!
Yeah, all that snow took me by surprise. My son and I were going to move the outside bonsai to a more protected spot and then we were like, screw it, we'll just make some hot toddies and sit in the hot tub!
Yeah, a lot of people just wear shorts through winter around us. My neighbor, Scott, does all his snow removal in his camo shorts and I wore shorts to work today (albeit with a northface jacket on top)I don’t know Dave. The youth are pretty enthusiastic about wearing seasonally inappropriate clothing. Wearing them up north would just give you that youthful vibe.
Sounds good! Where in SE MI are you? We're in Novi....
Michiganders are strange!Yeah, a lot of people just wear shorts through winter around us. My neighbor, Scott, does all his snow removal in his camo shorts and I wore shorts to work today (albeit with a northface jacket on top)
That sounds like a plan!
! I'm hoping to keep the temps inside there between the upper 20's- 30's F. I'm likely to set up some overhead lighting to mitigate or significantly reduce the need to two step in 3-4 months... fingers crossed!
Hi Dave, not sure about your location, but when I used leaves to help insulate it seemed to attract mice and occasional girdling of deciduous trees in particular. I have had better luck with cedar chips or large bark nuggets. Also find them easier to remove in the spring. Perhaps you have more feral cats or fewer mice in the neighbourhood than I do. By the way one of my projects this year is nicknamed "Murphy". Seems the best direction for it is several drop branches! Of course, it happens to be a Scot's pine ( no Irish pine were available) and it is rather large for bonsai.Done!!! (kind of)
The trees are finally sorted and placed where the majority will spend the winter. Those repurposed wood benches turned out to make pretty decent stackable cold frame sections. When it gets a bit colder, I'll fill the dead spaces between pots with wet leaves. My cold room benches and some of the floor are crammed full with trees- mainly shohin and any JBP with decent potential- and there will definitely be reshuffling of trees on the benches. If these pictures don't make you think I have too many trees, I don't know what to say
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I used to use chipped wood from local tree services to insulate the pots back when they froze solid in MA, and I've been using leaves down in GA for a while in the off chance that I needed more protection then simply placing on the ground. Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't consider the bark mulch this time around, and with the wooden cold frame in place, the mess will be minimal. Thanks for for mentioning it as I think it's a better insulator and more permanent then the leaves. Fwiw, I'm hoping vermin aren't a problem on the patio or cold room... my trees are probably doomed for saying that now.
Have you considered digging a moat? Then you can fill the moat with koi!Deer protection, along with winter housing, is at the top of my bonsai priority list. The deer walk through my back yard multiple times every day and seem more tame then my new neighbor's dog. At least right now, the deer don't seem willing to pass my makeshift deer fence of torn up plastic fence and patio furniture. I've got a weather tight unheated room off the garage that will serve nicely as a winter cold room and the smaller trees, all of the maples and many of the JBP will end up there. The spruce, white pine, yews, dougie fir and larger black pine will end up pushed up under the eaves against the house with the same ghetto fencing strung across to keep the deer at bay. The real struggle will take place when next spring arrives and everything comes out into the sun again. My wife and mother in law don't want me to wrap the yard in deer fencing so I'll have to try something else. I'm wanting a nice looking garden and display area so my deer mitigation strategy needs to look good as well as be effective. Right now, I'm looking at some sort of decorative electrified fencing that's frequently used in a zoo setting. I figure I've got about 4 months to figure it out
