My husband and I purchased two globe cedars in June of this year. We planted them on the west side of our house. I would like some clarification on when and how to prepare them for winter. We have had a very dry summer here. To prepare them for winter, I was watering them approx once every two weeks since purchase. I have watered them once thoroughly in mid September and then once a week starting in October. I have made shrub covers but have not yet covered the cedars. Could you give me any additional ideas on how much more I should be watering and when I should cover them. The temperature has been going below 0 degrees Celcius some nights but during the day we are getting temperatures anywhere from 0 to high teen figures. Thank you for any additional input. As a rule, cedars should be located on the north or east side of buildings or other objects such as trees, where they are not directly exposed to the winter sun. Evergreens transpire moisture all the year round, so placing them where the sun can thaw out the leaves during warm spells in winter and early spring only accelerates desiccation (drying out) of the leaves. Because the ground is frozen in winter and early spring, the roots are unable to replace the moisture lost by the leaves, and the leaves turn brown. It depends on how badly the leaves have been desiccated as to whether the plant will bounce back during the growing season, or whether the plant will die. In other cases, only a portion of the leaves will be lost. Browning of the leaves is also accelerated if the trees are growing in an unsheltered area where they are to the cold prevailing winds.
To help evergreens such as cedars make it through the winter, the ground should be soaked with water until the soil reaches 'field capacity'. This means water should be applied to the soil until the soil is no longer able to absorb anymore water. Field capacity has been reached when the water remains on the surface of the soil for quite some time before finally soaking away. This final watering of the evergreen should be administered approximately two weeks before the ground remains frozen, which in zone 2 for example, is the 2nd or 3rd week of October.
Because cedars are shallow rooted plants, it is important to protect their roots from hard frosts which heave and crack the ground, thus exposing their roots to the killing frost. A 6 inch layer of organic material such as leaves, straw or peat moss applied to the soil around the plant will help alleviate this problem. At the same time, the layer of mulch will keep the soil at an even temperature and prevent it from drying out. If peat moss is used as a mulching material, a little dirt sprinkled over it and then lightly watered to form a crust over the pile will prevent the moss from blowing away.
To protect young evergreens from the winter sun and the desiccation of drying winter winds, tie burlap to stakes which have been pounded into the ground around the tree. The burlap should not touch the tree. In early spring, when warm spells occur, but before the ground thaws, it is wise to spray the leaves with water ocassionally to help counteract high evaporation.
