Over wintering help needed

I have a rather small collection, trident maples , mulberry, mugo pines, boxwoods, a chinese elm, and some tropicals. With the weather turning and temps in the lower 30's at night I am preparing for winter. The tropicals are inside but the the rest of the trees need a good overwintering plan. I usually put them in the heated garage which maintains at around 45 F. next to the windows it is about 38-40. I lose a tree or 2 every year and have heard of people in cold climates who dig a trench and bury the deciduous trees in oak leaves and cover with plywood till spring. We get sustained temps below 0 and lots of wind in the winter. Does this sound like a workable plan? I was told this will work because the temp stays at an even 28 F. Any thoughts,?

Try to find a corner with less wind like southeast side of the house and bury them in mulch and maybe build a plastic shelter. Make sure the pots get good contact with the ground cause that is the whole point of burying them. Deep in the earth the temperature is higher than the surface.

I am going to put some of my collections(only the ones that lose leaves in winter, not the pines) in my tool house in the yard and put a heated water tank in it to keep the room not too cold. It can get to as low as 0F here in Center Indiana.

know this is off topic but was curious to see a picture of your mulberry.....back in ohio where i spent my childhood, there was one that dropped it's fruit into a lake and the carp would sit and wait for them to drop.

I soon learned to tie a fly out of purple colored deet hair so it would float and wrap the hood shank with a yellow green thread to mimic the stem. Just pleasant memories....of times gone bye

roberthu526 wrote:I am going to put some of my collections(only the ones that lose leaves in winter, not the pines) in my tool house in the yard and put a heated water tank in it to keep the room not too cold. It can get to as low as 0F here in Center Indiana.

Are you worried about pipes freezing? And what is the tank for? Just for heat or are you using the water? Sorry about all the questions, but as you see i live in buffalo and we get some REAL cold weather as well and i would love some other ideas for over wintering. Last year i put a small 5 needle pine in training pot and a san jose juniper in a pot in peat moss in a wood box on my balcony all winter. I just checked them now and then for water on the over 32F degree days. They were fine, i think if the roots stay froze all winter your good.

Neil

Neil Jaeger wrote:

roberthu526 wrote:I am going to put some of my collections(only the ones that lose leaves in winter, not the pines) in my tool house in the yard and put a heated water tank in it to keep the room not too cold. It can get to as low as 0F here in Center Indiana.

Are you worried about pipes freezing? And what is the tank for? Just for heat or are you using the water? Sorry about all the questions, but as you see i live in buffalo and we get some REAL cold weather as well and i would love some other ideas for over wintering. Last year i put a small 5 needle pine in training pot and a san jose juniper in a pot in peat moss in a wood box on my balcony all winter. I just checked them now and then for water on the over 32F degree days. They were fine, i think if the roots stay froze all winter your good.

Neil

The water tank is just for heating. I will use a water heater for fish tank to keep the water at 100F so the room doesn't get too cold. Just a thought never tried yet. Going to this winter.

I live in Chicago, and my window wells (covered with a lid and sealed on the sides with ductape) works best for me. Also note, that I have a small collection... larger collection trees won't fit in window wells.

The window well temp. is stabilized at underground temp. which is normally above freezing. Since it is an enclosed space, you have to keep an eye on pest or fungal growth.

- S