Over 50 Japanese Maples Melted Down

[penumbra]

Last night was a perfect storm for late freeze JM meltdown. My 50 or so cultivars flushed out aggressively last week, and froze last night at 27F. This was the worst damage I had seen in over a decade. Big maples, small maples all damaged. Most will make it but lost much growth, but a few I feel are goners. Was going to take pictures but it was too depressing. My ginkgos took a hit as well.
Unfortunate truth is that it is just the way of things.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

That sucks, this past winter I've lost more trees than ever before. Hopefully most will rebound for you

 

[Paradox]

Sorry @penumbra
the roller-coaster weather really sucks.

 

[Kodama]

My sincere condolences

 

[Carol 83]

Sorry to hear. This week is supposed to be in the 70's but I still am in no hurry to move the trop's out. We are famous here for late frosts.

 

[Paradox]

My tropicals won't move from their winter quarters until mid to end of June the earliest

 

[Vincent Tanner]

That sucks. Sorry to hear.

We’re having wacky weather, too. Low of 27F today, then mid-80’s all week.

 

[Cajunrider]

Last night was a perfect storm for late freeze JM meltdown. My 50 or so cultivars flushed out aggressively last week, and froze last night at 27F. This was the worst damage I had seen in over a decade. Big maples, small maples all damaged. Most will make it but lost much growth, but a few I feel are goners. Was going to take pictures but it was too depressing. My ginkgos took a hit as well.
Unfortunate truth is that it is just the way of things.

Oh man I am sorry.

 

[Michael P]

Terrible!

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I came close a few weeks go but covered all my in ground trees with a freeze cloth and they got through. We are supposed to get freezes tonight and tomorrow night so I put most of my potted trees that had leafed out in the garage last night and they’ll stay the next 2 nights until the freeze warnings pass. This is getting to be an every year event and makes me wish I had room for a hoop house.

 

[penumbra]

makes me wish I had room for a hoop house.

I do have some smaller hoop house (more of hoop tunnels), but many of my maples are in huge ceramic pots, and even those in the ground suffered. Just one of those years. But I have so much more to be grateful for that I always come out ahead.

 

[Carol 83]

But I have so much more to be grateful for that I always come out ahead.

Words of wisdom. Losing a tree or multiple ones is hard. But in the grand scheme of things, it is just a tree....

 

[19Mateo83]

Sorry to hear that Rob, hopefully they pull through and make a full recovery. This year’s weather has been nuts so far. I’m still waiting on that one that gets me too.

 

[mj_barb]

Last night was a perfect storm for late freeze JM meltdown. My 50 or so cultivars flushed out aggressively last week, and froze last night at 27F. This was the worst damage I had seen in over a decade. Big maples, small maples all damaged. Most will make it but lost much growth, but a few I feel are goners. Was going to take pictures but it was too depressing. My ginkgos took a hit as well.
Unfortunate truth is that it is just the way of things.

I’m so sorry to hear that, hope everything recovers!

I’m a bit east from you, but I did check my phone at 4am and see 31. I frantically moved/covered everything I could. Moved everything inside last night.

 

[rockm]

Last night was a perfect storm for late freeze JM meltdown. My 50 or so cultivars flushed out aggressively last week, and froze last night at 27F. This was the worst damage I had seen in over a decade. Big maples, small maples all damaged. Most will make it but lost much growth, but a few I feel are goners. Was going to take pictures but it was too depressing. My ginkgos took a hit as well.
Unfortunate truth is that it is just the way of things.

sorry to hear this. I've gotten late notices about frosts and (last night) hard freezes here in Southern Fairfax the last two nights. Brought everything in. Got frost Saturday, frost again this morning, but temperature never went below 38 thank God. Forecast has mid-high 80's by Friday. Rollercoaster temps suck.

 

[Maiden69]

This sucks... this year has been stupid when it comes to the weather, not only for bonsai but to landscape trees as well. I have seen so many dead trees this year in comparison with previous ones, including the worst freeze we had which was 2 years ago. Plenty of dead cedar elms, live oaks, and ever red cedars all over the roads leading to my house.

 

[Relic37]

It seems to suggest a weather theorem: The more trees you have (especially in large, difficult to move pots) the greater the chances of a damaging late frost. I would extrapolate that a person nurturing a single, small bonsai, could bet the farm he would never, ever suffer from freezing temperatures past the "average last freeze" date...

 

[penumbra]

It seems to suggest a weather theorem: The more trees you have (especially in large, difficult to move pots) the greater the chances of a damaging late frost. I would extrapolate that a person nurturing a single, small bonsai, could bet the farm he would never, ever suffer from freezing temperatures past the "average last freeze" date...

I just boil this down to Murphy's Law.

 

[Mikecheck123]

My tropicals won't move from their winter quarters until mid to end of June the earliest

I put my Hawaiian mesquite out last year on April 15. It struggled to get going all summer, and then this winter suffered severe dieback.

Maybe June was the right answer?

 

[Darth Masiah]

i feel your pain. i got hit with a freeze late march after a month and a half of great weather