What do I do in the winter?

Mike1527

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Hi All!

I've had a Chinese Banyan Ficus (Microcarpa) for about 6 months now and I live in CT (so it's freezing cold right now), what's the best way to help my bonsai out? The leaves are wilting, and I'm really not sure what to do. I'll try to edit this post later and add some pictures of it to give you a better idea.

Also, I was interested in a bonsai that either fruits or leaves change color, but is not too hard for a beginner like myself? Any ideas? What do you have to do differently with these trees?

Thanks!

Mike
 

lordy

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Keep the tree in at least 50F temps, mist it daily to keep the humidity up, dont let the soil dry out (but not wet feet either), and give it as much light as possible. In a month or so when outdoor temps stay above 50 day and night, you can put it outside where, given warm enough temps, it should perk up. They dont like the dry indoor surroundings of winter. I am nursing one myself. Come on, spring.
 

Mike1527

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Keep the tree in at least 50F temps, mist it daily to keep the humidity up, dont let the soil dry out (but not wet feet either), and give it as much light as possible. In a month or so when outdoor temps stay above 50 day and night, you can put it outside where, given warm enough temps, it should perk up. They dont like the dry indoor surroundings of winter. I am nursing one myself. Come on, spring.

Thanks for the quick response! So is it fine if it looks like its almost dead? The leaves are all wilted and grey. There's really not much I can do light wise, it stays warm in my room but all the light that it's getting is from my room. Do you know of any heated lights that are good for plants?
 

Poink88

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Thanks for the quick response! So is it fine if it looks like its almost dead? The leaves are all wilted and grey. There's really not much I can do light wise, it stays warm in my room but all the light that it's getting is from my room. Do you know of any heated lights that are good for plants?
What lordy said.

If all the leaves are wilted and gray, you don't really need light...unless it re-sprouts. I hope it is still alive. The more common culprit some indoor growers fail to realize is the lack of humidity.

I have more than 20 plants in my garage and all they get is light from T8 6500K fluorescent tubes (5 x 2 tube light fixtures) since November and they are growing fine. The lights are on 16 hours a day.

You can use LED, metal halide, high pressure sodium, etc. but these are either expensive and/or power munchers.
 

benw3790

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Thanks for the quick response! So is it fine if it looks like its almost dead? The leaves are all wilted and grey. There's really not much I can do light wise, it stays warm in my room but all the light that it's getting is from my room. Do you know of any heated lights that are good for plants?


I was in the same boat a few months ago.. All I can do is keep it in my room. So I went to k mart and bought a daylight bulb, and put it in the lamp on my nightstand. My tree sits on my nightstand under the lamp and has since, regained some vigor. you can use a flouresent light bulb, too. Not that expensive, and they save power. I also repotted it into a nicer draining mix. It was in an all organic potting mix before, and the soil was staying wet too long. Hope this helps man.. Just go grab a nice bulb for your lamp and set the tree under it.. Leave the light on as long as you can every day. I also found a spray bottle at the dollar store to mist the leaves daily. Helps with the humidity. I agree with lordy, come on spring!!
 

Mike1527

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I was in the same boat a few months ago.. All I can do is keep it in my room. So I went to k mart and bought a daylight bulb, and put it in the lamp on my nightstand. My tree sits on my nightstand under the lamp and has since, regained some vigor. you can use a flouresent light bulb, too. Not that expensive, and they save power. I also repotted it into a nicer draining mix. It was in an all organic potting mix before, and the soil was staying wet too long. Hope this helps man.. Just go grab a nice bulb for your lamp and set the tree under it.. Leave the light on as long as you can every day. I also found a spray bottle at the dollar store to mist the leaves daily. Helps with the humidity. I agree with lordy, come on spring!!


This is how it looks right now, and it seems like its a lost cause :(
 

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Joedes3

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I have my tropicals in my basement. The temp is upper 50s to low 60s. They are under shop lights whcih are on 16 hours a day.

I am even experimenting with an azalea. It flowered under the shop light. Waiting to see what the results will be.

Joedes
 

mat

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That doesn't look good. :( You should try again in the Spring and then have a plan in place before next winter.
 
