Worried about trees leafing out early

[1after90nine]

Hi Im fairly new to growing Bonsai and very new to to this forum I have four trees right now a small Boxwood, a root over rock European Olive, a Larch and a Seiju Elm. They are all smaller trees and all new to me.

I alternate the Olive and Boxwood between a window and a three season room and they are doing fine. My concern is with the Larch and Elm.
I purchased the Larch from a local grower a month ago and I just received the Elm this week from Dasu in Iowa.

Ive kept the Larch at what I thought was cold enough to keep it dormant, however the buds swelled and opened a week ago and its well into the process of growing its leaves out.
The Elm arrived this week with the buds opened and the leaves also growing.

I have tried to keep them outside during the day as much as possible, but the weather here hasnt been all too nice..temps dropping into the 30's at night and getting into the upper 40's during the day.

Ive also utilized the three season room, that's where I've left them today...the temps run from the 40's at night to upper 50's- 70's during the day. Im wondering if I should keep moving them in and out or just leave them in the three season room until outside temps warm up?

Im afraid if I keep them out that they might lose their leaves and die, and Im also concerned about keeping outdoor trees inside, although the room isn't heated but it has great sun exposure and encouraging even more early growth.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

 

[JudyB]

Welcome to the forum!
And welcome to the bonsai two-step. I would encourage you to take these trees outside during the days, and back into your cool indoor room at night. If you need to, you could leave them inside your 3 season room, sounds like a decent compromise. Next year you shouldn't have as much of a problem as they will be acclimated to your local climate and stay dormant longer.
Good luck with them!

 

[M. Frary]

If you have enough sunlight getting into your trees in the 3 season room you should be fine until you can get them outside for good. I obtained a seiju last year at around this time and the same happened to me. Just keep it moist, don't over water, don't let it dry out and mist the trees when possible I put a vaporizor you use to put moisture on the air when you're sick in the room with the trees to help keep humidity up. Open the window a crack to get some fresh outside air in there and turn on a fan. Pretty simple right?

 

[1after90nine]

Thanks for the welcome and for the quick answers!

Looks like I will be utilizing the 3 season room (windows facing east south and west, gets great sun exposure) a lot the next couple of weeks, if my weatherman is accurate... Whats a safe daytime temperature to leave them out during the day?

 

[JudyB]

I would bring them in if frost was predicted, although I'm sure they would be ok with a light frost. During the day, 40's is kinda perfect.

 

[fourteener]

You can keep them progressing slowly by keeping them in the shade when you put them outside. You can even leave them outside if it's not going to freeze. The real concern is how healthy and strong is the tree. If it's healthy, it can throw out a second flush of growth. If it's not, it might die trying. Since they are new to you and you don't know, the advice already given will save you from heartache.

Spring can be more annoying than anything. Soon enough though, everything will be outside!!

 

[Poink88]

Welcome to B-Nut! Love your username

If you do not have time and/or if the trees are burden to move...just leave them in your 3 season room until the risk of freezing temp is over. Safe and simple.

 

[jk_lewis]

Your first message left the impression that while temps were going into the 30s at night, they weren't going below freezing.

If that's true, I'm going to disagree with everyone who told you to move them in then out then in again, etc.

If these are all temperate zone trees (and the larch and elm certainly are that - I know nothing about olives) even with leaves they will BE FINE out on your benches. The larch is local and the elm is from Iowa.

Don't mess with them.

 

[1after90nine]

Thanks for all the advice, as its pretty easy for me to move them in and out I guess I'll put them out in the morning around 6:00am before I leave for work and bring them in in the evening, somewhere around 7 or 8.
Keep them in if the forecast is particularly nasty or leave them out if it gets mild.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks they can stay out full time..

Bottom line I was very concerned because they had leafed out too early and there would be repercussions because of it, but it seems to me that I might be over-worrying about the trees and that the leaves will hold up and the trees will be fine short of a frost or freezing cold.

Welcome to B-Nut! Love your username

If you do not have time and/or if the trees are burden to move...just leave them in your 3 season room until the risk of freezing temp is over. Safe and simple.

Thanks, not too many catch the meaning

 

[1after90nine]

Next up shortly will be questions concerning..

