When To Remove Conifers/Evergreens from Unheated Garage as Winter Closes (?)

[Bonsai Forest]

During the spring when we routinely get up to the 60s and 70s but still drop below freezing I leave my conifers out and just leave them on the ground. Especially if I haven’t repotted them. Also because of this, I like to delay repotting of my conifers. Deciduous I base almost solely on bud and leaf break, while most conifers I delay till after average last frost and even till end of may.

This is helpful to know. Thanks Hartinez.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Ours are generally kept outside.

There is one important exception. If a conifer or other tree has been recently been worked on substantially, wiring, big bends… the tree either goes in the cold frame if freezing temperatures are moderate… or If hard freezes into the cold greenhouse. We have four presently residing in one or another location.

cheers
DSD sends

I’m going to make a small file of all these helpful comments and info for future Winter reference (I do that a lot here lately with various topics).

 

[rockm]

I know of no conifer that needs protection in a garage in Virginia. Not necessary, IMO. Leaving them outside in a bright place out of the wind under mulch is more than adequate. It' a little too early to repot at this point. Another couple of weeks at least. Late Feb. and March are good for that if you have the ability to keep trees from deep freezes.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

I know of no conifer that needs protection in a garage in Virginia. Not necessary, IMO. Leaving them outside in a bright place out of the wind under mulch is more than adequate. It' a little too early to repot at this point. Another couple of weeks at least. Late Feb. and March are good for that if you have the ability to keep trees from deep freezes.

Understood. I recently had them on the side of the back porch getting light in early am and then afternoon along side of the house. I’ll wait to repot them then. For next Winter to Spring, I’ll refrain from using an unheated heated garage if temps spike up. A learning experience for me (my first Winter).

 

[rockm]

Understood. I recently had them on the side of the back porch getting light in early am and then afternoon along side of the house. I’ll wait to repot them then. For next Winter to Spring, I’ll refrain from using an unheated heated garage if temps spike up. A learning experience for me (my first Winter).

I get it. I tended to overprotect my trees for my first few years. It's hard not to. Conifers are tough plants, particularly junipers. Afternoon sun in the winter is not a good thing BTW. In the right conditions in winter, it can damage trunks exposed to direct sun for longer periods Look up Southwest disease. Better to have a bit of shade early afternoon to about dusk.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

I get it. I tended to overprotect my trees for my first few years. It's hard not to. Conifers are tough plants, particularly junipers. Afternoon sun in the winter is not a good thing BTW. In the right conditions in winter, it can damage trunks exposed to direct sun for longer periods Look up Southwest disease. Better to have a bit of shade early afternoon to about dusk.

I was tracking the sunlight in the mornings and afternoons behind my house, thinking I was optimizing sunlight for two brief periods of the day for my trees lol This is a wake-up call. I appreciate the info.

 

[Paradox]

I understand. Is it okay, then, to perform repots on my trees toward the end of February here? Whether I "shuffle" them or not?

Are the buds swelling? If so then it is time to repot.

I refuse to do the shuffle aka bonsai dance any more. I have too many trees and have to go to work early.

I built a coldframe along the north side of my house and stopped keeping trees in the attached garage because I always had problems with trees leafing out too early.

I leave my trees in the coldframe until im sure its safe for the trees to be on the bench. Ill cover the coldframe if it will be too cold.

Pines and juniper are moved to the benches first as they can handle more cold.
This year, a few of my pines never left the benches except for that 2 weeks of very cold nights they stayed on the deck against the house.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Are the buds swelling? If so then it is time to repot

I may need to take a close-up look and photograph branches with buds. I vaguely remember a post on here where someone described bud-swelling as the optimal time for repotting. Something about seeing lines in the bud (?) and a difference in the green at swelling from just before swelling. That was my only exposure to the subject. Is swelling generally the same for, say, JPN, Bird's Nest Spruce, D Alberta Spruce, etc.? Do they all get fat with lines to indicate repotting?

 

[Paradox]

I may need to take a close-up look and photograph branches with buds. I vaguely remember a post on here where someone described bud-swelling as the optimal time for repotting. Something about seeing lines in the bud (?) and a difference in the green at swelling from just before swelling. That was my only exposure to the subject. Is swelling generally the same for, say, JPN, Bird's Nest Spruce, D Alberta Spruce, etc.? Do they all get fat with lines to indicate repotting?

I don't recall lines, I just watch my trees and see the buds starting to change in appearance (color and size) and know it's time. You'll learn to know when it's time, just keep looking at your trees.

