Trees came out of dormancy too early.
Good day, all,
I live in Zone 1b/2a in AK, and I got some very young (~1yr old) apple trees last spring from a local orchard. They were still in pots and I unfortunately never got around to getting them in the ground before winter hit. As I was unable to get them into the ground, I just moved them indoors of a heated garage over winter.
Once February came around, I noticed that they had started to get some green leaves, and one actually had a few buds and blossomed. I know it is WAY to early for that, but, due to the still sub zero temperatures outside, I was unable to bring them outside without the threat of freezing them.
Come late March/early April, I the temperatures had risen to above freezing, with daytime temps reaching +50s, and lows still above freezing. I moved them outside, and they seemed to be pretty happy at first, but now they seem like they are either dead or going back into dormancy due to the temperatures.
My question is, are they salvagable? Did I kill the trees, or are they just going dormant and will wake up again when warmer weather hits?
I also have a cherry bush, that was kept in the same conditions, but that seems even less 'alive' than the apple trees, all of the new growth that happened this spring is brown and looks very dry...
If there is anything that I can do to save them, please advise.
Thanks