Outdoor Satsuski azalea in Oklahoma

[leilaf]

Hi friends, I am new to this bonsai thing. I asked for a bonsai tree for Christmas, in my mind since I live in Oklahoma an indoor one would be practical but I was gifted with an outdoor Satsuki azalea. I need tips for this plant and I have a few questions.
1. Can I grow this plant inside?
2. Its "winter" in Oklahoma but it has been unseasonably warm, should I be watering it as though it's not winter?
3. If I can't grow it inside should I bring it in when it gets below freezing?
I really really don't want to kill this tree please help me, fellow bonsai lovers. Any advice is welcome!! thank you!!

 

[JudyB]

There are several different kinds of satsuki, some more cold hardy than others. Where did the plant ship from? I would talk to the vendor to see what they think as they'll know how they normally care for it thru the winter and what kind of cold it can take. Most satsuki don't like prolonged freezing temperatures. If you can make a cool area that doesn't get below freezing but stays below 40 that is ideal. Even if you wind up with it inside for the winter, if it has not been hardened off to cold winter or is a variety that can't deal with cold, you'll need to grow it outdoors in the summer to keep it healthy.
Please put your location and zone in your profile so good advice for your climate can be given.

 

[leilaf]

There are several different kinds of satsuki, some more cold hardy than others. Where did the plant ship from? I would talk to the vendor to see what they think as they'll know how they normally care for it thru the winter and what kind of cold it can take. Most satsuki don't like prolonged freezing temperatures. If you can make a cool area that doesn't get below freezing but stays below 40 that is ideal. Even if you wind up with it inside for the winter, if it has not been hardened off to cold winter or is a variety that can't deal with cold, you'll need to grow it outdoors in the summer to keep it healthy.
Please put your location and zone in your profile so good advice for your climate can be given.

Thank you so much!

 

[Forsoothe!]

Hardiness is purely a matter of variety. If you have the botanical name of a named variety you might be able to google it. Most people don't try to record the name or forget it and just shoot from the hip. They can range from certainly hardy to USA zone 4 to 10, so it's usually a crap shoot. I treat all of mine as hardy. They live or die. Most come from Washington state which tells me nothing. If you can sink it in an eastern exposure with some protection from winds, as in a landscape in-between other stuff that should do it if it is hardy. The sooner you leave it outside, the better. Acclimation takes time outdoors and bringing it inside is counterproductive. If it is a florist variety it probably is not hardy. Many of these are sold in grocery stores as temporary houseplants that people get tired of after the bloom is off, and they pitched.

 

[PaleFire]

im in central ok and my duc de rohan isn't terribly happy indoors

 

[Forsoothe!]

Monrovia says Zone 8 -9. You gotcha a houseplant. Or, abandon OK for FL.

 

[PaleFire]

Monrovia says Zone 8 -9. You gotcha a houseplant. Or, abandon OK for FL.

from bad to worse! #grosshumidity

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[coltranem]

Hi friends, I am new to this bonsai thing. I asked for a bonsai tree for Christmas, in my mind since I live in Oklahoma an indoor one would be practical but I was gifted with an outdoor Satsuki azalea. I need tips for this plant and I have a few questions.
1. Can I grow this plant inside?
2. Its "winter" in Oklahoma but it has been unseasonably warm, should I be watering it as though it's not winter?
3. If I can't grow it inside should I bring it in when it gets below freezing?
I really really don't want to kill this tree please help me, fellow bonsai lovers. Any advice is welcome!! thank you!!

Why do you think Oklahoma prevents you from having outdoor bonsai

 

[PaleFire]

Hardiness is purely a matter of variety. If you have the botanical name of a named variety you might be able to google it. Most people don't try to record the name or forget it and just shoot from the hip. They can range from certainly hardy to USA zone 4 to 10, so it's usually a crap shoot. I treat all of mine as hardy. They live or die. Most come from Washington state which tells me nothing. If you can sink it in an eastern exposure with some protection from winds, as in a landscape in-between other stuff that should do it if it is hardy. The sooner you leave it outside, the better. Acclimation takes time outdoors and bringing it inside is counterproductive. If it is a florist variety it probably is not hardy. Many of these are sold in grocery stores as temporary houseplants that people get tired of after the bloom is off, and they pitched.

im down in normanland and have lots of glorified sticks n pots!! bonsai is totally doable here. just gotta get the right species and realize that u cant grow em all. ive killed far more plants than succeeded with. dont get discouraged by failure, its just part of it. for example i cannot grow a nepenthes or tree fern to save my life; nor, can i get my stanhopea to bloom