New Sequoia

[coh]

@Jim G , your experience seems to match mine pretty well. Growth just seems...slow, and I don't know what the answer is. I've tried full sun, part shade, more fertilizer, foliar sprays (fertilizer), it still grows much slower than I'd like. Now, I didn't work the roots or slip-pot this year, so maybe that is part of the reason mine is going so slow. As for slip potting yours now, I don't know. Generally my experience has been that if a tree is pretty root bound, it can be slipped to a larger container with similar soil, at almost any time during the growing season. But whether it will lead to more growth this season, just don't know.

Your tree looks pretty healthy, I see new growth (lighter foliage) at the top and buds on the lower trunk. I've found that those lower trunk buds often die back but more show up...which makes me think it will be possible to get new branches there in the future (after a hard cut back, for example).

I still want to get another one or two of these to put in the ground. Will have to remember to do that in the spring. From what I've read, it's not the cold in our areas that is the problem, but supposedly young trees are susceptible to cold wind during the winter. I think people often wrap the young trees with burlap for the first few winters. I didn't do that with the one I put in the ground, and it didn't make it through the first winter.

 

[Matt Regan]

Can anyone give any insight on wether wrapping basically an outdoor bookshelf for my trees in clear plastic for the winter will suffice in protection or should they be fully away from bitter cold?

 

[Guy Vitale]

Glad to see it survived the winter, cold is not the issue with these, it's the winter wind and the shed takes care of that. I'm not getting a ton of growth either on mine, but these trees are deceptive that way, if you compare pictures from one point to another you may be surprised. I would slip pot into something a bit larger, don't mess with the roots too much. Also, full strength soluble fertilizer weekly would help along with organic fert regularly.

 

[rockm]

Can anyone give any insight on wether wrapping basically an outdoor bookshelf for my trees in clear plastic for the winter will suffice in protection or should they be fully away from bitter cold?

No an outdoor bookshelf wrapped in plastic is a very bad idea. The idea with winter storage is to protect the ROOTS, not necessarily the top of the tree. Roots are vastly more susceptible to cold than the part above ground. "Bitter" is a subjective term, for us and for trees. This depends on where you are and what kind of tree you're planning on overwintering.

 

[Guy Vitale]

No an outdoor bookshelf wrapped in plastic is a very bad idea. The idea with winter storage is to protect the ROOTS, not necessarily the top of the tree. Roots are vastly more susceptible to cold than the part above ground. "Bitter" is a subjective term, for us and for trees. This depends on where you are and what kind of tree you're planning on overwintering.

The bookshelf is a bad idea, but Sequoias definitely need full shelter during winter, meaning pots and foliage. In their natural range, the seedlings are buried under feet of snow until they are large enough to have roots extend far enough to protect from completely freezing. In Bonsai, we trim the roots and keep them in small containers, thus never completely out of the danger zone. When the rootball is completely frozen, the wind will decicate the foliage very quickly, that's when it needs full protection.

 

[rockm]

The bookshelf is a bad idea, but Sequoias definitely need full shelter during winter, meaning pots and foliage. In their natural range, the seedlings are buried under feet of snow until they are large enough to have roots extend far enough to protect from completely freezing. In Bonsai, we trim the roots and keep them in small containers, thus never completely out of the danger zone. When the rootball is completely frozen, the wind will decicate the foliage very quickly, that's when it needs full protection.

Plastic sheeting is a bad idea for overwintering anything anywhere. Unlike snow, it offers very little insulation from cold and wind. Using it as a covering could increase dessication of foliage
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/not-cover-plants-plastic-frost-67563.html

Also the most important part of overwintering bonsai is protecting the roots. An bookshelf is an extremely poor way to protect the roots. It doesn't trap ambient heat if it sits on top of the ground by itself. The plastic is too thin to retain any heat at night in the winter. Trapping ground heat is why plants are mulched into cold frames-whose floors are usually a foot or so below ground. The surrounding soil keeps that pit warmer than the surface. Mulching plants that sit on the soil surface is another way to protect roots much more safely than a bookshelf wrapped in plastic. The mulch moderates the air temperature by insulating the warmer soil underneath it...A windbreak of burlap can be hung on a frame over the plant to hold off the wind.
If you live in an area where freezing and wind dessication is an issue, then this species is going to be a problem

 

[Guy Vitale]

@rockm, FWIW, we are both saying the same thing, bookshelf & plastic wrap is a bad idea. I also agree with your method of wintering trees. However Sequoias present a challenge of being easily dedicated, most people have either not figured this out or have not come up with a way to winter them, thus you rarely see any good ones as bonsai. I'm a hard case and am determined to make it work, but they do require full shelter from the wind in winter, I keep mine in an unheated garage, I've heard people keep them in a shed, regardless how you keep them, they must be protected from the wind and not allowed to dry out too much.

 

[Matt Regan]

Right perhaps I should clarify my idea a bit more. I was going to build a shelf unit from cedar of course. Two levels but when I say plastic I mean the card board style semi see through plastic panels on side and top leaving bottom open for air and since winter's are so bad here maybe even a small heat pad just in case?

 

[rockm]

Right perhaps I should clarify my idea a bit more. I was going to build a shelf unit from cedar of course. Two levels but when I say plastic I mean the card board style semi see through plastic panels on side and top leaving bottom open for air and since winter's are so bad here maybe even a small heat pad just in case?

You're missing one of the main points. Winter storage should be in contact with the ground to take advantage of the "heat sink" properties of the soil. Mulching a pot on the ground or on the floor of a garage, etc. traps "heat" and heat in winter storage is a relative thing--as too much will force growth. Your shelves would seem to have an air space underneath. Your tree would be in danger for the same reason bridges freeze before road surfaces--air can circulate completely around those shelves--regardless of the plastic.

I'd also skip the heat pad. Heat in the case of winter storage, is not measure in human terms of "warm." It's measured in the minimum temp needed to keep the tree dormant for the winter. That could be anywhere from 40 to 25 F depending on species

 

[Matt Regan]

Ah I see your point now. I will definitely have to re think my winter storage plans then

 

[rockm]

h