Minnesota winter storage questions...... only mn or colder please reply

[bonsaiDerek]

So I'm trying to improve my winter storage over last year
I'm using an unheated, unattached, no window garage.... also no electricity
once i put the trees in there, I'm unsure what is the best options
should i store them
-on the ground or up on shelves?
-surrounded by mulch or Styrofoam peanuts
- what about watering? only before they freeze?

thanks

 

[sorce]

So I'm trying to improve my winter storage over last year

What died last year?

I got an anti-garage rant long as Minneapolis, or the name of all them lakes strung together.....

Mostly fueled by MORN's (Minions of Ryan Neil I hope his middle name ain't Otto) in Minnesota talking about a realization of more health with outdoor wintered trees.

I hate a fake "more health" idea, but the only other one applicable here would be the usual, "better health due to better hort skills", but then, if that is what it is, they end up healthy enough to make it through winter, so the outdoor winter itself ends up not being the culprit, so much as the hort skills of the grower.

IMO....

The way we, as humans do, worry to much about this stuff, it leads us .... directly into the garage.... directly the opposite of where we should go.

The garage is where we take our hort skills to die, followed shortly by any artistic skills those hort skills are required for.

Do they even have garages in Japan?

Sorce

 

[Scorpius]

With no temperature control you'll be at the mercy of the weather. Depends on what trees you have. I have sensitive Nancy Cork Bark Black Pines and Japanese maples so I use a modified lean to greenhouse that is both heat/cold temp controlled. I get some seriously cold weather sometimes -10 to -20, in Northern Indiana at least several times a winter.

 

[Dav4]

I know my experience has been in places not as cold as or colder then MN but you don't have to listen to my advice if you don't want to. I had a garage like yours in usda zone 6 MA back in the day that served as the storage place for many of my trees. During the colder snaps, when temps outside approached or fell below 0 F, it was often in the mid to low single digits inside the garage. You can extrapolate from that what your temps will be like in your garage in your climate in mid January. Personally, without supplemental heat, unless you're only keeping uber hardy species like larch, you should probably be keeping them on the ground and mulch the pots, too. You WILL have issues with mice and voles so plan accordingly with traps or bait as needed.

 

[bonsaiDerek]

I see no one listened to MN or colder please only reply

 

[davetree]

Everyone I know in Minnesota with bonsai uses a garage or cold frame to winter them. How many trees and what species do you have ?

 

[ajm55555]

I see no one listened to MN or colder please only reply

Even if someone doesn't live in MN now, they might have experience with MN's climate or extreme cold, don't you think?
Next time you can ask "only -100F or colder please reply"
;-)

 

[Dav4]

I see no one listened to MN or colder please only reply

Even if someone doesn't live in MN now, they might have experience with MN's climate or extreme cold, don't you think?
Next time you can ask "only -100F or colder please reply"
;-)

... and this is why I reply to fewer and fewer questions here. It took me several minutes to write my response, and even though I've never lived in MN, the advice I gave was spot on for the OP's needs. Fwiw, @bonsaiDerek, there's only a few members here from MN or colder climates with any measurable experience, so you're shooting yourself in the foot by being so narrow with the sources you'll accept, which is ultimately your loss. Like I said, it's your choice to heed or ignore the advice given, but you can't tell people not to respond.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I’m in Minnesota. Have previously used an Unattached garage with a structure inside with walls of foam board. I was also using a thermostat control and a small heater. Thermostat was set to 34°F
The two years I used it I had pretty good success only failure was losing some maples. I assume they dried out.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I should add that my very Hardy/native plants,( which is approximately half of my plants) were just mulched in along the fence.

 

[coh]

... and this is why I reply to fewer and fewer questions here. It took me several minutes to write my response, and even though I've never lived in MN, the advice I gave was spot on for the OP's needs. Fwiw, @bonsaiDerek, there's only a few members here from MN or colder climates with any measurable experience, so you're shooting yourself in the foot by being so narrow with the sources you'll accept, which is ultimately your loss. Like I said, it's your choice to heed or ignore the advice given, but you can't tell people not to respond.

Spot on. I mostly gave up a while ago...not worth my time for the most part.

