Lubo Sokol

Root growth of trees and shrubs does not match the above-ground activity. On the contrary, many Univ.s extension services and good books reveal that tree roots do the major part of their growth and expansion in winter using the reserves from the above-ground parts accumulated in summer/spring.

Soil scientists like Dr. Christine Jones maintain that the vital boost for soil life/ microbial activity are the plant root exudates. Therefore, the best soil building strategy would be to grow plants. The more, the better. When there are more species together /polyculture/, the plants do better. Up to 16 species together were studied, including flowers, etc, that did best, when compared to 8, 4, 2, 1.

Besides the trees/shrubs' roots many crops and herbaceous plants would grow (and/or germinate) at low temperatures like the nitrogen-fixers: peas, broad beans; also: onions, garlic, rye that was pointed above, oat, many bulb flowers, like crocuses, snowdrops, etc. Seeds of others can be put in ground in the fall/winter for stratification.
So, for me the best winter fertilizing & soil building strategy is to plant trees/shrubs/seeds/bulbs.

I think you'd do great if along with making something real nice for yourself, send me some seeds.

Chris Kott wrote:I don't know if this is true for all cold-hardy species, but I have noticed that in a lot of plant groups, purple indicates an adaptation to the cold, or sometimes dry cold. I have found this to be the case in tomatoes, brassicas, and cannabis. I would love to know, incidentally, if there's a biochemical reason for it.
.....
-CK

Anthocyanins are responsible biochemically for the purple/red to blue and the hues in-between, depending on cell pH.  I think you mean the leaves/stems that may accumulate anthocyanins under different kinds of abiotic/biotic stress (incl. cold, heat, or drought), but the red/purple pigmentation of fruit is a different story. The solid fruit color's more of a (permanent) genetic trait than a phenotypic exhibit or a sign of adaptation. The red mutations of the pear varieties (e.g., Williams[Bartlett], Clapp's Favorite/Star Crimson, Anjou) do not make the red/purple fruited trees any hardier than the common colored original variety.    

I think the taproot issue in such a ubiquitous and highly adaptable tree as apple is highly overrated. Sure, nature has a great diversity that there are trees which my suffer from the taproot being lost, but those are the odd few, IMHO. Apple, 1 of the most widely spread fruit tree, isn't 1 of these, as many others, either.
Nature hasn't devised ways to keep going if the taproot is lost in a .. natural way - hit a rock barrier, or been chewed by critters? I don'think so.  
So what if the taproot is cut? It'd grow new ones and you wouldn't even notice the difference after say 5-10 or so years. Sure if it's not replanted at all and its all roots are intact (not only the tap one) it may do better for a while (at the time of and after replanting), but how the tree performs overall it'd all depend on a plenty of other factors too, especially how vigorous it is to start with, how the tree is maintained, managed and in what kinds of conditions is cared for/or not cared for/. Trees and shrubs are being replanted, grafted and rooted from cuttings and they do just as fine as ones that are not. Sometimes - better, sometimes - worse, but that all'd depend on plenty of other factors.
Nature has plasticity, enormous flexibility, just embrace it and go with it in all the diverse ways you can. Or with what suits you. Claiming one thing/way is better that other without a long list of specifics with Ifs ands and ors wouldn't do it justice a bit.

I have a cultivar that grows very well also on heavy soils(and any other type of soil), which is often problematic for most sea buckthorns. Can offer seeds and/or cuttings (F/M). EU only. If anyone interested, you may let me know.

Thank you for the gift.
Merry Christmass and all the best to you, and all permies!