Acclimatising your container-grown nursery stock for winter

Understand how woody plants prepare for winter naturally so you can replicate this process.

This information was last updated in 2005.

The way woody plants naturally prepare for the winter months, has a huge effect on their ability to survive during the winter.

It is essentially a two stage process, with short days promoting dormancy, and reduced temperatures triggering changes in sugar and protein levels which collectively improve the plants resistance to injury from freezing.

Where winters are preceded by extended, mild autumns and freezing temperatures arrive suddenly, your stock won’t be sufficiently acclimatised.

Nursery practice, as the winter months approach, should aim to replicate the process of natural acclimatisation as far as possible.

Acclimatising contrainer-grown stock

Practical steps include:

• Careful irrigation, if in doubt refrain from doing it.
• Avoidance of high nitrogen feeds which promote soft growth liable to-damage.
• Ensuring container beds and growing media drain freely to promote strong root development.
• Allowing plants to ‘harden up’ naturally, before bringing them inside.
• Keeping tunnels and glasshouses well vented to promote good air movement, using fans where necessary. This will also reduce Botrytis infection.
• Using fleece covers to accelerate root development of autumn potted crops.
• Avoidance of hard pruning late in the season; it can promote soft growth liable to injury.