Over wintering in cold zones

[Hillbillyhort]

I have some year old potted plants.
I have found that they are much tougher at year 2 as far as winter survival goes.
So I am planning to over winter them inside a building, this winter. Plant in ground next spring.
My question is :
Should I let them stay outside until after they get several frosts on them , and start to go dormant ,bringing them in befor it gets really cold ? ( I let the frost knock the leafs off my Figs befor I bring them in.)

Or ?

bring them inside befor frost ?

[bopcrane]

I've been letting all of mine get the brunt of fall weather outside, frost etc, and when temperatures get down to where the wood might be damaged I put them in my greenhouse along with my cold hardy citrus and figs.

I was not expecting the tiny Afganski I planted outside with minimal protection to make it through our 6B winter since it had only filled a 20oz cup with roots at the time I planted it in the ground, but to my surprise it came back from its roots no problem the following spring (though I'd imagine in order to ripen fruit well in the future, the tree would probably need to experience little to no die back during winter). I think if they are generally cold hardier pom varieties, they'll be fine taking frost etc and it's easier to care for them when they're dormant, during this busy transitioning period of shuffling plants in and outside!

On that note I'm not taking any chances with my pomegranate seedlings, they are already sheltered in the greenhouse that should get no lower than ~28f. I'm hoping to get them to the point where I can root a few extra copies of them and start to select them for cold tolerance and eventually fruit (I know there are some good genes in these!)

[Hillbillyhort]

Just bumping this back up.
It’s been a year, zone 6 here.Wv.
Last year I brought some small one year old potted poms inside the house before frost.
After a month or so the leafs turned yellow and fell off ( A real mess ).
Mid winter they grew back and looked good by spring.
No losses .

Also left some out side all winter, buried in wood chip mulch.
Had a few of those die , most survived .
One that was forgotten in a un heated greenhouse , in a Gal.pot above ground , no water all winter, amazingly survived . I believe single digit temps.
Have had some older (3yr) inground plants die over winter. Others survive.
Have had several one yer plants die the first winter planted in ground.
So I am a believer that it’s best to plant tougher 2yr old plants inground.
What’s the best way to overwinter these one year old plants ?

So what do YOU think is the best way ( place ) to over winter young potted poms in a cold zone the first year ( ~ zone 6 ). ?
Inside a heated building ?
Outside mulched .?
Let frost knock leafs off then bring inside, or bring in before frost .?
Other methods ?
What works for you.? Zone 6 or colder .....

[pombazaar]

Great report! I was on the fence about what to do with mine last year but ended over wintering in my garage. Let me note a few things.

I am in zone 6B. Our temps drop pretty cold into the single digits sometimes getting into the negatives. I've had excellent results stacking 1 year plants on the loft part of my garage. Older trees go in the middle and are protected with a tarp. Not a single die back on anything. My garage is unheated and the garage door is open at least 30 minutes every day of the winter. When I start my overwinter process (usually in early to mid November), I give a really heavy watering about 1-2 days before they go in the garage. Between December to April I water extremely light when the temps outside go above 35F..no more than 3 times total before they're brought back out in the spring, and no sooner than 1 month apart.

The mistake I made my first year over wintering was over watering. I lost a lot that year but sure did learn a lot lol.