Greenhouse for bonsai

edwin norden

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Can somebody help me?
I live in estonia and the temperature in winter sometimes goes -20 and more. What is the best greenhouse for this situation?

Thank you for your time.
 

whfarro

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Edwin.
Welcome. Try using the search feature on this site. I just did a quick glance using keyword greenhouse and another using coldframes and there seemed to be a few threads on each.

Unfortunately I have no experience with either as I over winter my trees in an unheated garage.

Good luck.
 

edwin norden

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Thank you

I have no garage and that is the problem.
Indoors it will be too hot for the trees and outdoors be too cold.
In summer there is no prolem.

I could build the mini greenhouse but in -20 -25 C it will not help i think. How should i hold the temperature inside the greenhouse 5 C ?
Mayby somebody has the same problem and can give me some good advice

Thank you all for helping me!
 

Cypress187

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:rolleyes:

Straalkachel_groot_op_gas.jpg


Naa, just fooling around, i think you will be suprised how much heat a closed box will retain.
 

edwin norden

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Then it is ok to built it without any heating element?
I would built it one wall againts the house.
It will be little one sometime becouse i want to see how the trees doing in the winter.

In -25 the trees will survive in mini greenhouse?
 

chansen

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I
Then it is ok to built it without any heating element?
I would built it one wall againts the house.
It will be little one sometime becouse i want to see how the trees doing in the winter.

In -25 the trees will survive in mini greenhouse?

It all depends on the species of tree you're keeping. Some trees are more cold tolerant than others, so you'll have to figure out what works for the trees. You also need to factor in humidity. My winters don't get as cold as yours (well, not usually), but because it is so dry and windy where I live there are additional problems I have to deal with.

My greenhouse has a small heater (like this one: http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/portable-electric-heater-120v/s) with a greenhouse thermostat (similar to this one: http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/jd-single-stage-thermostat/s) on it. Then I insulated the roof and the bottom portion of the walls with styrofoam sheets and sealed up all the gaps to eliminate drafts. The whole structure is about 8 feet x 16 feet. The heater sits in the middle of the greenhouse on a small wooden stand (the floor is gravel, so I wanted something level) and even on the coldest nights it still keeps it warm enough.

But I also have a problem keeping it cool enough when it's a clear day and the sun is shining. You'll be surprised how warm it can get in those conditions.

The keys to winter storage are avoiding drying winds (you still need to water the trees periodically in the winter), and maintaining a constant cold temperature. Too cold and too warm in the winter are both undesirable.
 

edwin norden

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Thank you.
I dont know what trees there going to be.
I have tree trees. One is chinese elm, one is apple tree and one is ficus gingen. The ficus is no broblem. But the apple tree and chinese elm need to be outdoor. Right no my chinese elm what i bought las week stays indoors and the apple tree is outside my moms house.

I think next year i have to but the chinese elm outdoor becouse it needs the time to be at cold about 6 weeks.

But i will put some pictures in future about my mini greenhouse and i hope i dont kill some trees.

Thak you for helping me.

;)
 

sorce

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I'm not an expert either....

But I know if you factor in heating, cooling, and ventilation now, you will thank yourself later.
More if you have backup plans for anything that may crap out.

Once in a greenhouse......
Always in a greenhouse.

Don't over pamper your natives.

Sorce

P.s. Welcome to Crazy!
 
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chansen

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Thank you.
I dont know what trees there going to be.
I have tree trees. One is chinese elm, one is apple tree and one is ficus gingen. The ficus is no broblem. But the apple tree and chinese elm need to be outdoor. Right no my chinese elm what i bought las week stays indoors and the apple tree is outside my moms house.

I think next year i have to but the chinese elm outdoor becouse it needs the time to be at cold about 6 weeks.

But i will put some pictures in future about my mini greenhouse and i hope i dont kill some trees.

Thak you for helping me.

;)

I've had trouble with chinese elms in the past. I think I let them get too cold, and they didn't make it through. After that, I've set my greenhouse to never go below 36F (2C). You can probably keep it a little warmer for an elm and still keep it dormant. I eventually decided I wouldn't keep any Chinese elms in my collection for that reason, so I focus on more cold hardy trees.

Also, be aware of which direction the structure faces. You'll get a lot more sun on the south side during the winter, so you'll have to watch it to keep it cool. And especially watch it in the spring to make sure you limit temperature swings. Open windows and doors on warm days, but close them for the nights where it will get too cold.

Good luck, and make sure to share pictures when you get it all set up.
 

edwin norden

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Thank you all.
I should get some trees in the wild. I whant some pine,juniper. I think they will take the cold mutch better than chinese elm.

But i dont want to my chinese elm to die ;(.

I will make some pictures when i start to build mini greenhouse.

And i will read this forum for some good advice as well.
 

Tieball

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Just a thought. Rather than just a greenhouse above ground...consider going down into the ground for some natural earth heating. A Berm Greenhouse. Google "Berm House" images for ideas. Another Google search of images for "earth berm greenhouse" will get you some excellent wild innovative solutions. You might consider it bit weird....but very exciting. Maybe a combination of a greenhouse built down into the earth.
 

markyscott

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Thank you.
I dont know what trees there going to be.
I have tree trees. One is chinese elm, one is apple tree and one is ficus gingen. The ficus is no broblem. But the apple tree and chinese elm need to be outdoor. Right no my chinese elm what i bought las week stays indoors and the apple tree is outside my moms house.

I think next year i have to but the chinese elm outdoor becouse it needs the time to be at cold about 6 weeks.

But i will put some pictures in future about my mini greenhouse and i hope i dont kill some trees.

Thak you for helping me.

;)

To be clear - you are looking for a place to keep your apple tree and Chinese elm in the winter time, correct? You intend to keep your ficus indoors in the winter?

Scott
 

klosi

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Hi edwin!
The winter is "almost" over, where did you keep the trees now? Anyway, for now, and maybe also in the future, your trees will be fine under a pile of leaves or pile of sawing bits. Just cover them all up, they will survive cold temps. Keep them closer to house maybe, or in some kind of shelter from wind. If you have snow, you can also bury them in snow.
 

Bonsai Nut

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I used to overwinter Chinese elms in an unheated garage in Chicago, so they can take the cold. Just protect them from the wind and make sure the soil doesn't dry out (I used to put snowballs on my bonsai in the garage). And as far as an apple tree goes, apples are cold hardy trees that NEED a cold winter. There are some cultivars that "may" still fruit in warmer climates, but I have never had any luck with them even though they sell some in nurseries down here in Southern Cal.
 

JudyB

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http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/my-cold-green-house.10624/

Here is a thread about what I use, let me know if you want any additional information about it edwin. If you update your profile with where you are, people will be able to give you good information without having to ask you all the time. Welcome!
 

cmeg1

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Tieball mentioned going underground.That is what I do.Make sure to use a gravel bottom so the earth heat can radiate up through.Also put on non flood,at top of land and also in the shade.Mine is almost 3 feet deep and it never falls below 27F when it is single digits at night.There is usually some dew on the bottoms of my pots no matter what the temperature is.
Can also run a fluorescent low intensity light for added warmth I have been told.
In the autumn you can shoot a garden hose in it and flood it a couple days before you put away the trees and the humidity from the mud after it drains deep under the gravel keeps trees moist all winter.
The serious enthusiast could actually do something on a larger scale too.Believe I saw it in Bonsai Focus.It was like a walk in shed with no floor.Just a deep cold frame that you walk down into.Same principle I use with the mud and everything.That is where I got the mud idea.
 

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