If I repot a pine or juniper, I will put that back in the coldframe if it will drop below freezing

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

. Afternoon sun in the winter is not a good thing BTW. In the right conditions in winter, it can damage trunks exposed to direct sun for longer periods Look up Southwest disease. Better to have a bit of shade early afternoon to about dusk.

This is one final tip to consider when wintering over conifers we use…

Given one’s trees are exposed to sunlight during the winter on only one or a couple sides, it is a good idea to rotate the trees, at least in our zone. Pay particular attention to assure weak areas will get at least similar exposure. We do this about every three weeks In our area.

Of course this depends on tree location. Some wintering over areas have better exposure all around then others and require less rotating.

Michael Hagedorn in Bonsai Hearsay doesn’t recommend rotating when on the bench. Yet we’ve see trees, especially conifers and azaleas, come out of winter storage pretty ragged on one side….

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[snowman04]

So here's a question. My conifers have been in the garage for the winter until now (the coldest is over). Can I bring them out if it will be a few degrees colder than the garage (10-20 degrees) or should I just wait another 4-6 weeks before putting them out?

 

[Eckhoffw]

One reason I plan to invest in a greenhouse this spring is the vagaries of spring weather these days. We have consistently been seeing earlier warm spells which induce trees to break dormancy followed inevitably by a polar vortex or plain old freeze which brings tmeps down in to the 20s. This has resutled in loss of apple crops down here for the last couple of years. This wreaks havoc with trees that have broken dormancy as well as trees that I have been repotted. My approach has been to put the most sensitive trees in the back of my pickup and back them out of the garage each morning once temps come up above freezing the leave the out all day and back into the garage at sundown. However I can’t keep doing that forever so a greenhouse seems to be the best option to protect the trees until spring arrives for sure. I doubt that Charlottesville is much different from us down here.

I definitely encourage you in getting a Greenhouse.

I’ve only had my 10x12x10 harbor freight greenhouse for two years, but so far, it’s everything and more than what I was hoping for.

The common worry is that the greenhouse will warm up too much in the day and cause plants to come out of dormancy too early.

With a fan, vents, and drum of water (heat sink), The temps are regulated enough.

Not to mention, it’s my favorite room at home.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I definitely encourage you in getting a Greenhouse.

I’ve only had my 10x12x10 harbor freight greenhouse for two years, but so far, it’s everything and more than what I was hoping for.

The common worry is that the greenhouse will warm up too much in the day and cause plants to come out of dormancy too early.

With a fan, vents, and drum of water (heat sink), The temps are regulated enough.

Not to mention, it’s my favorite room at home.

Yes, I fead your thread on your greenhouse. Have done an update post on your experiences of the last 2 years?

 

[Eckhoffw]

Yes, I fead your thread on your greenhouse. Have done an update post on your experiences of the last 2 years?

Gotcha!
No, I need to do that. Thanks!

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Understood. I recently had them on the side of the back porch getting light in early am and then afternoon along side of the house. I’ll wait to repot them then. For next Winter to Spring, I’ll refrain from using an unheated heated garage if temps spike up. A learning experience for me (my first Winter).

The thing to worry about even with conifers is what can happen if a freeze hits them once they have started pushing new growth. About 3 years ago we had a freeze in late April and it hit 27 degrees. I had moved my deciduous trees into the garage but figured my conifers would be OK—wrong. My Japanese hemlock had already extended its shoots about an inch and the freeze killed about half those new shoots outright, then another 1/4 died over the following week. There was extensive damage to trees all over the Asheville area as a result. So don’t assume that just because it is a confier it will be OK.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

So here's a question. My conifers have been in the garage for the winter until now (the coldest is over). Can I bring them out if it will be a few degrees colder than the garage (10-20 degrees) or should I just wait another 4-6 weeks before putting them out?

Likely the tree’s cold hardiness was severely affected by inside storage. The best thing to do in that case is what some folks calol the bonsai two step. It is a way to harden the trees off before fully exposing to the elements.

Fairly easy. Take trees out on days above freezing to get photosynthesizing and exposed to the outside temperatures and humidity. Bring back in at night when freezing. (As long as room ball not frozen solid:

Repeat until outside temperatures are above freezing.

Keep properly watered, but if there is a choice between rainwater and domestic, use rainwater.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[snowman04]

They have lighting in the garage and have been doing well so far. I will keep them there until the outside is at least the same as the inside, then transition them outside like I did last year.

Next year I'll do it right with the bigger junipers and leave them outside all winter... Always use rainwater...