Winter IS coming, start preparing

[MountainExplorer]

No, right now it is still in the shade of a Red Japanese Maple out back. The foliage gets darker, some almost purple but it does not drop and sets flower buds for Spring flush as I type. When it gets to 30'sF at night I move it in the pot out front to full East/West sun for the Winter and it gets just enough light and warmth to do good. The days are much shorter so it does not scorch.

Grimmy

Thanks man

 

[tstrum]

This weekend we are supposed to get a light freeze (32 is the min expected). From what I’ve read, if I understood correctly, it’s good for my trees to experience a few light freezes early on to help increase their cold hardiness through the winter. Is that accurate?

Last year (first winter with bonsai) I spent in constant worry about every degree of movement in temps. From what I’ve heard, that’s not really necessary, that I really only need to worry about long stretches of 20-25F (in Oklahoma are very rare). A small heater in the greenhouse (cheap plastic tarp style greenhouse) for those days should be plenty. Is that about right?

 

[clevetromba]

Got this new cold frame up, I will poly wrap it and convert to a greenhouse in the spring.

Will you poly wrap it this fall yet, or are the walls enough to keep the wind off the trees?

 

[clevetromba]

Three years ago I built a lean-to shelter against the back of my detached garage (facing East) and put all my trees on the ground surrounded with piles of leaves, then covered the entire thing, walls and roof with plastic. It was a hassle to build though and I had to tear it down in the spring. The following two years I just put the trees on the ground like before but with no walls or roof over them. Everything did fine, even the crepe myrtle, although we did have a more mild winter than usual last year. I have a zelkova, american hornbeam, mugo pine, norway spruce, kingsville boxwood, and privet. Does anyone see any red flags there for continuing as I have with no walls around the trees?

 

[Soldano666]

Will you poly wrap it this fall yet, or are the walls enough to keep the wind off the trees?

The walls should be plenty. They are 4 ft high. The poly wrap will help it transform into a greenhouse this spring for assisting with humidity for newly collected material, and a nice area for my summer propagation house

 

[M. Frary]

This weekend we are supposed to get a light freeze (32 is the min expected). From what I’ve read, if I understood correctly, it’s good for my trees to experience a few light freezes early on to help increase their cold hardiness through the winter. Is that accurate?

Last year (first winter with bonsai) I spent in constant worry about every degree of movement in temps. From what I’ve heard, that’s not really necessary, that I really only need to worry about long stretches of 20-25F (in Oklahoma are very rare). A small heater in the greenhouse (cheap plastic tarp style greenhouse) for those days should be plenty. Is that about right?

By the time I put mine away some are frozen.
I imagine it depends on the tree too since all of mine are the cold hardy variety.
Ultra cold.

 

[JudyB]

Three years ago I built a lean-to shelter against the back of my detached garage (facing East) and put all my trees on the ground surrounded with piles of leaves, then covered the entire thing, walls and roof with plastic. It was a hassle to build though and I had to tear it down in the spring. The following two years I just put the trees on the ground like before but with no walls or roof over them. Everything did fine, even the crepe myrtle, although we did have a more mild winter than usual last year. I have a zelkova, american hornbeam, mugo pine, norway spruce, kingsville boxwood, and privet. Does anyone see any red flags there for continuing as I have with no walls around the trees?

Kingsville boxwood might be problematic, as might be the zelkova if we have a "normal" winter. But you may get lake effect warming where you are? And maybe a good snow cover from lake effect too. Where I am, it's actually a colder zone even though I'm south of you, you're listing 6 as your zone.

 

[clevetromba]

Kingsville boxwood might be problematic, as might be the zelkova if we have a "normal" winter. But you may get lake effect warming where you are? And maybe a good snow cover from lake effect too. Where I am, it's actually a colder zone even though I'm south of you, you're listing 6 as your zone.

The USDA upgraded most of Ohio to zone 6 in 2012, but it looks like there is a small pocket of zone 5 around Knox county and another band of zone 5 around Geauga and Ashtabula counties. Given your assessment of the boxwood and zelkova, maybe I'll put up a wind break on one side. I already have a large hedge on the north side and the garage on the West side of where the trees are sitting. The wind usually comes from the West, so they're pretty well protected.

