Chinese Queen’s breaking dormancy early

[johnl445]

My Chinese quince just finished losing its leaves four weeks ago and already it’s starting to show new growth I live in the Boston area. I keep the tree in my attached garage and have been successfully holding in the temperatures at lows of 38° and then the daytime temperature mimics the outside at 43°.

Does anyone else have experience with the Chinese quince waking up way too early?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I am curious why you are keeping your tree so warm? Are you thinking that it is a tropical? Chinese quince are cold hardy to -10F. Protecting it from a low temp below 38F is akin to keeping it in Zone 10b (aka Southern California). Some deciduous trees need the cold in order to trigger their annual hormonal shifts. Without a deep winter dormant period, they may use up resources too quickly, weaken and even die. If your tree is waking up this early, you may have no other choice but to treat it as if it is spring - putting it outside on warm sunny days and taking it indoors whenever the temps drop below freezing.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yep, mine start growing anytime the temps stay above 45f for a few days. It will slow down when it gets cold again.

 

[johnl445]

@Bonsai Nut I can only keep the tree at the temperature that’s provided by nature, I could put the tree in the freezer. Hah
I’ve been told before that deciduous trees kept in the 38° range is a nice dormancy temperature , not too cold not too warm.

 

[JudyB]

When I had one, it always scared the crap out of me acting the same way, but it always did what @Brian Van Fleet says, and held itself back. I allow my air temps to stay between 32 and 38 when the cooling vents and fans kick on so I don’t think 38 should be a problem for achieving dormancy as I’ve never had any trouble with those temps.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

@Bonsai Nut I can only keep the tree at the temperature that’s provided by nature, I could put the tree in the freezer. Hah
I’ve been told before that deciduous trees kept in the 38° range is a nice dormancy temperature , not too cold not too warm.

I'm not sure how to respond. Your quince is breaking dormancy because it is a cold-hardy tree and you are keeping it too warm. It isn't opinion - it's horticulture.

Not all deciduous tree species are the same. You hopefully wouldn't try to keep an aspen in the same conditions as a jacaranda - despite them both being deciduous. I'm not trying to score any ego points here - you asked a question and I am providing an answer that I guess you don't want to hear(?)

 

[vp999]

Mine budded out over a month ago when we had a coupe days in the 50s and sunny ...Does that every year ....Doesn't seem to harm anything. I leave mine outside on the ground all winter.

 

[Paradox]

I can only keep the tree at the temperature that’s provided by nature, I could put the tree in the freezer. Hah
I’ve been told before that deciduous trees kept in the 38° range is a nice dormancy temperature , not too cold not too warm.

Chances are, your attached garage is much warmer than outside. My attached garage can be up to 20 degrees higher than the outside temperature depending on where you are in the garage. So your tree has probably been warmer than the outside temperature so is pushing leaves.

This is the reason I stopped using my attached garage for overwintering my trees. I had trees breaking dormancy too early

 

[johnl445]

@JudyB

When I had one, it always scared the crap out of me acting the same way, but it always did what @Brian Van Fleet says, and held itself back. I allow my air temps to stay between 32 and 38 when the cooling vents and fans kick on so I don’t think 38 should be a problem for achieving dormancy as I’ve never had any trouble with those temps.

Thank you Judy. I have a Wi-Fi thermometer located in my garage and it gives me humidity levels as well. The garage doors have open vents. But you just encourage me to install some fans to kick on to main maintain below 40. Right now my garage is running 5° warmer than the outside temperature. I’ve got a humidifier too and I’m holding humidity between 50 to 60.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Mine often holds some leaves well into winter even planted outside in the ground. There are just some trees that respond to elevated temperature and others that depend on temp and day length and some that just go on day length. When I left my Chinese elms outside they would go dormant and drop their leaves, but in my greenhouse they have already started to put out little green buds.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Mine often holds some leaves well into winter even planted outside in the ground.

Yeah I've got six in landscape here trying to get them to bulk up. Several have a couple of leaves still hanging on, but they are definitely browning. But no sign of any bud movement yet... even with the recent warm spell.

 

[Kievnstavick]

Flowering quiences are one of the first ones that wake up in spring for me.

They tend to hold their leaves until mid-winter and are often still growing growth until then. Just make sure any newly emerged growth is protected from frost, but I believe quiences are cold hardy enough that it shouldn't faze them.

 

[leatherback]

Mine did not fully drop their leaves, even after a week of 24F nights. Then in December the buds started to push. Right now the only reason the buds are not green is the snowstorm passing though outside.