Where did I go wrong?

[hoodbonsai]

Ok so this is a Trident Maple that I had for a few years now. It looks like it didn’t survive the winter. I was trying to let it grow out a little bit before moving it to a new pot. Over winter I keep I outside in a location that is protected from most wind directions. I pack the top of the dirt to try and protect the roots during the winter. I’m try to find out why it died. This tree is right next to a Japanese Maple that survived and is loving life right now. The only thing I can think of is in like February I cut the tree back to get it ready for the grow season. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kodama]

Hmmm, it could be from pruning too early in February which then exposed the cuts to another freeze? Not sure how well it was protected in the winter as winter winds can kill.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

What type of soil is it in?

 

[rockm]

don’t know what you mean by “pack the top of the dirt” to protect it but packing dirt on top of a pot could prevent water from getting to the roots. Dry roots in sub freezing weather can kill them.

 

[shohin_branches]

Typically when I've lost tridents it's been because I was not consistent with watering over winter.

 

[hoodbonsai]

Hmmm, it could be from pruning too early in February which then exposed the cuts to another freeze? Not sure how well it was protected in the winter as winter winds can kill.

I think it could be this one

 

[hoodbonsai]

What type of soil is it in?

Like potting soil with some perlite and small rocks mix.

 

[hoodbonsai]

don’t know what you mean by “pack the top of the dirt” to protect it but packing dirt on top of a pot could prevent water from getting to the roots. Dry roots in sub freezing weather can kill them.

Oh i didn’t complete that sentence. I packed the top with pine needles.

 

[hoodbonsai]

Typically when I've lost tridents it's been because I was not consistent with watering over winter.

I think the watering was good over winter. Everything else survived.

 

[Dav4]

Oh i didn’t complete that sentence. I packed the top with pine needles.

It’s more important to surround the entire pot with mulch… a shallow layer over the soil is fine but, without protecting the sides of the pot from extreme cold, covering the top won’t help much.

 

[hoodbonsai]

It’s more important to surround the entire pot with mulch… a shallow layer over the soil is fine but, without protecting the sides of the pot from extreme cold, covering the top won’t help much.

Okay i thought it being in a bigger pot would help. So get like a 5 gallon bucket fill it up with mulch and bury the pot in that? Thanks!!

 

[rockm]

bigger CAN be better than a smaller container. All of this overwintering stuf requires a bit of knowledge about physics-big masses tend to warm up more slowly and cool down more slowly than a smaller mass

Heat exchange increases with increased area of exposure. If air circulates around an object it freezes/heats up more quickly than something with less exposed area. This why bridges freeze before surface roads.

Alll this translates into lessening exposure of the pot. Burying it in the ground might seem like a good solution because the ground always lags the air temp substantially. It’s relatively “warmer” in the winter and relatively “cooler” in the summer than the air temperatures.

Burying pot in The ground for winter is not a great solution though In doing soYou plug up the drainage of the pot because it sitting mostly flush with the dirt below. That means it will collect water all winter and roots will freeze and thaw and rot because the hole you have will collect water and it won’t drain vey well if at all.

You can solve all this by placing pots on bricks directly on the soil surface in the yard and piling mulch up and over the tops of the pot and halfway up the trunk. The mulch traps ground heat (and heat is relative. You’re not trying to keep the roots warm but keep them from sustained killing freezing temps below 20 or so.

The bricks keep the bottom of the pot off the ground and allows rain/snow melt to drain through

I’ve overwintered my trident like this for decades. No issues I’m in Zone 7 Northern Va

 

[hoodbonsai]

bigger CAN be better than a smaller container. All of this overwintering stuf requires a bit of knowledge about physics-big masses tend to warm up more slowly and cool down more slowly than a smaller mass

Heat exchange increases with increased area of exposure. If air circulates around an object it freezes/heats up more quickly than something with less exposed area. This why bridges freeze before surface roads.

Alll this translates into lessening exposure of the pot. Burying it in the ground might seem like a good solution because the ground always lags the air temp substantially. It’s relatively “warmer” in the winter and relatively “cooler” in the summer than the air temperatures.

Burying pot in The ground for winter is not a great solution though In doing soYou plug up the drainage of the pot because it sitting mostly flush with the dirt below. That means it will collect water all winter and roots will freeze and thaw and rot because the hole you have will collect water and it won’t drain vey well if at all.

You can solve all this by placing pots on bricks directly on the soil surface in the yard and piling mulch up and over the tops of the pot and halfway up the trunk. The mulch traps ground heat (and heat is relative. You’re not trying to keep the roots warm but keep them from sustained killing freezing temps below 20 or so.

The bricks keep the bottom of the pot off the ground and allows rain/snow melt to drain through

I’ve overwintered my trident like this for decades. No issues I’m in Zone 7 Northern Va

Did you have any pictures?