 

[JudyB]

The USDA upgraded most of Ohio to zone 6 in 2012, but it looks like there is a small pocket of zone 5 around Knox county and another band of zone 5 around Geauga and Ashtabula counties. Given your assessment of the boxwood and zelkova, maybe I'll put up a wind break on one side. I already have a large hedge on the north side and the garage on the West side of where the trees are sitting. The wind usually comes from the West, so they're pretty well protected.

Here where I am, we still have a microclimate that reads like 5. We are just in an odd pocket area. Best of luck to you this winter!

 

[Cable]

Three years ago I built a lean-to shelter against the back of my detached garage (facing East) and put all my trees on the ground surrounded with piles of leaves, then covered the entire thing, walls and roof with plastic. It was a hassle to build though and I had to tear it down in the spring. The following two years I just put the trees on the ground like before but with no walls or roof over them. Everything did fine, even the crepe myrtle, although we did have a more mild winter than usual last year. I have a zelkova, american hornbeam, mugo pine, norway spruce, kingsville boxwood, and privet. Does anyone see any red flags there for continuing as I have with no walls around the trees?

Good to know. This is my first winter in a long time that I've had trees. Up to nine now but all raw or newly trained. One crape myrtle, two taxodium, one distylium, one juniper holger, one birch seedling, one baby mugo pine, and two jap maples. Right now I have the crape myrtle on my front porch where it is a little warmer and the rest on the west side of the house chillin in the part sun. When it starts to get consistently cold I plan to put the crape myrtle and distylium down in window wells (covered with foam if it happens to get really cold) and the rest will go in the walkway between the house and the garage to keep the wind off.

 

[clevetromba]

Good to know. This is my first winter in a long time that I've had trees. Up to nine now but all raw or newly trained. One crape myrtle, two taxodium, one distylium, one juniper holger, one birch seedling, one baby mugo pine, and two jap maples. Right now I have the crape myrtle on my front porch where it is a little warmer and the rest on the west side of the house chillin in the part sun. When it starts to get consistently cold I plan to put the crape myrtle and distylium down in window wells (covered with foam if it happens to get really cold) and the rest will go in the walkway between the house and the garage to keep the wind off.

sounds like a good plan. I think the most important things are to keep the roots from getting too cold and protecting the branches from the wind.

 

[MrBeto]

I’m in zone 9. The coldest is around usually 30-20’s. I’m leaving the junipers and my olive outside, no protection. I have a room outside, where I can put my fukien tea, sageretia, and an escambrón tree. These are the tropicals. Or I can choose to put them in a big greenhouse. What to do ? Note : This is my first year with tropicals.

 

[KansasLuke]

First year with a japanese maple in Kansas City. Wondering if the tree will be ok if i leave it on my front porch all winter? Or at what temperature range will do harm to the tree? I have a unheated garage with a small west facing window. Just looking for advice to keep my new tree alive.

 

[coachspinks]

I don't think winter is ever coming. It was 82 here today. My lantana pre-bonsai is blooming again

 

[Victorim]

Well I thought I was zone 8, but after looking into it I`m zone 9a. sweet.

 

[miker]

We had wet snow and sleet mixing in with the rain today and in a couple nights we are supposed to have a low of 20F, which means upper teens in my yard. The question is, what to protect of the hardy stuff, if anything? Maybe if I just let nature take its course, it will strengthen the trees and allow them to become really hardy and ready for winter.

 

[Cable]

Been pondering that myself. I heard someone say Thanksgiving so I'm looking at that weekend to move my stock to their winter abode.

 

[miker]

I have a plan for winter storage, which I will to put in place in late November to early December, or when the first night in the mid teens or below arrives. I could put everything away now, but I like to have the trees visible for as long as possible.

Regardless of the timing, I am going to put stuff in winter quarters during the next cold front with lows below 20F.

 

[chicago1980]

The winter has come to Chicago.

All but one tree is now in the garage.

 

[JudyB]

I moved into the winter storage today, even though most still have almost all their leaves. We are to get temps below 20 after tonight for the next week at least. Tonight is only 32, and I would have left them out, but work hours are too long tomorrow to do it. Better to protect early and be safe, but that's my M.O. Works for me...
I'll have to pull them out once the leaves are ready to go, to get them naked and to clean the leaves that will be all over the cold house. yippee.