Break dormancy on purpose?

[Backwardsvg]

This might be a dumb question but has anyone ever tried to break dormancy early to try and “extend” their grow season? I know that it might not be the best to do every year but if you did it on a rotation do you think it could help get more growth because of the longer season?

I know much of this would depend on your growing conditions i.e stability indoors, lights, species, etc. just a random late night thought, would love to hear from the experts

 

[Shogun610]

I think the question you’re asking is more about extending/ early start on seasonal activities. Like putting a tree in a greenhouse in fall before frost starts so the tree doesn’t begin its dormancy cascade to extend a few weeks , or repotting early. Just my two cents. I think interrupting in between would weaken the tree, but extending or bringing early or even doing things out of season would still weaken but not nearly as much as interrupting

 

[Backwardsvg]

Yes, true maybe I worded it incorrectly. I just was thinking if you could bring it early to try and extend.

 

[Paradox]

Why risk making the tree weak? If it hasnt come out of dormancy yet, it probably means it isnt ready to come out of dormancy yet.
And for what? A month maybe? Plus having to be super careful of new foliage with possible freezing weather in late winter/early spring.
I used to keep my trees in the garage and they would leaf out early every year basically doing what you are suggesting.
I lost a maple because of early leafing out followed by a freeze that killed the foliage.
Not worth it

 

[Backwardsvg]

Wasn’t saying I was going to do this. It is a hypothetical question ! But ya a lot of interesting points there !

 

[19Mateo83]

I’m actually doing a little experiment with breaking dormancy on two Chinese elm root cuttings that got the full brunt of the cold snap on a table in a 4” pot. I also have a training pot full of them overwintering with the rest of my JM. They all got down to 10f but I brought the two in the 4” pots that got frozen solid in to see a few things.
1. Will they survive 10f on the bench in a small 4” pot unprotected.
2. If they survive can I break dormancy on them to get extra months of growth.
3. Exactly how tough these Chinese elms are and how far I can push them.
I’ll keep you up to date but so far I see a tiny green bud starting to swell on one of them, the other isn’t doing anything.

 

[Backwardsvg]

Very interesting that you’re trying to experiment with this. I would be interested in the longevity of it. I bet they pull through just fine but it’d be interesting to see if if you took a few and did it this year then the next year left one the full dormancy and broke 3, then the next year broke 2 etc. to see if it does really hurt their health or not?

 

[19Mateo83]

Very interesting that you’re trying to experiment with this. I would be interested in the longevity of it. I bet they pull through just fine but it’d be interesting to see if if you took a few and did it this year then the next year left one the full dormancy and broke 3, then the next year broke 2 etc. to see if it does really hurt their health or not?

Good idea! If these wake up I may try it again next year with these same two and see how the growth compares to the ones that get full dormancy.

 

[Dav4]

I'd love to extend my growing season up here in the great white north. To do it safely and most effectively, I'd need to have a heated greenhouse to move the trees into once I'm sure they've met their dormancy requirements, which would likely be in early March... but I don't have a heated greenhouse, so I keep them cold as long as I can through the winter into spring. I'm lucky that I have an insulated "cold room" with grow lights that I can use when the trees overwintered in there start growing but can't be placed immediately outside due to the cold. It's not nearly as good as a green house but it'll have to do.

 

[Tums]

I'm trying this out with plants that aren't quite hardy in my zone (magnolias, Satsuki azaleas, pomegranate). I left them out until temperatures dipped into the low 20s then brought them into the basement with the rest of the tropicals under lights. So far, the pomegranate is looking strong while the magnolias are blooming and the azaleas have finally started moving. Temperature is between 60-70 degrees.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I have a mugo pine that never goes dormant. It's been growing for 5 years now with some branches never producing a dormant bud on the tip. It makes you think it's going to sleep and then it just pushes out more needles.
I'm wondering how long it takes for it to run out of energy.

I know some people put trees in a warm spot to get them out of dormancy early, to graft on them for instance. But I never did that myself.

 

[penumbra]

I'm glad all my outdoor bonsai, and my entire landscape, is asleep. I've got a lot of other things to work on. No way do I want to wake any of them up early and I don't want any of them to wake me up early.

 

[Colorado]

I have experimented with this before with a couple of Chinese elms. Left them outside all winter and then brought them inside around February/March and placed with my tropicals in a sunny window.

It worked fine, they woke up promptly and grew well in the window, although the internodes were pretty long compared to full sun growth. Have to be careful transitioning from the window to sun when spring actually arrives or the leaves can scorch and set you back, nullifying any gains from getting an early start.

 

[JudyB]

I have an overwintering greenhouse that I keep cold during winter dormancy. I also do use it to gain a little extra growing time in the fall, if we have early cold season. I also feel free to repot closer to winter than I would without the greenhouse, as I use heat mats to keep roots from freezing in the winter. The building has a real roof so I've put a lot of lighting in it, so that if things warm up in the spring and I get early dormancy break, I don't have to move them out for sun when the temps have not stabilized yet. This gives me a little peace not to have to worry about that end of the season, and if they are fully leafed earlier than they would be outside, then I get some extra growing season on that end too.
So Yes, I think in a limited way I am doing what you are talking about.

 

[Mikecheck123]

I have experimented with this before with a couple of Chinese elms. Left them outside all winter and then brought them inside around February/March and placed with my tropicals in a sunny window.

It worked fine, they woke up promptly and grew well in the window, although the internodes were pretty long compared to full sun growth. Have to be careful transitioning from the window to sun when spring actually arrives or the leaves can scorch and set you back, nullifying any gains from getting an early start.

Same thing happened to me. Brought my Chinese elm inside in February. By springtime it had two months of growth, but it was all super leggy and I cut it all off. So not sure if that was a win.

 

[Mikecheck123]

Also, here's a gigantic thread about starting early indoors.

Extended season starting trees indoors

Got loads of seeds.Some are still in the post. European Hornbeam,Field Maple,Japanese And Trident Maple,Zelkova.Also a few 1gallon Coreana Hornbeams to try cuttings. I will get the Zelkova started about 6 months early.Will see with the rest as they need warm stratification.Some will be sewn...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[AJL]

Many commercial nurseries here and Europe keep 'hardy 'Nursery Stock - mainly shrubs, under cover , usually in polytunnels, to do exactly this- thus extending their growing season by several weeks to get bigger plants ready for sale quicker .The risk is that they then get damaged by a late cold snap if they arent properly hardened off before sale.

 

[Backwardsvg]

I wonder if you grew under heavy LED the internodes wouldn’t be as much of an issue.

Or if you wanted to just grow out a piece to get more growth not really caring about internodes at the time if it would work better. I.e letting it run wild to just get more rough growth.

Thanks for the replies making for a fun read

 

[Underdog]

I took a bunch of trees to Florida in February 2 years ago. I wasn't planning to come back until April so I took my re-potting supplies and a plan with me. Worked well on all except my Bald Cypress which suffered from a late cold spell and I didn't bring it in.

Last year I only took my Tropicals and a Satsuki Azalea. Not sure what I'll take this year

 

[penumbra]

I'm trying this out with plants that aren't quite hardy in my zone (magnolias, Satsuki azaleas, pomegranate). I left them out until temperatures dipped into the low 20s then brought them into the basement with the rest of the tropicals under lights. So far, the pomegranate is looking strong while the magnolias are blooming and the azaleas have finally started moving. Temperature is between 60-70 degrees.

That my friend is a whole 'nother animal and makes complete sense.