Apple Trees to immature to plant - need some advice.

[Blue Ox]

Gentleman (and ladies) legit question so please be gentle!

I have a couple of small apple tree sprouts (no idea what variety) that I was given that a friend brought back from a trip home to NY - I have some acreage I want to plant them on but they are too small and I don't think they would survive the winter or the deer - (oklahoma). If I keep them in the house this winter will they thrive - should I repot them into bigger containers - right now they are in large margaine tubs - do I need to fertilize them? One is maybe 6 inches tall - the other seems to be doing better and is little over a foot.

Again - I know nothing of trees and would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
Blue Ox

 

[jefflovstrom]

I think apple trees do best in places that get winter.
Jeff
Put them outside and if they don't make it, it wasn't meant to be. How did they survive before there were tree guys.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Your avatar makes me think you are related to Art Vandalay.
Jeff

 

[Blue Ox]

Your avatar makes me think you are related to Art Vandalay.
Jeff

Jeff - thanks for the advice - If they die my buddy will be so bummed - they came from a tree that was on his family's land for generations - they sold the land and the new owners cut down all the trees...

Yes - thank you for noticing the avatar! Art Vandely and I were twins, separated at birth!

 

[beowulf343]

As long as you don't bare root them, they are fine to be planted in the fall up to the point the ground freezes. We planted most of our apple trees in zone five in the fall.
If they were going to survive a ny winter, i'd assume oklahoma winters would be a cakewalk for them.

 

[Blue Ox]

As long as you don't bare root them, they are fine to be planted in the fall up to the point the ground freezes. We planted most of our apple trees in zone five in the fall.
If they were going to survive a ny winter, i'd assume oklahoma winters would be a cakewalk for them.

I know - NY winter - OK winter...told you I know squat about planting trees! Should I cover them - would the deer even bother them?

 

[pdqdl]

Planting trees with an unknown history can be quite the gamble. Presumably these are cuttings from another tree, or are they seedlings?

Seedling, grown all summer in a pot? Plant it where you want it to grow, but make sure that it is well mulched and protected from the deer with a wire cage.

Freshly dug up, and sent to you for transplanting? I think I would try to baby that tree through the winter, perhaps in a cold frame by the house, or perhaps in a greenhouse. Even tiny transplants loose their fine roots when dug up, and most trees don't transplant too well unless dug up when dormant. Many greenhouses offer winter storage for tropical plants, so storing a plant until spring would not be unusual. Make sure that someone keeps it watered!

A "Cutting", taken this summer, and just now growing roots? I think I would get it a grow light, and continue to baby it all winter. Or consider the greenhouse option above.

Bare root stock? I would not count on a good survival rate there, but I don't have a lot of experience in that area. Bare root trees are typically stored all winter in a cooler, then transplanted in the spring. If bare root, recently stuck in the soil to "make it or not", I would treat it like the paragraph above.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Planting trees with an unknown history can be quite the gamble. Presumably these are cuttings from another tree, or are they seedlings?

Seedling, grown all summer in a pot? Plant it where you want it to grow, but make sure that it is well mulched and protected from the deer with a wire cage.

Freshly dug up, and sent to you for transplanting? I think I would try to baby that tree through the winter, perhaps in a cold frame by the house, or perhaps in a greenhouse. Even tiny transplants loose their fine roots when dug up, and most trees don't transplant too well unless dug up when dormant. Many greenhouses offer winter storage for tropical plants, so storing a plant until spring would not be unusual. Make sure that someone keeps it watered!

A "Cutting", taken this summer, and just now growing roots? I think I would get it a grow light, and continue to baby it all winter. Or consider the greenhouse option above.

Bare root stock? I would not count on a good survival rate there, but I don't have a lot of experience in that area. Bare root trees are typically stored all winter in a cooler, then transplanted in the spring. If bare root, recently stuck in the soil to "make it or not", I would treat it like the paragraph above.

What a buzz kill, but good info from you. Still,
Jeff

 

[pdqdl]

I forgot to comment on the pots: Yes!

Re-pot them out of the margarine tubs, unless you have drilled drainage holes. Adding dirt to a tub of water doesn't turn it into a good place for growing trees. Very few trees thrive in standing water.

Now if it was cherished old bald-cypress cuttings...