G’day; I’ve got myself a deciduous tree (Chinese Elm) which produces beautifully coloured leaves in the autumn; only issue is I live in the tropics and in this weather the tree remains green year round. I had the idea today of putting the tree in my refrigerator to simulate autumn conditions and therefore achieve autumn colours. Obviously I would need to take it out regularly for sunshine. Has anyone tried this before? Would the fluctuating temperature from the fridge to the outdoors and back again cause shock? There is a dial in the fridge so I’m confident I could replicate the autumn temperature quite well. I can leave the fridge door slightly ajar to allow oxygen in too. Thank you for your help. Cheers
FRIDGE SIMULATING AUTUMN?
- Thread starter Emu1995
- Start date
TrevorLarsen
Chumono
This thread is very useful.
www.bonsainut.com
Bonsai in fridge
Hi! I decided to pick up 2 JWP but then realized they need a winter dormancy to survive long term. I live in a tropical area so there’s no winter, lowest it gets is 65F (18C). I read around and see some use fridge but no “long term” success yet. I’m gonna give it a shot with a mini fridge to...
Srt8madness
Omono
Bad idea. Fridges are made to keep air dry, the opposite of what our trees like. They will dry out and desiccate the foliage.
First thing I’d suggest is looking up some of @Clicio posts on BNut. He’s in Brazil, but has successfully kept temperate species such as Japanese maple. I don’t recall if he keeps Chinese elm, specifically, but I would expect much of what he does horticulturally to be relevant to what you’re attempting. I don’t believe he messes around refrigeration for his trees.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Bad idea to yo-yo your tree's temperature from cold in the fridge to hot tropical weather. The tree would be very confused and not know what it should do.
Also, when the leaves change color, they die and fall off. The chlorophyll that makes them green is no longer there, hence the color change. The tree has to grow new ones.
Also, when the leaves change color, they die and fall off. The chlorophyll that makes them green is no longer there, hence the color change. The tree has to grow new ones.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
You cannot replicate dormancy with cold alone. Dormancy is not due to cold alone. It is a very gradual process that trees undergo. Shortening daylength is a big piece of that process. In temperate zones, days begin to shorten at the Summer Solstice in June. That's when days begin to get gradually shorter. The incrementally shortened sunlight and increasing darkness signal hormone changes in the tree that eventually result in the tree losing its leaves near the end of the process.
Putting a tree in a cold refrigerator without that exposure and chilling it is more shock to the tree than induced dormancy. The tree hasn't prepared itself and shuts down without that preparation leaving it without much protection against cold. Not a great thing to do.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
You can't fool Mother Nature. You can screw with her, but she will get back at you.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
"Obviously I would need to take it out regularly for sunshine. "
Dormant trees require no sunshine. Moving a tree out of the cold and into a warm room repeatedly or even infrequently will force the tree to try to adapt each time. That is certainly a recipe for disaster.
You should read up on what dormancy is in temperate zone trees. Chinese elm can tolerate no dormancy for a few years or even more (but not forever). They're tough. Trying to provide artificial dormancy for them is futile for the most part.
Dormant trees require no sunshine. Moving a tree out of the cold and into a warm room repeatedly or even infrequently will force the tree to try to adapt each time. That is certainly a recipe for disaster.
You should read up on what dormancy is in temperate zone trees. Chinese elm can tolerate no dormancy for a few years or even more (but not forever). They're tough. Trying to provide artificial dormancy for them is futile for the most part.
Ice the root zone instead. I have been reading up on where the cold needs to be (for a planted peach) and supposedly the top of tree does not need chilled. The bottom roots should not have chilling as it would be worse than something in the ground with snow cover?
I am going to use bags with no drainage so the cold water doesn't get in there. Just chill hours to the top root zone.
I am going to use bags with no drainage so the cold water doesn't get in there. Just chill hours to the top root zone.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Won't do the trick and can kill roots. Temperate zone trees' roots undergo a 'hardening' process over the late summer/early fall to allow them to withstand freezing/low temperatures. Dumping ice on unprepared roots will shock them.
There are no shortcuts here.
Well then I just elevate the ice on cardboard or something or no? I don't want to kill the peach! Maybe if it has no blooms I will sell it to someone up north in spring. I also don't know what I was thinking buying 'flat wonderful' peach online, we have special peaches and plums for low chill hours here.
Doing nothing at all would be preferable to this attempt to cool the roots.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Mine is still green. Outside with green and brown leaves, no fall color at all this year. It's seen snow and many frosts, but still green.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Most "regular crops" are annual plants that are planted new from seed each year ie: corn, beans, tomatoes.
If you are referring to fruit trees. Growers won't grow varieties or fruits that won't survive in their climate
BrightsideB
Omono
As long as the bonsai is on the bottom shelf next to the tomatoes I don’t see a problem. 
As I enjoy deciduous trees, this is one of the best pieces of information shared here. Thank you rockm (and Paradox as well) for having the patience to repeat this again and again so we can all learn. This has really helped me keep trees alive through the winters.
I would add that roots seem to like consistency. Not an issue in the tropics, but here we get a great deal of freeze/thaw, which reeks havoc on the roots. The mulch is helping these days with freezing mornings warming up - the top mulch will freeze and the bonsai soil still stays thawed for now. Eventually, it will get really cold and everything will freeze solid and stay that way for a bit.