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This is how it looks right now, and it seems like its a lost cause :(
Pull off the leaves. Scrape a little bark and see if and where it is still green underneath. If green you are ok. Sometimes the tree gets dry and the leaved die. I do not try and grow my tropicals in the winter, just keep them alive. Minimal water and a west window. I put my ficus in the shower every few days. and wait for spring.It's a Benjamina I've had about 19 years.
 

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KennedyMarx

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Is th area around that window drafty? The cold air isn't good for that type of plant. It looks pretty bad. Like it's been said you should scrape a little bark off and see if it's still green underneath (meaning it's still alive). If you brush the dead leaves off it might look a little less depressing in the meantime.
 

lordy

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Yikes--that one looks like it went a few too many days without water and bit the big one. I hope it pulls through for you soon. I would slow waaaay down on watering until you see some new green growth, UNLESS it is completely dry now. If it is alive now, it wont be using much water until the green reappears, but it cannot do that if it is bone dry. If it is damp now, dont water it again until it shows signs of life.
 

Mike1527

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Is th area around that window drafty? The cold air isn't good for that type of plant. It looks pretty bad. Like it's been said you should scrape a little bark off and see if it's still green underneath (meaning it's still alive). If you brush the dead leaves off it might look a little less depressing in the meantime.

First of all your avatar is awesome/hilarious, secondly, the window isn't drafty at all its new windows so it should be ok. Yeah I didn't really know or have a plan for what to do for the winter. What I'm doing now I trying to use my desk lamp when I'm home on it for a prolonged period of time. I'll try and scrape some bark off when I go home. I did take off the dead leaves too. If it is dead, which would be awful, is there a bonsai that is able to withstand the weather without attention to it (besides normal watering of course)?
 
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aphid

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Wilted ficus leaves sound like not enough water or spider mites. If not enough light, they turn yellow and drop.
 

aphid

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I used to keep microcarpas when I first got into bonsai. I found them to be needier than benjaminas and willow leaf. They need more light and humidity. You could get a fish tank and put T5 light fixture over it. I saw pix of member here that has that set up.
 
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copper-wire-bonsai-tree-sculpture-minskis.jpg
First of all your avatar is awesome/hilarious, secondly, the window isn't drafty at all its new windows so it should be ok. Yeah I didn't really know or have a plan for what to do for the winter. What I'm doing now I trying to use my desk lamp when I'm home on it for a prolonged period of time. I'll try and scrape some bark off when I go home. I did take off the dead leaves too. If it is dead, which would be awful, is there a bonsai that is able to withstand the weather without attention to it (besides normal watering of course)?
Here is one that requires little care.
 

Mike1527

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http://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart...-ES9M823TS450K/204285778?N=5yc1vZbmatZ1z0xeui

Here's an inexpensive light solution in the future if you get it going again. I have one of these on a clamp light with reflector a few inches above my ficus trees in winter and they actually do grow some. FYI on the possible leaf drop.

http://www.donnan.com/ficus-leaf-drop.htm

This is awesome!!! I think it's dead, since the bark is just pure brown inside...but I;m going to wait until it warms up (and keep using the light when i can) and see how it turns out in the spring, if not, i now know what to do in the winter ;).
 

Bonsai Nut

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Just remember - it's not about the warmth - it's about the light and humidity. They really don't need a lot of water if it is humid. They don't need warm temps as long as it is above 40 or so (which should not be occurring in your house). You can use a humidity tent and put it in a window or under a bright light and they will put up with a lot of abuse.

Something like this is pretty convenient and can hold a fair number of plants:

http://www.amazon.com/Plant-Growth-Cart-Humidity-Tent/dp/B005UDJJ5O
 

Mike1527

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Just remember - it's not about the warmth - it's about the light and humidity. They really don't need a lot of water if it is humid. They don't need warm temps as long as it is above 40 or so (which should not be occurring in your house). You can use a humidity tent and put it in a window or under a bright light and they will put up with a lot of abuse.

Something like this is pretty convenient and can hold a fair number of plants:

http://www.amazon.com/Plant-Growth-Cart-Humidity-Tent/dp/B005UDJJ5O

It's in my room so I don't have room for this size, but if there was a smaller one I would gladly get it. Is it difficult to grow my own from seedling? I might just try that.
 
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