What to do with too tall tropical trees this winter?

[AcerAddict]

I have a Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia) and a Blue Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) that I grew from seeds in one of those generic bonsai kits my wife bought me back in 2020. The winters are too cold here to leave them outside with the rest of my trees, and unfortunately it's too cold in our garage as well. The past two winters, I've brought them inside and put them under grow lights until the weather warmed up again in the spring. They grow like crazy in our hot, humid summers here at the coast.

However, the problem now is that they're too large for me to comfortably keep inside. I just don't have the space for them. Both are in 4 gallon nursery pots with something like a 4-to-1 mix of potting soil/sand. They'll be 2 years old in the fall and I would hate to simply get rid of them because they were a gift from my wife. What else can I do though?

The Royal Poinciana is about 5 feet tall, including the pot, and the Blue Jacaranda is about 4 feet tall with pot. I don't know much about keeping these particular species as bonsai, but I'm pretty sure neither one is at a stage just yet where I could simply do a trunk chop to reduce their height. I could be wrong on that assumption though.

(attached pictures are from today)

 

[Colorado]

I ran into this problem. Sold it to focus on shohin sized tropicals.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Can't keep outside and too big for inside. Doesn't leave many options. Build a unit in the raj to overwinter with lights and heat? Chop trees down and bring them in. Perhaps a nursery would let you leave it there over winter?

 

[BrianBay9]

I expect both would respond well to a hard chop. Do it while they're outside in warm weather.

 

[penumbra]

exactly^^^
I have already reduced many of my tropicals. I have cut back some ficus from about 20-30 inches down to 8-12 inches. So my space problem is not dictated so much by height as it is by sheer space since I can't just throw the cuttings away.

 

[AcerAddict]

I ran into this problem. Sold it to focus on shohin sized tropicals.

I'm currently perusing the Facebook bonsai auctions and websites like Wigert's to find a couple nice small tropicals to keep in my office year-round. Something like a green island ficus and a dwarf jade. Would be nice if one day my two big tropical trees could be reduced in size and kept in there too.

Can't keep outside and too big for inside. Doesn't leave many options. Build a unit in the raj to overwinter with lights and heat? Chop trees down and bring them in. Perhaps a nursery would let you leave it there over winter?

With all the stuff we have in our garage now, building a dedicated "warm room" just to overwinter two plants isn't possible unfortunately.

I expect both would respond well to a hard chop. Do it while they're outside in warm weather.

Do both these species back-bud readily/easily if I do a chop?

exactly^^^
I have already reduced many of my tropicals. I have cut back some ficus from about 20-30 inches down to 8-12 inches. So my space problem is not dictated so much by height as it is by sheer space since I can't just throw the cuttings away.

Same question I had for Brian: will both these species back-bud readily/easily? I know ficus do, but the nature of these two trees (as bonsai) is foreign to me. Royal Poinciana especially are everywhere in my native south Florida, but I have zero clue how they behave as bonsai.

 

[penumbra]

I have not grown either of these but dicot plants do grow new tops when they lose existing top........... except palms, they are monocots.

 

[AcerAddict]

I have not grown either of these but dicot plants do grow new tops when they lose existing top........... except palms, they are monocots.

Will proceed with the choppin' then! Should I leave a couple bottom levels of branches, or just chop to a desirable height?

 

[Cajunrider]

I just chopped my almost 6ft tall royal poinciana. They will rebud to shorter canopy so I can store it inside. Tropical trees can be chopped mid summer no problem.

 

[Paradox]

Tallest tree I have is a Brazilian Rain tree that is about 3 feet tall.
Its quite a bit shorter than your trees.
During the winter, my BRT sits on a table under shop lights with full spectrum bulbs.
It grows most of the winter for me and usually burns some of its leaves on the lights



And wow I really need to post and updated picture of that tree.... Its the one on the right in the picture and its much bigger now.

 

[Cajunrider]

I'm currently perusing the Facebook bonsai auctions and websites like Wigert's to find a couple nice small tropicals to keep in my office year-round. Something like a green island ficus and a dwarf jade. Would be nice if one day my two big tropical trees could be reduced in size and kept in there too.


With all the stuff we have in our garage now, building a dedicated "warm room" just to overwinter two plants isn't possible unfortunately.


Do both these species back-bud readily/easily if I do a chop?


Same question I had for Brian: will both these species back-bud readily/easily? I know ficus do, but the nature of these two trees (as bonsai) is foreign to me. Royal Poinciana especially are everywhere in my native south Florida, but I have zero clue how they behave as bonsai.

Royal poinciana back bud easily once a branch reaches a diameter of 5/8”. Compound leaves cannot be reduced easily so you must use the leaf spines like fake branches.

 

[BrianBay9]

Do both these species back-bud readily/easily if I do a chop?

Yes. I've grown both, and both respond very well to a chop at the right time of year (now).

 

[sorce]

Thanks BB9.

I'm all for chopping them to fit.

Incorporating it into the regular plan even better.

Sorce

 

[AcerAddict]

Thanks all for the feedback. They got chopped and had cut paste applied first thing this morning. Since no one specified where to chop, I left the bottom two sets of branches on the Jacaranda because it's shorter and thinner, but cut the RP down to just 24" high with no branches. They get fertilized regularly like my other trees, so there should be plenty of nutrients in the soil to foster healing and new growth. Thankfully, our summers here are pretty long, so they'll get to stay outside and recover for at least two months before night time temps get too low.

 

[sevan]

I recently chopped my 1 year Brazilian Ironwoods for the same reason. In my case I took them down to 4-6" so the new growth will hopefully add more movement to the trunk. I don't think the smallest one is going to make it, it put out some leaves that promptly shriveled up. We'll see how the rest do over the next few weeks.