Wiring the Olive and general advice about what to do with it (purchased as a work in progress I guess ).

Creating deadwood on the Boxwood.

Continued ramification on the Larch ( has the makings of a very nice tree ).

Branch placement and form on the Elm.

But that's all for another day!

 

[JudyB]

Your first message left the impression that while temps were going into the 30s at night, they weren't going below freezing.

If that's true, I'm going to disagree with everyone who told you to move them in then out then in again, etc.

If these are all temperate zone trees (and the larch and elm certainly are that - I know nothing about olives) even with leaves they will BE FINE out on your benches. The larch is local and the elm is from Iowa.

Don't mess with them.

Being overly cautious for a couple weeks never killed a tree ... however taking a risk and having the temps do a dip lower than predicted...

well you do the math.

(esp as he has a place that isn't actually inside the house to put them in during chancy weather.)

The olive will want to wait till temps are stable.

I suppose, I shouldn't have said never....

 

[Paradox]

For the future, my concern would be using the day room for overwintering. If the room rutinely gets above 40 deg F, even in the dead of winter, then you might want to think about an alternative arrangement for winter. The trees need to be at or below 40 deg F for an extended period (weeks/months) to ger proper dormancy.

 

[Poink88]

Properly acclimated, I leave my boxwoods, elms and olives outside even low 20's. Just because that is the lowest we've been to since I started bonsai. I've read these 3 can tolerate mid teens.

I don't have larch, it doesn't like our heat.

Not knowing where they came from (and how they were raised) is the reason for the cautious responses.

Good luck!

 

[1after90nine]

Im planning to overwinter the Larch and Elm in my attached garage, the boxwood in the 3 season room and the Olive in the house on a windowsill (assume all are with me next winter). I was led to believe Boxwood doesnt tolerate colder temps?

 

[Paradox]

Most, if not allthe boxwood we see in the U.S. are temperate and require dormancy. Most varieties found here are hardy to zone 6.

Mine survive in my unheated garage to about freezing. Protection from wind in the winter is a bigger factor than cold itself.

 

[Dav4]

I was led to believe Boxwood doesnt tolerate colder temps?

As always, it depends, but most boxwoods are hardy to zone 5, meaning they can grow outside in the landscape in Rochester. They can freeze solid every winter, but being broad leaved evergreens, I bet they are super sensitive to winter wind and sun. I would bet you could over winter them in your garage...and no...evergreens don't need light when they are dormant.

 

[1after90nine]

The Boxwood came from Northern California so that was partly why I was thinking keeping it somewhat protected.

 

[JudyB]

Is the Larch Japanese or American? Native american larch want and need a good frozen winter, does your garage stay cold all winter? Japanese larch are not quite as hardy so maybe garage that type, although I don't know your climate well enough to say for sure. Maybe someone here that lives in your area can speak to that.

 

[1after90nine]

Is the Larch Japanese or American? Native american larch want and need a good frozen winter, does your garage stay cold all winter? Japanese larch are not quite as hardy so maybe garage that type, although I don't know your climate well enough to say for sure. Maybe someone here that lives in your area can speak to that.

Interesting question and its one I've asked myself. I purchased it off ebay, it was listed as a Japanese larch. After purchasing I realized it was from a local enthusiast and learned from him that it was collected locally, which obviously leads me to believe it is a native tree.

However the seller is extremely knowledgeable and a very nice guy and I cant see any reason why he would misrepresent it or misidentify it?

Weather here is extremely long cold snowy winter, followed by too much rain in the spring, then a oppressively hot summer and a too short fall....

 

[Dav4]

Interesting question and its one I've asked myself. I purchased it off ebay, it was listed as a Japanese larch. After purchasing I realized it was from a local enthusiast and learned from him that it was collected locally, which obviously leads me to believe it is a native tree.

However the seller is extremely knowledgeable and a very nice guy and I cant see any reason why he would misrepresent it or misidentify it?

Weather here is extremely long cold snowy winter, followed by too much rain in the spring, then a oppressively hot summer and a too short fall....

Japanese larch, Larix kaempferi are not as cold hardy as L. laricina but no slouch either, and can tolerate temps probably down to -30 F. It would do fine either in your garage or protected in a location outside.