Starting sapplings in cold climate (zone 4)

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Good evening everyone,

I am located in hardiness zone 4, my partner and are planning to move to a large piece of land in 3 years and would like to plant an orchid of apples, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. We currently live on 1 acre. My question is, would it be feasible to get a head start and plant the trees with 6" - 12" bare root stems in mesh pots now, and transplant once we acquire our property? If so, what protection would you recommend to prevent root frost?

I look forward to hearing what other people have tried
 
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Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

Which cultivars of Apple (Malus domestica), Chestnut (Castanea sativa, etc.) and Hazel (Corylus avellana, C. maxima, etc.) are you planning on growing on your orchard. Selecting genetic stock suitable to your climate and soils will be most important. By the way, are you referring to Canada Plant Hardiness Zone 4 or the USDA Zone 4?

Growing small plants in a cold climate for planting out when larger is one option, but buying larger plants that have been grown faster in a warmer climate is another option. There is sometimes a concern that plants grown in warmer climates will not develop the same level of cold hardiness, but if you select cultivars that are fully hardy for your zone that is usually not an issue.
 
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Hi Marck, thank you for your response. Yes the type of trees are rated for, and with the exception of apples, are native to the area (Canada hardiness zone 4).

Malus sp. Lautz
Castanea dentata
Juglans nigra
Corylus cornuta


Because they are native to the area they should have no trouble growing once planted in the ground, my question is will keeping them in large pots outside during the winter kill the roots or have any other adverse effects while in pots for 3 years.

The location from where the trees will be started to the final planting spot will be within 50kms, so there should be no climate shock.
 
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Malus domestica 'Lautz' is a cultivar. I presume the other species will be grown from seed? You say the trees are native, but Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) are only native to southernmost Ontario, in Canada. This is would be in Climate Zones Zones 5 and 6. However, both trees are grown successfully in Zone 4 in cultivation.

With American Chestnut, you also have a much more daunting problem. The American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) is mostly gone due to Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) and attempts at replanting are rarely successful. Various attempts are being made to breed blight-resistant trees, some involving hybridization with the resistant Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima), but at this point none of these cultivars are widely available. Perhaps if you do plant the trees in a colder climate outside of its native range you could avoid the blight, but that is doubtfully speculative at best.

Do you mean to grow commercial crops or is this just a hobby?
Of course, this may be possible, but as you know the growing season is short in Zone 4. It would take a long time to reach fruiting maturity. Planting larger specimens would be a benefit for reducing time to establishment, but to gain this benefit the trees would need to be grown more quickly either by growing saplings in a warmer climate or by extending the season locally with a greenhouse, grow lights and other technology. Which method would be more successful and cost efficient will require careful analysis of many factors. However often it is best to ship from areas where productivity is high and costs are low. You express concern about 'climate shock' but fully hardy trees grown in warmer climates will not necessarily experience any such shock if they are shipped and planted correctly and in the proper season.

Overall, yes I do think you should try growing examples of the trees you are interested in growing, as soon as possible. Do this foremost in order to better understand the many aspects and intricacies involved with their care. If the seedlings end up being used in you future orchard operations so much the better. Try going the trees outdoors in your native climate in containers and in the ground. Compare this withmore insulated growing conditions such as green greenhouse or large coldframe.
 
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