Fruit seedlings winter

General Fruit Growing
1

I have about 20 apple fruit seedlings and a couple cherry seedlings about 5-6 inches tall. I live in ontario zone 5. Whats the best way to keep them alive in the winter? Do they need to go dormant their first year? Heard the roots are fragile so want to be cautious.

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I’m in 6b…so not the same…but if mine aren’t tough enough to make it through winter outdoors in a flat or in quart or gallon pots, they just ‘croak’.

Fuji is one I like to grow seedlings of. Fuji is such a healthy tree for me. (Not that all the seedlings are healthy). I have a few Opal seedlings am trying this summer.

Hoped to grow Frostbite seedlings, but they spoiled in the refrigerator…the seeds did.

3

I’m taking a similar approach to @blueberry I have 20 or so seedling apples planted in March taken from various wild and domestic sources. They are anywhere from 1-3.5 ft. tall at the moment in zone 5b. I will not give them any special treatment and the cold may weed some out …but if they don’t take the cold what good are they to me? Are you planning on keeping them in containers? I have heard that having them in containers is like growing them a zone colder. So for you the seedlings would have to be zone 4 hardy to survive outdoors in a pot. You could always bury the pot in ground too if you’re not ready for planting.

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4

I’m planning on keeping them in the pots. I think since they’re pretty small, I might just bring them in the house. Allow them to get another year of growth. Heard that indoor plants can go dormant so it sounds safer overall.

6

I have successfully overwintered currants and perennials by burying the pots in ground.

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7

I have an empty raised bed where I put my pots. During the first snowfall I bury them with snow, subsequent snow can put over a foot and a half on them. On a regular year the snow last until spring. I tend to try an overwinter a lot of tiny stuff so I do get winter kill.

This year I have about 60 seedlings of various things I’m going to put them on my sauna room. It will get cold but they will be out of the wind.

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