PHOTO GALLERY:  OVERWINTERING

These images were taken in fall as we prepare container nursery stock for the cold winter. Every October, close to 200,000 containers are tipped and covered with a layer of poly and flax straw. This system has proven very effective for over-wintering containers; temperatures in the pile never drop below -5 C, even on the coldest day of winter. We are presently testing new and innovative methods for over-wintering container stock. Our objectives are: 1) to develop methods that eliminate the need to tip containers and  2) to find inexpensive, synthetic materials that will provide similar insulative value to the flax straw layer.

For more information on our over-wintering research contact Philip Ronald