Solange
Shohin
What are you gonna do next year when you buy more trees? You've got that thing filled up already! 
I'm finally ready for winter!
- Thread starter abqjoe
- Start date
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Good luck come February. forties and high thirties are too warm for sustained dormancy. Your pines will be active in the dark at those temps. Fungal problems could crop up too with high humidity and low air circulation...Almost finishedJust have to plywood the ceiling, hang a couple of lights, and run my outlet. This cold frame stays in the 40's consistently, went down to 39f when it was 18f outside which is perfect! It's been as hot as 53f outside and this cold frame stayed around 44f inside. The humidity amazes me though as it's always 70%-90% which I can't understand for the life of me lol. My greenhouse isn't even that high on average.
Vin
Imperial Masterpiece
That tree looks familiar. I think it came from @Don Blackmond?
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
abqjoe
Chumono
Actually February is colder than December out here but I was thinking of setting up something outdoors for the pines and just mulch.
abqjoe
Chumono
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
I agree with @rockm. If your trees are in there now and it's high 30s, low 40s it's too warm. I've hit low 30s once or twice where I am this fall but daytime temps are still in the 40s and 50s. My trees are all still on the benches except my trops of course. You're going to need to ventilate that better I think.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
I see the jugs of water under the bench. I assume you're using those to store water for watering.
For my tropicals, I found a sprayer like people use for insecticides etc was the best idea I've had for watering. I found I have better control over watering the trees than with dumping cups of water on the pot. I use less water too and less trops back and forth to the sink.
For my tropicals, I found a sprayer like people use for insecticides etc was the best idea I've had for watering. I found I have better control over watering the trees than with dumping cups of water on the pot. I use less water too and less trops back and forth to the sink.
Saddler
Chumono
Something to think about, I could open your gate with you sleeping on ground next to it. The hinge bolt heads are exposed as are the screw heads (Hinges should be on the secure side). It would take less than three minutes to unbolt and unscrew the gate from the hinge. Then it's easy peasy to take the whole door out. I mention this because you have something worth keeping secure. I would be delighted to have your setup.
abqjoe
Chumono
LOL, those are 7" bolts going through a 2x6 and a 4x4 with a 1/4" thick aluminum plate on the back side and I used 2" wide washers and red loctite all tightened down using an impact gun
If you could budge one of the bolts it would just spin. Sorry, but to get into this box you would need to make some serious noise which would wake me up and lead to your entire world turning to shit! Oh, I forgot to mention that the door weighs around 300lbs and requires some effort just to open normally so you would also have to remove the lock and locking latch which is held on by 7" carriage bolts fastened the same way lol. Oh, and you would have to do this under the presence of the 10'000 lumen motion detected security light that's mounted 15' high and is tied into my home security system.Attachments
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Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Wow...mine isn't even locked.
abqjoe
Chumono
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Lol oh wow...I think your okay. No one is getting into there. Do you have high crime in your area? Because of so...you may wish to think of how to protect them on your benches as well.I still have to booby-trap the inside
abqjoe
Chumono
No I live in a middle-high class neighborhood with a detective across the street, a Fed next door, my wife's uncle 2 houses up, and the rest of the block is retired and always looking through their mini-blinds. My paranoia comes from growing up in poverty and in extremely bad areas where people would first steel your guard dog and then go back for everything else a day later lol.
abqjoe
Chumono
Solved my ventilation problems Humidity is already down by 15% and temps are down an additional 10F.....
Humidity is already down by 15% and temps are down an additional 10F.....
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
You're making this far too complicated. It's not.
You still have the beginner idea that retaining warmth to keep trees "warm" in the winter is what overwintering means. Not so. It is keeping trees cold enough to retain or induce dormancy. It is NOT about retaining warmth it is about retaining the lowest, stable temp that keeps trees dormant, but doesn't damage roots. In most cases that low is probably around 25 degrees or so
The insulation, plywood walls, etc. are for folks in Zones lower than 5. You will find that this overbuilt set--up will be more trouble than it's worth and pretty big overkill for Zone 7 winters. I mention February, because in that set up, that's when most of your trees will emerge from dormancy (if they've seen low enough temps to actually BE dormant). It has nothing to do with colder temps in February. It has everything to do with the previous months temperatures.
Green growth in February is what you can expect, since most if not all of your trees will probably be ready to push new growth given the relatively warm temps you're provide them. Nothing like brining an entire collection inside the house to prevent winter kill--once deciduous buds have broken --when individual leaf edges are visible on buds--your tree has lost 95 percent of its ability to withstand freezes and frosts...
You still have the beginner idea that retaining warmth to keep trees "warm" in the winter is what overwintering means. Not so. It is keeping trees cold enough to retain or induce dormancy. It is NOT about retaining warmth it is about retaining the lowest, stable temp that keeps trees dormant, but doesn't damage roots. In most cases that low is probably around 25 degrees or so
The insulation, plywood walls, etc. are for folks in Zones lower than 5. You will find that this overbuilt set--up will be more trouble than it's worth and pretty big overkill for Zone 7 winters. I mention February, because in that set up, that's when most of your trees will emerge from dormancy (if they've seen low enough temps to actually BE dormant). It has nothing to do with colder temps in February. It has everything to do with the previous months temperatures.
Green growth in February is what you can expect, since most if not all of your trees will probably be ready to push new growth given the relatively warm temps you're provide them. Nothing like brining an entire collection inside the house to prevent winter kill--once deciduous buds have broken --when individual leaf edges are visible on buds--your tree has lost 95 percent of its ability to withstand freezes and frosts...
aml1014
Masterpiece
You are absolutely correct, but I will say, that's not always the needed approach. My teacher has stored her trees for the last 45 years in a storage very similar to Joe's and her trees are very healthy. I asked her a few weeks back what the average low was and she told me about 40, the coldest it's ever been was 31, and yet all of her trees go dormant and break Budd every spring no problem. We also overwinter figs and pomegranates at my work in houses that can get up to 80° during the day and also never go below 40, yet they are fine.
NM is an interesting climate, it's difficult to prevent freeze/thaw cycles when you have a collection the size of mine. every winter since I've started, my trees go through a regular freeze/thaw cycle and I've never lost a tree to winter to date. I think many of us worry to much.
Aaron
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Whatever works...but that kind of protection isn't necessary and is overkill in Zone 7.
abqjoe
Chumono
Actually you're misunderstanding my set up. I only have insulation on the ceiling and that's to keep the temps stable, not warmer. Since putting the vents in temps have been between 36f and 41f all day long with an average humidity of 30-50% and that's with outside temps being between 18f and 53f. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't tree's go into dormancy and stay there as long as temps are below 50f? This is what I've read and this is also what I've been told by many. Thank you for your insight and help.
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
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Trees will almost universally break dormancy if their chill requirements are met and it's 50F...in fact, they'll slowly break dormancy in any temp consistently over 40 F. Your goal should be to keep the soil just frozen...ambient temps upper 20's to low 30's and minimal swings if possible. Ventilation is your friend as the sun get's higher in the sky in February...As winter temps began to moderate , I used to keep the doors open at night and closed during the day to trap as much cold air as possible inside my garage.
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