Overwintering bonsai – Theory, Planning and Case Studies Azalea Focus v1.01

[Deep Sea Diver]

Deep Sea Diver submitted a new resource:

Overwintering bonsai – Theory, Planning and Case Studies Azalea Focus - Overwintering Bonsai

This section is all about wintering over bonsai.

The theory, planning and case studies are applicable to all temperate bonsai.

Azaleas are used as the primary focus some parts of the overwintering section. If you, as a bonsai hobbyist don’t have any azalea or other borderline temperate species, just skip the sections about azaleas.

The Table of Contents topics are hot linked just for readers that want to skip around areas of interest.

Read more about this resource...

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Sorry! I missed @Chuah is also a contributor!

Thanks Hoe!!

DSD sends

 

[Ugo]

Thanks to everyone who worked on this document!
Good job, it will be a great reference for years to come!

 

[Berra]

Thanks a lot for this document. So I'm considering whether to

1. overwinter my azalea in the small portable greenhouse it has stayed in last couple of winters on my balcony. Mulched. But I would place it on ground this year.

2. (Case study f) Use a somewhat isolated, unheated shed, not adjacent to the house. (Has electricity)

3. (Case study e) Bury pot in ground (afraid of bark splitting though, temps go down to -4F here)

...

First approach has worked okay until now, with an automated heater set to +40F.

However this year energy prices are soaring and I consider using the shed and maybe not heating it as much. Shed has a problem with moist, it smells of mold in it. (Bad for the building itself, maybe less bad for plants) Stale air I guess too.

What would be the most important thing to prioritize going with case study f?

Fan(to counter stale air), or a heating mat, or running the heater in there?

Or all of them are more or less required? $$$

I should have started prepping for this earlier

Also, maybe it's on my phone only? The links in the table of contents don't lead anywhere

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Thank you.

Both the greenhouse and shed seem decent options.

1. With the greenhouse on the ground you’ll gain some good protection. It seems the auto thermostat could be set lower in any case to +35F. As there is experience with this equipment it might be a good bet, given the placement, low sun exposure good drainage etc are well chosen.

2. Using the shed would work too as long as one can get back and forth easily. Our storage areas are all between 3 to 15m away. During the winter snows there was a path dug out to help move back and forth.

Heating would be first priority. If the roots freeze, big damage can occur. Also Kanuma can be at hazard with repeated freeze thaw. Yet ventilation, especially if the humidity is high, is extremely important.

For example. The fungus issues we had last year occurred when the humidity was high, despite ventilation. In retrospect, preventative spraying being inadequate when I first spotted signs of issues likely was one problem. Perhaps overwatering was another. Maybe overcrowding contributed. Poor Autumn preparation contributed (see section on this).

Yet the humidity was very high when temperatures rose and the snow melted, so a continuous fan was necessary to keep the air moving….as moisture was constantly on the leaves for over a week. To solve this issue, every tree in both main storage areas had to be taken out, inspected, dead or diseased leaves removed and sprayed. Perhaps putting the fan on a timer might help lower the cost during low humidity.

Thus preventative spraying the trees and the inside of the shed would be a good idea. (i.e. We disinfected all storage areas and benches, prepping for winter). Also proper Autumn maintenance and only watering the media will help avoid issues.

Sorry if too detailed.

I just downloaded the Overwintering section on my phone and on an iPad. All links seem to work ok.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Carol 83]

I can't wait to read this. Much appreciated.

 

[Paradox]

I am not even seeing the table of contents to download. All links go to the post starting with "Greetings" and naming the contributors toward the end. That's both links under "Resources" and "Tutorials"

Ok found the "download" link for the whole thing I think.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Deep Sea Diver updated Overwintering bonsai – Theory, Planning and Case Studies Azalea Focus with a new update entry:

Overwintering bonsai – Theory, Planning and Case Studies Azalea Focus v1.01

This update changes Koromo Shibuki to Yama no Hikari in the Cold Hardiness example.

Additionally, references to Rick Garcia were removed to ensure all folks clearly understand there was absolutely no collaboration with Rick in the content or construction of this document. This reinforces this two year effort represents solely the author's work, as stated in the Preface.

Again, if folks notice any errors, omissions or miscues please PM me and I will strive to correct these.

Cheers
DSD...

Read the rest of this update entry...