California "Seasons" ?

ColinFraser

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Where I live, on California's Central Coast, I like to say that we don't really have weather - just climate. It's mild and pleasant pretty much year-round. There is some seasonal variation; however, it doesn't really seem to map to the traditional 'spring, summer, fall, winter' paradigm. Here's some average climate data so you can see what I mean: (and you can also see what I've been shopping for online, based on the ad at the bottom ;) )
image.jpg
With people talking about Labor Day and "fall" coming up, I'm wondering if that really applies to my trees right now. Based on the data above, nothing really changes here until November . . .
A few of my deciduous trees went semi-dormant during our recent summer heat wave (still only double digits), and a couple even shed leaves and are pushing new buds now. It seems to me like I'll have a little 'second spring' and another couple of months of growth. Does that sound reasonable, or is it wishful thinking?

Anybody else in CA have a good definition of what the more traditional seasons actually mean in terms of the calendar in a mild Mediterranean climate?
 

aml1014

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Here in new mexico my trees go dormant mid summer and I get what I consider a second spring in fall when things cool off, then my trees have a heart attack when Temps drop to 14°f lmao new mexico is the worst climate for bonsai. We get hot in summer, we are always in a drought so no humidity, and no matter what time of year it is its always windy, also to add we max out the uv scale almost daily in summer
 

ColinFraser

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Ok, you suck... Well you dont, but your weather sucks... No, it sucks that you have that weather and I have my weather. We swing from +40C to -40C or colder.

Are you able to keep trees alive that need a cold/freezing dormant period?
Haha, well I didn't mean for it to be gloating, but I guess I am pretty lucky (though I call the very high cost of living here "the weather tax").

We get enough cool weather for plenty of things to go dormant (Acers and Prunus for example), but anything that requires a prolonged chill to set fruit seems less likely to happen, and good fall color is also a rarity. My backyard red plum doesn't push those gorgeous flowers every time (almost no flowers this year :( ).

I tend to buy stock at landscape nurseries in the area, trusting that they are stocking varieties suitable for this climate. There are probably many things I haven't tried that would suffer, but they don't show up for sale here.
 

barrosinc

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amount of sun during a day increasing and decreasing helps trees go to dormancy too.
 

Adair M

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Central Coast... Like the SF Bay Area? Or is that different?

I'm familiar with the Bay Area. Lots of trees do well.

On the East Bay, everything happens earlier. For instance you can repot beginning in January. Decandling JBP is done May to early June. Me, I live in Georgia, I can't repot until late February and decandle in July. What we find is that JBP grow more slowly in the cool weather in the Bay Area.

The best way to learn the timing is from other folks who do bonsai in your area. There should be lots of clubs

If you're in the Bay Area, contact Boon about the Bay Island Bonsai club. Www.bayislandbonsai.com.
 

ColinFraser

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Central Coast... Like the SF Bay Area? Or is that different?

I'm familiar with the Bay Area. Lots of trees do well.

On the East Bay, everything happens earlier. For instance you can repot beginning in January. Decandling JBP is done May to early June. Me, I live in Georgia, I can't repot until late February and decandle in July. What we find is that JBP grow more slowly in the cool weather in the Bay Area.

The best way to learn the timing is from other folks who do bonsai in your area. There should be lots of clubs

If you're in the Bay Area, contact Boon about the Bay Island Bonsai club. Www.bayislandbonsai.com.
Not quite that far North - I dated a woman in SF, and it was a 5 hour drive from my door to hers . . . every weekend for nearly a year! I'm in northern Santa Barbara county. I am a member of the club in Santa Barbara (about an hour South), but I can't always make meetings, and it's a pretty small group. George Muranaka has been very kind in letting me pick his brain too (his nursery is about 45 minutes North).
 
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The day at Kimura was actually rather pleasant in comparison to the rest of the month. We do get distinct temperature increases/decreases depending on "season" though. Late summer brings us up to ~85 from July through September. Although we've been getting 90+ more often than not this year. After that, we begin to fall steadily until winter where we get an average max hovering around 68. Since I live in a small apartment with no central air conditioning, summer generally means sleepless nights where it's just too hot to exist.

upload_2015-8-31_12-52-58.png
 

ColinFraser

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I'll tell you what, 4/100 of a inch of rain in July AND August would just about drive me crazy. Love those temps, though...
Yeah, the current drought is a real concern. I let my lawn die (time for cactus maybe), skip the occasional shower, and never wash my car, so that I can feel OK about watering my trees!
 

