Red maple woke up wayyyy too early 😭

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Hello!

We've had an extremely warm first half of winter in SW PA, and because I was not careful about keeping my cold frame lid open, one of my trees broke dormancy a month and a half early. Usually at this time of year my tree box is packed with snow such that my trees are soundly asleep, but we haven't had a single snow storm significant enough to be able to shovel the snow into the box so far this winter.

I went to check to see if anything needed to be watered when I noticed that my red maple's buds were opening. Now that it has lost its ability to survive a freeze, I brought it inside. I put it in front of a south facing window, and will put it out on the bench on days when it is above freezing, but I wanted to find out what the odds of survival are from all of you. Since this hasn't happened to me before, and because I usually don't start the bonsai shuffle until late March, I really don't know what kind of outcome to expect from my tree leafing out inside.

Is there anything I should be on the lookout for concerning the health of the tree? Will this impact my ability to prune it in late spring (assuming it survives)?

Thank you all in advance for your insight!
 

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rockm

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Hello!

We've had an extremely warm first half of winter in SW PA, and because I was not careful about keeping my cold frame lid open, one of my trees broke dormancy a month and a half early. Usually at this time of year my tree box is packed with snow such that my trees are soundly asleep, but we haven't had a single snow storm significant enough to be able to shovel the snow into the box so far this winter.

I went to check to see if anything needed to be watered when I noticed that my red maple's buds were opening. Now that it has lost its ability to survive a freeze, I brought it inside. I put it in front of a south facing window, and will put it out on the bench on days when it is above freezing, but I wanted to find out what the odds of survival are from all of you. Since this hasn't happened to me before, and because I usually don't start the bonsai shuffle until late March, I really don't know what kind of outcome to expect from my tree leafing out inside.

Is there anything I should be on the lookout for concerning the health of the tree? Will this impact my ability to prune it in late spring (assuming it survives)?

Thank you all in advance for your insight!
I'd check the forecast for temps below 30. Keep it under mulch. Bring it in when temps are set to dip below 30. FWIW, Bringing it in isn't going to kill it in two months. You will get long leggy growth and weak leaves. Keep it moist in a bright location and give it as much humidity as possible. Be on the lookout for mold and spider mites. Pruning it this spring probably won't be a big deal and you'll get better growth outside in the spring sun.
 
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I'd check the forecast for temps below 30. Keep it under mulch. Bring it in when temps are set to dip below 30. FWIW, Bringing it in isn't going to kill it in two months. You will get long leggy growth and weak leaves. Keep it moist in a bright location and give it as much humidity as possible. Be on the lookout for mold and spider mites. Pruning it this spring probably won't be a big deal and you'll get better growth outside in the spring sun.
My concern with attempting to put it back outside is that....at some point the actual winter will begin - weeks with highs in the 20s or lower...ice and snow. My understanding is that once a deciduous tree fully breaks dormancy it totally looses it's cold hardiness and can be killed by a single freeze event.
 

rockm

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My concern with attempting to put it back outside is that....at some point the actual winter will begin - weeks with highs in the 20s or lower...ice and snow. My understanding is that once a deciduous tree fully breaks dormancy it totally looses it's cold hardiness and can be killed by a single freeze event.
That is true, which is why you bring it in when temps get below 30. Moderate temperatures like high 30s and 40's aren't going to harm the tree. What I'm saying is not to rush to get it inside if temps aren't drastic, only cool to cold. The colder it stays, the slower the growth will be. You have to be the judge of all this gauging temps and such. If you want complete protection bring the tree inside and leave it there. Doing that comes with a downside as well.

If you keep the roots under mulch 30 degrees isn't going to get to the roots. Obviously if temps are forecast to be below 30 for days and days, the tree should be inside. -
 
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That is true, which is why you bring it in when temps get below 30. Moderate temperatures like high 30s and 40's aren't going to harm the tree. What I'm saying is not to rush to get it inside if temps aren't drastic, only cool to cold. The colder it stays, the slower the growth will be. You have to be the judge of all this gauging temps and such. If you want complete protection bring the tree inside and leave it there. Doing that comes with a downside as well.

If you keep the roots under mulch 30 degrees isn't going to get to the roots. Obviously if temps are forecast to be below 30 for days and days, the tree should be inside. -
Ahhh I follow what you're saying now. Thank you!
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Not trying to be a nudge, but this is the exact reason I do not use a cold frame for trees native to my climate. They are out, on the ground. Out in the open. Glass enclosures heat up rapidly in the sun. Cover the transparent glazing with heavy layer of insulation to hold the cold in. In these unusually warm winters, you might have to build a cold frame away from the house, so heat from the home does not warm up the cold frame. You need the trees to get cold and stay cold. Once temperatures are below 40 F, no light is needed. winter storage does not need a transparent roof, a thick layer of insulating foam to keep the space cold on warm days would be better.
 

rockm

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FWIW, My cold frame is actually a cold pit, dug a foot into the ground with 18 inch wooden timber walls 18 inches high from the ground. I mulch everything in under at least eight inches of pine bark mulch in November. I use a lean-to deck plank roof that is open at the sides and front. I don't use any other covering. The front of the lean-to faces away from the prevailing wind direction and the low side faces in the sun's path--so it's shaded all winter. This helps keep temps even and the slats on the roof can be easily removed to get snow and rain when needed.
 
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Not trying to be a nudge, but this is the exact reason I do not use a cold frame for trees native to my climate. They are out, on the ground. Out in the open. Glass enclosures heat up rapidly in the sun. Cover the transparent glazing with heavy layer of insulation to hold the cold in. In these unusually warm winters, you might have to build a cold frame away from the house, so heat from the home does not warm up the cold frame. You need the trees to get cold and stay cold. Once temperatures are below 40 F, no light is needed. winter storage does not need a transparent roof, a thick layer of insulating foam to keep the space cold on warm days would be better.
Cold frame is probably not the correct term for me to have used, initially. It is a partially burried wooden box lined with insulated foam and steel screen on the sides and lid. The bottom is open except for steel screen, and below that is 5 inches of gravel. I keep the lid closed during the day if it is supposed to be warm, and meant to write that my mistake was not opening the lid more often at night to keep things cool. It has actually worked wonderfully for me in the past, and retains snow for many weeks after any snow has fallen even if outside it is quite warm. Once it is packed with snow, I just leave it closed except to refill it. This is the first winter without snow, hence the attentiveness I should have been showing about opening it up at night to let things get very cold.
 
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Cold frame is probably not the correct term for me to have used, initially. It is a partially burried wooden box lined with insulated foam and steel screen on the sides and lid. The bottom is open except for steel screen, and below that is 5 inches of gravel. I keep the lid closed during the day if it is supposed to be warm, and meant to write that my mistake was not opening the lid more often at night to keep things cool. It has actually worked wonderfully for me in the past, and retains snow for many weeks after any snow has fallen even if outside it is quite warm. Once it is packed with snow, I just leave it closed except to refill it. This is the first winter without snow, hence the attentiveness I should have been showing about opening it up at night to let things get very cold.
It even has a framed steel screen "lid" under the hinged lid, so that when it is open, rodents don't have access 😅
 

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rockm

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Just to be clear, this means 8 inches of mulch over the tree's soil (perhaps burying much of the tree)?
8 inches over the surface of the pot and yes, perhaps burying much of the trunk. Shohin trees are buried as deeply as possible, up to the first third of their trunks.
 
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