Winter Prep Advice

ichoudhury

Yamadori
Messages
51
Reaction score
23
Location
Georgia, USA
USDA Zone
7B
I have few Tropical trees out there all around my garden growing very nicely (some are on the ground). I decided to experiment growing them out on the field during warmer time and bring them back in when frost about to set in. So few olives (Approx. 15 yrs and 10 yrs and 3 yrs which are in larger pots), Bougainvillea (Ground), Night blooming Jasmine (Ground), Pom (Large Pot), even a eucalyptus citriodora :eek:

I know they won't survive below 20 F, so in about 2 months they will come back in. They have grown very nicely in and around my garden area. Some grown as large as 5 feet (Bougainvillea) and 3-4 feet new growth (olive, Eucalyptus). I just can't keep them inside that big and was planning to prune them anyway. My focus right now is to grow them, thicken them up and don't worry about styling until very late.

Question: Since I have approx 2 more month of outside sun, should I just go ahead and prune them now so they recover by the time I bring them in and not prune and bring them in to increase stress? :confused:
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
Messages
12,420
Reaction score
27,871
Location
Charlotte area, North Carolina
USDA Zone
8a
I would wait and prune them in the Spring when they are at their strongest and healthiest and they are pushing their strongest growth. Last thing you would want would be to prune them and get caught by an early winter ice storm. If your question is "they are too big to bring inside without pruning - will I kill them if I prune them?" I would answer - not optimal, but if you have to do it do it NOW and make sure that you watch them closely and move them in at the slightest sign of cold.
 
Top Bottom