Wintering Shelter

[Shogun610]

So I’m thinking ahead over the next couple weeks to start brainstorming ideas about how I’m going to over winter my pre-bonsai/ bonsai. I was thinking of using my current square foot gardens to bury the pots down and where I run out of room , just extending it with more wood then placing straw around the pots. For protection I was gonna build a low slanted sheet metal roof just 5 ft high.One side of the roof will be nailed into a wall structure I’m gonna build on one side. Leaving the other side open in order to keep an eye on things...Is wind protection a major issue in Pennsylvania ( for those in PA) ......any other simple solutions??

 

[cmeg1]

Watch out for straw...mice absolutly love it and chew bark

 

[cmeg1]

Leaves better

 

[CWTurner]

any other simple solutions??

Put them on the ground on the shady side of the house, cover the pots with mulched leaves. Check on them in Spring. If all your trees are hardy, that's likely all you need.
CW

 

[sorce]

With a roof you gotta pay attention to them.

No roof, more vacation.

Sorce

 

[Shogun610]

Put them on the ground on the shady side of the house, cover the pots with mulched leaves. Check on them in Spring. If all your trees are hardy, that's likely all you need.
CW

Even the pines and junipers that has styling done to them?

 

[Shogun610]

With a roof you gotta pay attention to them.

No roof, more vacation.

Sorce

What about just a roof or shade net just to protect from excess snow? on top but close together on ground with no walls

 

[sorce]

excess snow?

@wireme creates supports to put under branches with heavy snow load. But that's like 6ft.
Sometimes if it rains right after and stuff gets real heavy it can be a problem, but usually you just end up not having to wire branches down in spring.

Sorce

 

[BrianBay9]

What about just a roof or shade net just to protect from excess snow? on top but close together on ground with no walls

You want snow covering the trees. It helps insulate them from rapid or excessive temperature changes, and waters them when they need it.

 

[Paradox]

......any other simple solutions??

Yes you need to protect against wind.
I use a concrete block cold frame against the northern wall of my house.
Stays open most of the time for rain and snow but I do cover if temperatures are predicted to get below 30 degrees.

 

[penumbra]

I was thinking of using my current square foot gardens to bury the pots down

Funny you mention this. It is exactly what I am working on today and tomorrow. I put my smaller bonsai and ones in shallow pots in these beds now that veggies are done in most of them. ( one bed is for winter greens that are growing like crazy now) I nestle them down on top of the soil and mulch them. It the past I have buried the pots in the soil but that was overkill. The larger pots and most of my conifers stay on the benches all winter. Then I mulch in most of my other plants on the mostly shady side of the house, and I put my more delicate trees, azaleas, crepe myrtle, some oaks and some maples, into a coldframe with many of my seedlings. I am building a new coldframe soon that is 8 x 3 feet and 2 feet tall on the sides with a dome shape top that will add about a foot in the middle. Its in my head now but I will post pictures when it is done.

 

[penumbra]

You want snow covering the trees. It helps insulate them from rapid or excessive temperature changes, and waters them when they need it.

Snow is the best but we don't have it often or reliably.

 

[jimib]

I have a 4’x 4’ raised bed I put a few in and bury in mulch. I build a 4‘ x 4‘ x 4‘ PVC frame to sit over the top of it. It gets full sun, I put canvas drop cloth over top of it, leaving the front open for air circulation. When it snows, I just throw the drop cloths off of it and let it cover them up. When the sun comes out, I throw them back on. I took four pieces of three-quarter inch rebar pounded down inside the edges of the raised bed to slide the PVC legs over top of to keep them rigid.

 

[canoeguide]

Y'all who are burying or placing pots in a garden bed: are you concerned about warm spells + sunlight leading to breaking dormancy prematurely? I'm assuming that a garden bed is placed where it will get full sun, which is the reason for my question.

@jmmzpsu14 I would definitely worry about wind, depending on your local situation. If you're next to an open field with no fences, it's going to be an issue. In a hollow surrounded by spruce trees and protected by buildings on 2 sides? Probably not a concern.

FWIW, I'm in central PA and I put most things against the north side of the house (zero direct sunlight), cover the pots in shredded leaves that I've run over with a lawnmower, and surround the whole thing with 2-foot-high "rabbit guard" or chicken wire (to keep out the rabbits) and burlap (to keep out the wind). I'm not an expert but this seems logical, cheap, and works for me.

 

[leatherback]

Even the pines and junipers that has styling done to them?

Not sure how much colder you get than we get here. But those I leave out in sun all winter.

 

[Shogun610]

Not sure how much colder you get than we get here. But those I leave out in sun all winter.

Gotcha , I’m at 6b so max 0 to -5 F in winter ... I was just curious thoughts on that because from listening to Ryan Neil he mentioned weaker trees to be in full shelter or green house(can’t afford a green house) I would assume that would be styled , needle plucked trees too that were done in the fall.

 

[leatherback]

Gotcha , I’m at 6b so max 0 to -5 F in winter ... I was just curious thoughts on that because from listening to Ryan Neil he mentioned weaker trees to be in full shelter or green house(can’t afford a green house) I would assume that would be styled , needle plucked trees too that were done in the fall.

Well.. People tell me constantly I am doing things the wrong way around. Yet my trees are happy.
Go figure.

 

[penumbra]

Y'all who are burying or placing pots in a garden bed: are you concerned about warm spells + sunlight leading to breaking dormancy prematurely? I'm assuming that a garden bed is placed where it will get full sun, which is the reason for my question.

It has not been an issue for almost all of my plants. My young JM stay in shady area but everything else pretty much gets what sun it can.

 

[Shogun610]

Y'all who are burying or placing pots in a garden bed: are you concerned about warm spells + sunlight leading to breaking dormancy prematurely? I'm assuming that a garden bed is placed where it will get full sun, which is the reason for my question.

@jmmzpsu14 I would definitely worry about wind, depending on your local situation. If you're next to an open field with no fences, it's going to be an issue. In a hollow surrounded by spruce trees and protected by buildings on 2 sides? Probably not a concern.

FWIW, I'm in central PA and I put most things against the north side of the house (zero direct sunlight), cover the pots in shredded leaves that I've run over with a lawnmower, and surround the whole thing with 2-foot-high "rabbit guard" or chicken wire (to keep out the rabbits) and burlap (to keep out the wind). I'm not an expert but this seems logical, cheap, and works for me.

The only time I’d be concerned for breaking dormancy if it was plastic covering on a green house compared to canvas tarp or a wood shelter. Even with plastic covering in the ground , if it would have cross ventilation for temp and air flow I don’t think it would raise that much as a temp controlled green house....but I’m not gonna do plastic covering I’m going with a wood structure, and aesthetically pleasing that can be used from my current display tables and grow beds. I may hurry the smaller pots in ground or at least have them on ground wrapped in plastic with leaves or mulch. Not gonna be burying them, according to Ryan Neil the temp fluctuations are higher when planted in ground.

 

[Misato]

Hmm, you know that sounds like a really great idea actually. I have never actually thought about doing a similar thing. Did you make it?! The only time that I actually took into consideration to bury the pots down, I have read that mice actually love it and they chew the bark, and I did not want that to happen, not at all. I have actually placed them into my older barn. However before placing them in there i had to call for https://city2surfroofing.com.au/roof-repairs-sydney/ as the roof was having a couple of leaks, and they are the best in roof repairs.