Txhorticulture

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The temperatures do look nice. That's not very much rain. I thought I lived a somewhat dry climate we get about 30 inches of rain a year, looks like twice as much as you. I would gladly trade some for cooler summers....

It still looks like you have a seasonal pattern to me. Just one with nice summers and mild winters.
 

ColinFraser

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It still looks like you have a seasonal pattern to me. Just one with nice summers and mild winters.
Oh definitely; I'm just trying to get a better handle on what that means I can get away with ;)
For example, could I start an air layer now and separate before winter?
Or, if I wanted to try fall repotting, when would be appropriate?
Trunk chopping on "end of summer sale" nursery stock? . . . Etc., etc.
 

CWTurner

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Where I live, on California's Central Coast, I like to say that we don't really have weather - just climate. It's mild and pleasant pretty much year-round. There is some seasonal variation; however, it doesn't really seem to map to the traditional 'spring, summer, fall, winter' paradigm. Here's some average climate data so you can see what I mean: (and you can also see what I've been shopping for online, based on the ad at the bottom ;) )
View attachment 81203
With people talking about Labor Day and "fall" coming up, I'm wondering if that really applies to my trees right now. Based on the data above, nothing really changes here until November . . .
A few of my deciduous trees went semi-dormant during our recent summer heat wave (still only double digits), and a couple even shed leaves and are pushing new buds now. It seems to me like I'll have a little 'second spring' and another couple of months of growth. Does that sound reasonable, or is it wishful thinking?

Anybody else in CA have a good definition of what the more traditional seasons actually mean in terms of the calendar in a mild Mediterranean climate?

Man, Colin that's nice weather you have. Not much rain though. Well, we can't have everything.
Sorry, I don't have an opinion on your tree question.
CW
 

Txhorticulture

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Fwiw over the years I've been a plant nerd Ive noticed many people say do this in spring, do this in fall etc. No one says winter is a time for anything. Here it is. You need to keep in mind some of these people hardly get outside in winter, the ground is frozen, roads covered in snow and ice. Some of our nicest weather is in winter in this part of texas. Sure there are days you would prefer to stay inside but I wouldn't hesitate to install a tree or shrub, repot something, or mess with my plants in any way. It's not always the ideal time, but its almost always an acceptable time. I think of July and August as my winter. It's hot outside and I don't even like to go out and water
 

Kandoloh

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I bet he pays a nice weather tax like I did in San Diego lol aka cost of living SUCKS in California.
 

sorce

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Sounds like you need to dive in the bunker bro.

I heard ANYTHING goes there, and you can get away with EVERYTHING!

Just don't wear a squirrel costume!

Sorce
 

Smoke

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I bet he pays a nice weather tax like I did in San Diego lol aka cost of living SUCKS in California.
$65,000.00 a year gets you a pretty good two bedroom apartment with no view. Thats in Fresno. San Diego or SF needs about $100,000.00 a year to get a good apartment. A house, in Fresno you need about $120,000.00 a year, Sf or San Diego would need about $175,000.00 a year. A 2000 sq ft house in Fresno is taking about $500.00 a month to keep cool. I'm ready for some temps in the 80's. If you notice my lows for the night would be pretty damn good weather if the sun never came up. The 17th was my wife's Birthday when we celebrated her cancer free for a year. Walking out of the restaurant is like walking into a blast furnace.

temps.jpg
 

Kandoloh

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$65,000.00 a year gets you a pretty good two bedroom apartment with no view. Thats in Fresno. San Diego or SF needs about $100,000.00 a year to get a good apartment. A house, in Fresno you need about $120,000.00 a year, Sf or San Diego would need about $175,000.00 a year. A 2000 sq ft house in Fresno is taking about $500.00 a month to keep cool. I'm ready for some temps in the 80's. If you notice my lows for the night would be pretty damn good weather if the sun never came up. The 17th was my wife's Birthday when we celebrated her cancer free for a year. Walking out of the restaurant is like walking into a blast furnace.

View attachment 81241
Haha I've been to Fresno, have relatives there. it's nasty in the valley. Sacramento was God awful. I loved San Diego, born there, lived there until I met the wife 3 years ago and moved to Texas because I couldn't find work in California that could pay for gas and food let alone an apartment. Only thing I miss is the climate, proximity to the beach and my family really. I wasn't really a beach goer anyways, I have more in Texas than I ever could have had if i'd of been stuck there still.
 
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