Free Trees At Lowe's - (Any Updates? How are your trees growing?)

[silkiechicken]

I got a free western red cedar start two earth days ago. Started out about 6 inches tall and a single sprig. It is now 2 feet tall and getting chunkier. It lives on our apartment balcony. LOL Stays outside and some time when I have cargo space, will take it home to plant in the ground.

 

[Razadia]

The cats killed the Ponderosa Pine I got from Lowes.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
So, the little trees won't freeze?

Yeah.. You SURE about that Kid??

I'm worried it'll die...

 

[redhen]

Quote:
So, the little trees won't freeze?

Nope, soil insulates the roots. Actually, if evergreens like temperate pines aren't exposed to a period of cold for hibernation, they will die. They can't live in a warm climate with no cool off. This is why 'bonsai' sold in stores, usually a little fir twig in a tiny pot, die very quickly, because they are almost exclusively kept indoors by the owners.

Heres my concern though.... mine are still in pots.... (it said to keep them in pots until like next year...)
Soo... is a medium sized pot big enough to insulate them?? Its different than being in the earth....

 

[La Mike]

Lol my lowes was givin out regular pine trees. I been cutting them down fast as I could.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Nope, soil insulates the roots. Actually, if evergreens like temperate pines aren't exposed to a period of cold for hibernation, they will die. They can't live in a warm climate with no cool off. This is why 'bonsai' sold in stores, usually a little fir twig in a tiny pot, die very quickly, because they are almost exclusively kept indoors by the owners.

Heres my concern though.... mine are still in pots.... (it said to keep them in pots until like next year...)
Soo... is a medium sized pot big enough to insulate them?? Its different than being in the earth....

Well... my little cedar tree is in a 3 gallon bucket... which froze and thawed a few times over the last two winters. Did a few nights of teens and stayed green the whole time. The roots were a frozen ball.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Fun! We got 6 TINY redwoods from Home Depot a couple years ago and put them in pots. Only 2 survived the first 6 months (probably my fault) and now they are about 4 feet tall. I've re-potted them twice and keep them in pots since I have no idea where they will end up.

I should calendar when they give them out so I can go get some more!

 

[arabianequine]

Our trees from Lowe's are European Larches? It says to keep them in a pot for a year. Are these evergreens too?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
So, the little trees won't freeze?

Nope, soil insulates the roots. Actually, if evergreens like temperate pines aren't exposed to a period of cold for hibernation, they will die. They can't live in a warm climate with no cool off. This is why 'bonsai' sold in stores, usually a little fir twig in a tiny pot, die very quickly, because they are almost exclusively kept indoors by the owners.

Not all evergreens need cold weather.

If that were the case, there wouldn't be any evergreens native to the Arizona desert, and there ARE. Potted plants do not have sufficient soil around them to provide enough insulation from a severely cold winter. A tree planted in the ground with plenty of time to acclimate to the weather, AND that is suited to the climate should do fine, though.

First, is the variety of the tree suited to your climate? If so, the tree should have been planted months ago to spread its roots during warm weather. Probably too late this year. Bring the tree inside when it gets down to freezing, and keep inside in the coolest place where it will get light.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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I expect that the soil was too acidic. Ponderosa's want an alkaline soil, as is found in the west, not the east.