What to do with these..

[junmilo]

They have been in these pots for almost 3 years now...what to do...it's just too cold to be outside right now..the garage temperature fluctuates between 7-3 Degree Celsius.

 

[sorce]

it's just too cold to be outside right now.

Who/what is making that determination?

Sorce

 

[Dav4]

They can stay in your garage as long as it stays at or under 3 C. I'd also suggest some needle thinning and wiring to start building some structure in the canopy.

 

[junmilo]

They can stay in your garage as long as it stays at or under 3 C. I'd also suggest some needle thinning and wiring to start building some structure in the canopy.

The garage temperature fluctuates above 3 C and 9 C...I guess I'll keep them outside for a bit..

J

 

[junmilo]

Who/what is making that determination?

Sorce

I'm thinking of re pot them.

J

 

[just.wing.it]

I'm thinking of re pot them.

J

I think its not the proper time of year for that action.
They should probably stay in the cold.....back and forth is possibly a problem starter.

 

[sorce]

I'm thinking of re pot them.

Operating outside of their natural rythyms is unreliable at best, detrimental at worst.

Meaning, though keeping them warmer may work this time, it wouldn't be an actual reason they were able to survive the repot.
As this year's health, aftercare, care during Repot, will be the actual reasons the tree survives the repot.

So say next year, you take a tree that is a little less healthy, or even, with the same health but responds worse to the confusion of a warm winter, Repot it, and it dies, you'll have created more questions for yourself by working outside the trees natural need to be cold.

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

You have had these pines for 3 years, what every you did in winter the previous three years, continue to do the same, these trees look healthy.

You never mentioned species. And cold tolerance is VERY species dependent. What are they

They look to my eye as varieties of Cork Bark Japanese Black Pine. Which I must warn you, cork bark JBP are LESS cold hardy than the nominal form. I would never expose these to temperatures below -5 C (+23 F). Also while it is ideal to winter cork bark JBP, and all temperate trees at temperatures below +4 C, cork barks do not seem to break dormancy until temperatures have a few daytime highs above 25 C. So storing them at +3 to +9 C is not the worst.

Like I said, keep doing what you did in previous years,
And confirm for me What species are these? and What cultivars if they are cork bark JBP?

 

[junmilo]

Operating outside of their natural rythyms is unreliable at best, detrimental at worst.

Meaning, though keeping them warmer may work this time, it wouldn't be an actual reason they were able to survive the repot.
As this year's health, aftercare, care during Repot, will be the actual reasons the tree survives the repot.

So say next year, you take a tree that is a little less healthy, or even, with the same health but responds worse to the confusion of a warm winter, Repot it, and it dies, you'll have created more questions for yourself by working outside the trees natural need to be cold.

Sorce

Thank you. So I will not repot them (they have been in the same pot for 3 years).

I am building a green house right now. Hopefully done before Friday.

I do have an empty cold frame outside..but need to figure out how to keep the temperature (not too cold for the cork barks).

J