 

[hinmo24t]

... and this is why I reply to fewer and fewer questions here. It took me several minutes to write my response, and even though I've never lived in MN, the advice I gave was spot on for the OP's needs. Fwiw, @bonsaiDerek, there's only a few members here from MN or colder climates with any measurable experience, so you're shooting yourself in the foot by being so narrow with the sources you'll accept, which is ultimately your loss. Like I said, it's your choice to heed or ignore the advice given, but you can't tell people not to respond.

i was going to let them know too, in MA (similar latitude) and i have used cold garage, elevated plants off the concrete floor
on 2x4 or shelves, keep an eye for rodent damage (dont have issues thus far) and actually only watered plants once or twice throughout winter in there. i add a bit of mulch to protect or for little pots i put them on top of containers of mulch

 

[Hartinez]

Spot on. I mostly gave up a while ago...not worth my time for the most part.

... and this is why I reply to fewer and fewer questions here. It took me several minutes to write my response, and even though I've never lived in MN, the advice I gave was spot on for the OP's needs. Fwiw, @bonsaiDerek, there's only a few members here from MN or colder climates with any measurable experience, so you're shooting yourself in the foot by being so narrow with the sources you'll accept, which is ultimately your loss. Like I said, it's your choice to heed or ignore the advice given, but you can't tell people not to respond.

Please for the love of god don’t stop commenting on my posts. Really though, your complaints are mine as well and your guys experience and presence here is GREATLY appreciated, no matter where you live.

 

[Carol 83]

... and this is why I reply to fewer and fewer questions here.

Spot on. I mostly gave up a while ago...not worth my time for the most part

That is such a shame, although I completely understand why. I have noticed that the seasoned, more experienced people are chiming in less and less lately. Your knowledge and experience are so valuable and a wonderful resource to those less experienced. But I can see people dismissing or ignoring the advice they sought causing reluctance to even bother to offer it.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I see no one listened to MN or colder please only reply

I’m not as cold.. but will still try to be helpful. As even by ME.. is a world of difference from 6.

Last year I tucked everything into a corner, underneath tables, bunched together.. the trees near the outside got pretty much blitzed.... even natives... buuut my ground was/is concrete... that “peak” of -15 and lower for the usual 5-10(ish) days doesn’t “jive well” with container growth (let alone that entire 3 weeks), and is something MOST people don’t have to deal with.

I understand it is even colder by you.. I’m just letting you know what DIDN’T work for me, just a step warmer, LAST year.

The growers in Green Bay Area say to protect everything, because most of them will need it anyways... buffer with the “beastly” ones.

 

[bonsaiDerek]

Even though I kindly asked for MN residence advice right in the heading , some people want to disregard what I was asking for and respond anyways, then get offended when I point out again what I was looking for, probably the same people that throw in their 2 cents all the time, whether their advice was asked for or not. I didnt mean to offend anyone but please follow directions

 

[August44]

Even though I kindly asked for MN residence advice right in the heading , some people want to disregard what I was asking for and respond anyways, then get offended when I point out again what I was looking for, probably the same people that throw in their 2 cents all the time, whether their advice was asked for or not. I didnt mean to offend anyone but please follow directions

We can pretty much all read English on here, but some reply because they have experienced the problem, or know someone who has. Some reply because they just have good common sense. It's up to you to sort out what works for you. If you aren't able to sort it out, then your brain might not be able to handle this and you could do tulips. Whatever you do, don't come on here asking questions and then accompany that with your damn rules or we will not only disregard what you were asking, but you too. Savy?

 

[kale]

Do you have window wells in your basement? Those are my fav. Just enough heat from your house and being several feet below ground level seems to keep the temp right at freezing to 40f for me in zone 5b

 

[BonsaiPoppie]

Thank god I live in San Diego County, the warm part.

 

[bonsaiDerek]

We can pretty much all read English on here, but some reply because they have experienced the problem, or know someone who has. Some reply because they just have good common sense. It's up to you to sort out what works for you. If you aren't able to sort it out, then your brain might not be able to handle this and you could do tulips. Whatever you do, don't come on here asking questions and then accompany that with your damn rules or we will not only disregard what you were asking, but you too. Savy?

You just made my point