a gem of a tree. But this plan is the one that feels right to me.

Keep in mind that moving a tree from a house to a car in very cold weather can damage or kill it.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:Keep in mind that moving a tree from a house to a car in very cold weather can damage or kill it.

Not if you pack it in a picnic cooler or a heavy corrugated carton and warm the car up in advance. See my comments under the Too Many Shows thread.
Iris

luckily my rental house is 600 feet away. But I think I would be careful to pick a nice sunny day.

you see now I have just read that Pomegranates really shouldn't get below 40. Maybe for this year I'll let it cool down outside then bring it into my 50 degree cool south office window, It has a wide recessed sill and should hold it fine, and just skip the rental altogether. the room itself is not directly heated and stays quiet cool.
The more I read the more it seems the Pomegranate just wants a cool down and slow down time. Not really a hard dormancy the way we think of it with Maples and such.

fascinating taking on the challenge of new species.