Topic: Dogwood help....

[Triss]

   About 2 weeks ago I got a pair of dormant dogwood starts from one of those places that sends free seedlings.  I had totally forgotten I even ordered them.  At the time I got them it was cold, wet and icky outside so I stuck them in a large vase of water so that I could plant them in a couple of days...

Then I promptly forgot about them...

Until today when I see that they are putting out leaves.

I was supposed to get them outside while they were still dormant and then spring and the warm weather that comes with it would get them growing but I blew it and now I have two happy plants that I think will die if I put them outside now.

So what should I do?

[Wrennie]

I would plant them in big pots and keep them indoors till spring planting time. In a cool room if you have one so they dont put out blooms. The cold outside would probably be too much.

[Triss]

They would bloom in the house?  Oh how cool would that be...

I do not really have a cold room so they will have to go in the bathroom with everything else.... if they bloom, I will deal with that then.

I wonder how much they grow in a season?  I need to read up on them.

[Wrennie]

I think overall they are a pretty slow grower.  Google time!

[patches]

They would bloom in the house?  Oh how cool would that be... 

Triss, I don't think they will bloom in the house and they do grow very slowly. 

[Triss]

I do not mind the slow growth.  I will pot them up and keep them there for a couple of years then if they grow that slowly.  Will give us time to have a house of our own that they can have a permanent home.  And will keep me from killing them by putting them out right now when our weather is so unpredictable.

[Wrennie]

{{I forgot to google this yesterday}}

here:
Dogwoods grow best in well drained soils with a slightly acidic reaction (pH 5.0-6.5). They are sensitive to high or rapidly changing soil temperatures. Woodland soil temperatures rise and fall slowly and dogwoods grow best in this environment.
Flowering dogwoods can be grown in sun or shade but shaded trees will be less dense, grow more quickly and taller, and have poor flowering and fall color. They prefer part shade (preferably in the afternoon) in the southern end of their range. Many nurseries grow the trees in full sun, but they are irrigated regularly, if not daily. Flowering dogwood prefers a deep, rich, well-drained, sandy or loam soil with some organic matter and has a moderately long life (up to 40 years on a good site). It is not recommended in areas with heavy clay or wet soils unless it is grown on a raised bed to keep roots away from wet soil.

Bare root or balled and burlapped trees should be transplanted during the dormant season. Container grown trees can be transplanted anytime of the year if they are irrigated regularly after planting. Special techniques are required to move dogwoods from the wild. Greater success is common with smaller trees (trunk diameter less than 1 inch). The tree should be root pruned, then irrigated regularly several months before it is moved.

[Triss]

That is some great advice there Wrennie, thanks for it.  Since these are just tiny little saplings, nowhere close to a centimeter around much less an inch, a pot is for sure the way to go until they are a bit older.  Then I will not have to dig them up out of the yard.  I need to get the right potting mix too.

[Wrennie]

Once your warm weather hits you could probably leave them in the yard in the pots and just mulch for next winter insytead of trying to climatize them to the indoors. (unless you find a house by then)

[Triss]

That is the plan, I will put the pots right up against the house and mulch.  I am sure they will be fine.