At what temperature do you do the bonsai shuffle

[PowerTap]

We are at the time of the year when I've started repotting but it'll still be cold at night here in western Washington. I've done the shuffle with trees in and out of my basement walkout basement a few times.

But, I need to travel for work next week and I'm loath to ask my wife to care for two kids and my trees, I know which bridges are too far.

I have repotted a lodgepole pine and an azalea which are cold hardy here normally, but have been repotted and had root work done. Time and plan permitting I might repot a coast redwood or black pine this weekend.

Looking at the 10 day forecast I have a few nights near or maybe below freezing. The low temp most of the week is 31-38 all week. So I'm thinking of what I should do.


Options on my mind:

1. Leave the trees outside on the ground. They'll be fine.
2. Bring the repotted trees inside, unheated basement in a cement floor, and leave them there.
3. Maybe get a cheap greenhouse from Amazon to put them in, put it in the shade and hope that keeps things a smidge warmer.
4. Maybe see if I can procure a heat mat for them.

Thoughts appreciated.

 

[Nybonsai12]

When I repot early, which I frequently do, I bring ‘em into my un heated garage at night when temps are expected to dip below 40. I’m probably over cautious but I haven’t suffered losses.

 

[Dav4]

Honestly, if those are the temperatures your yard will actually experience, I wouldn't be concerned at all. Still, if you want to be cautious and if you're only away for a few days, putting them in a garage or basement would be fine. If longer. I would simply place the trees on the ground and mulch the pots of the recently root worked ones. The temps you describe won't come close to dangerous levels of cold at the roots.


I've had trees solid right after removing >50% of the roots and they didn't skip a beat, so...

 

[Betula1]

It all depends on your local climate , what species you have and how hardy they are . Local native trees should be ok outside at those temperatures.

 

[pandacular]

28° is the key temperature that Michael Hagedorn highlights in his book. I’ve also heard this figure from a few others.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I pull my tropicals indoors any time it gets below 40F at night.

I don't worry about anything else unless it gets several degrees below freezing.

I start worrying about "tender" trees (Mediterranean species, etc) when it drops below 20F, though this year I left a cork oak out all winter long without protection, and it seems to have handled temps as low as 12F without issue.

 

[milehigh_7]

We are at the time of the year when I've started repotting but it'll still be cold at night here in western Washington. I've done the shuffle with trees in and out of my basement walkout basement a few times.

But, I need to travel for work next week and I'm loath to ask my wife to care for two kids and my trees, I know which bridges are too far.

I have repotted a lodgepole pine and an azalea which are cold hardy here normally, but have been repotted and had root work done. Time and plan permitting I might repot a coast redwood or black pine this weekend.

Looking at the 10 day forecast I have a few nights near or maybe below freezing. The low temp most of the week is 31-38 all week. So I'm thinking of what I should do.

View attachment 531283
Options on my mind:

1. Leave the trees outside on the ground. They'll be fine.
2. Bring the repotted trees inside, unheated basement in a cement floor, and leave them there.
3. Maybe get a cheap greenhouse from Amazon to put them in, put it in the shade and hope that keeps things a smidge warmer.
4. Maybe see if I can procure a heat mat for them.

Thoughts appreciated.

Personally, 40+ even my trops stay out. Full exposure.

 

[BrianBay9]

I pull my tropicals indoors any time it gets below 40F at night.

I don't worry about anything else unless it gets several degrees below freezing.

I start worrying about "tender" trees (Mediterranean species, etc) when it drops below 20F, though this year I left a cork oak out all winter long without protection, and it seems to have handled temps as low as 12F without issue.

Agree, but my ficus stay out to 35 F.

 

[PowerTap]

Thank you all for your feedback. I'll have less things to worry about while I travel this week.

 

[Paradox]

I don't shuffle.
My trees stay in the cold frame until I know its safe for them to be out.

I put the covers on the coldframe when it gets too cold, I take them off when it's not.

6 covers takes less time than moving 50 trees around twice a day

 

[badatusernames]

I’ve been debating the same, we aren’t dipping to 32 for the foreseeable future

But this kinda happened last year and then we had a polar vortex or something in March

So now I’m debating if I take stuff out or leave it and try to avoid the shuffle. I think quince that are leafing out will go out tomorrow, maybe pines too

 

[leatherback]

Just leave them outside

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Reading these posts always makes me feel much safer with my relatively mild climate in UK compared to the more extreme cold so many of you guys have deal with!

 

[Deleted member 47471]

When I repot early, which I frequently do, I bring ‘em into my un heated garage at night when temps are expected to dip below 40. I’m probably over cautious but I haven’t suffered losses.

I do the same, I know they’re not going to suffer risk of death that way. That motivates me, knowing they’ll survive.

 

[rockm]

We are at the time of the year when I've started repotting but it'll still be cold at night here in western Washington. I've done the shuffle with trees in and out of my basement walkout basement a few times.

But, I need to travel for work next week and I'm loath to ask my wife to care for two kids and my trees, I know which bridges are too far.

I have repotted a lodgepole pine and an azalea which are cold hardy here normally, but have been repotted and had root work done. Time and plan permitting I might repot a coast redwood or black pine this weekend.

Looking at the 10 day forecast I have a few nights near or maybe below freezing. The low temp most of the week is 31-38 all week. So I'm thinking of what I should do.

View attachment 531283
Options on my mind:

1. Leave the trees outside on the ground. They'll be fine.
2. Bring the repotted trees inside, unheated basement in a cement floor, and leave them there.
3. Maybe get a cheap greenhouse from Amazon to put them in, put it in the shade and hope that keeps things a smidge warmer.
4. Maybe see if I can procure a heat mat for them.

Thoughts appreciated.

You trees will be fine outside, your danger isn't freezing. It's frost and that's only dangerous to newly emerged leaves. You can protect against frost by putting the trees on the ground underneath something outside--like a deck, roof overhang etc. If you're gone for more than a couple of days, have someone water everything.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

If that was my forecast, I wouldn’t move them.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Agree, but my ficus stay out to 35 F.

Yes... my ficus have even been known to suffer a 30ish night... though they weren't happy about it, as long as the following day was warm. I start seeing cold damage right around 34... depending on other factors. For example in SoCal when we would get a very rare 34 night, the tops of my ficus in landscape would show a little damage, but not the bottoms or interior branches. None of my citrus seemed fazed by under 40 temps.

Interestingly, my Texas ebony in SoCal would go deciduous on me as soon temps dropped to about 40. Here I've been bringing it indoors with my tropicals so it stays evergreen.

 

[snowman04]

I'm moving my conifers outside this weekend. Lots of sunshine coming up and they could use the real thing!

 

[snowman04]

Personally, 40+ even my trops stay out. Full exposure.

I lost my buttonwood in the garage with lights and 40+ temps! The leaves went brown, shriveled and it is not looking like anything is left...

 

[BrianBay9]

I lost my buttonwood in the garage with lights and 40+ temps! The leaves went brown, shriveled and it is not looking like anything is left...

You've got stones, trying a buttonwood in Michigan without a greenhouse or grow tent.