Tropicals migrating inside

[ShadyStump]

I don’t really understand why people allow their tropicals to get so cold. We work so hard to take great care of our trees throughout the year, or in some cases over many years.

Why flirt with disaster?

I've never personally had problems with it, some people's tropicals have issues with the change from outdoors to indoors and throw their foliage off. Ficus are notorious for it. In some of the conversations I've read here it's been noticed by some that allowing trees to cool some outdoors before the move may make the transition easier on them because they're half asleep.

The argument for more hours of natural light has some merit also. I used to do the bonsai two-step with all of my trees to take advantage of good weather, about a month every fall and spring, but I've gotten too damned lazy for that now days. Better things to waste my energy on, so it's only a few here and there in the spring now.
Besides, I like having them inside. The greenery helps my house feel like home.

 

[Flowerhouse]

I don’t really understand why people allow their tropicals to get so cold. We work so hard to take great care of our trees throughout the year, or in some cases over many years.

Why flirt with disaster?

Agreed. I am risk-averse, or maybe I'd prefer risking not getting the greatest possible light for my trees rather than risking a surprise freeze. My bougies have been indoors full time for a month. I was 2-stepping the ficus until last week when they became full-time indoors. I downloaded one of those light meters on my phone so I can see which windows get the best levels, which plant lights are acceptable. I have a plant stand set up in the basement. The upper shelf gets sun from the basement window in addition to 3 T-5 bulbs. Plants seem pretty happy. My ficus have never dropped leaves on transitions.

 

[RJG2]

I brought mine inside this morning. What is protocol regarding acclimating the trees to the indoors? I placed my trees in the grow tent under lights - 12 hours alternating on and off every half hour. Really not sure what Im supposed be doing.

On and off every 30 minutes? I would just leave them on for 12-16 hours straight during the day, then off over night.

 

[Carol 83]

I don’t really understand why people allow their tropicals to get so cold. We work so hard to take great care of our trees throughout the year, or in some cases over many years.
rs
Why flirt with disaster?

The years that I brought them in when night time temps dipped just below 50, I had huge leaf drop, especially from the bougies. The last couple of years I've let them see some colder temps and had almost zero leaf drop. We've got a few days this week with forecasts in the high 70's, so one more week for sure.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

I don’t really understand why people allow their tropicals to get so cold. We work so hard to take great care of our trees throughout the year, or in some cases over many years.

Why flirt with disaster?

It's a pretty short time that those temps are around so it isn't that risky to me, as to why? Different people have different experiences in different climates. I have/had my house plants (tropicals) exposed in the same way for years, I've also frost burnt my veggie garden in the spring before, so my answer is experience with a great respect for Mother Nature.

P.S. @Carol 83 is the crazy one, she hasn't brought them in yet.

 

[hemmy]

Thank you!

About to go to sleep and scrolling this thread reminded me that I forgot to bring my baobab inside! lol

It leafs out late and is just now pushing after a prune, so I’m getting it sun while bringing inside below 60F.

I brought the rest of the tropicals into the grow room on Oct. 6th. So after my first winter, I got 144 days of outside grow time. I was busy this spring and they were slow to get out, so I can probably get another week to 10 days. Sigh.

 

[MSGhero]

Mine are always indoors, but even then one of my ficus dropped half its leaves last week since my growing area dropped from 80 to 70 F in one day. Good luck to everyone's backs, carrying a bunch of trees inside

 

[penumbra]

Mine are always indoors, but even then one of my ficus dropped half its leaves last week since my growing area dropped from 80 to 70 F in one day. Good luck to everyone's backs, carrying a bunch of trees inside

I have about 20 or 30 tropicals that stay inside, but the other couple hundred migrate as they have for years.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Im cleaning off the basement winter storage bench tonight. Going to bring in some tender plants tonight.... maybe even give some bottom heat to a few items.

Been 40s here the past few nights and thag seems the norm... its time.

 

[Kievnstavick]

I don’t really understand why people allow their tropicals to get so cold. We work so hard to take great care of our trees throughout the year, or in some cases over many years.

Why flirt with disaster?

One explanation is that letting tropicals get that cold can greatly aid in putting some plants into a dormancy. It can also help "reset" the clock on the plants thinking that it is now a good time to grow after being brought into a warm place.

I am also a night owl and I am often awake until just before the coldest part of the night. I can monitor my outdoor tempatures and act accordingly.

I brought my trees indoors once we had nightly tempatures below 45 degrees. I was a little lazy this year to do a probably bonsai shuffle. I probably could have left them out all but a couple nights I am basing this logic off of a random tomatoes plant that sprouted from the ground. In my experience, tomatoes are quite fussy with tempatures and I have seen tissue damage on them from nightly temps in the 40s. This said tomato still looks very healthy.

 

[Kievnstavick]

I brought mine inside this morning. What is protocol regarding acclimating the trees to the indoors? I placed my trees in the grow tent under lights - 12 hours alternating on and off every half hour. Really not sure what Im supposed be doing.

I would strongly recommend switching to only one off and on cycle. Plants (just like us) need to have a period of rest and use the day/night cycle to prioritize certain aspects of its life cycle. I don't recall exactly, but I believe a good majority of plants perform actions related to growth during the night cycle. The constant switching on and off are probably messing with their natural cycle.

My lights are set to being 16 hours on/8 hours off.

From my previously years experience cleaning up leaf litter in my tent, I defoliated my trees only leaving very new growth. This way, any new leaves would grown to utilize the lower light conditions.

I would also keep an eye out for unwanted passengers. I gave my trees an H202 flush in a bit to kill anything unwanted and I am inspecting my trees more diligently until I am confident any pests are contained.

 

[milehigh_7]

Getting down into the frosty upper 60's and 90's for the highs! Winter is coming!

 

[shohin_branches]

Mine are in the greenhouse and the greenhouse/shed.

Still need a sensor for the shed.

The greenhouse has some wild swings since I closed the roof. Time to install the automatic opener.

 

[KateM]

Benjaminas came in today. The variegated one started to develop brown spots on the leaves and green one started some yellowing. I don't think they like it cold and wet. They will go out again for a little bit next week when it gets warmer again to be sprayed. Not that cold upper 40s at night, but they don't like it. Microcarpas don't bat an eye.
This is one year growth for Benjaminas, last September they were half a matchstick thin cuttings with a couple of leaves each. Did really well in the summer.

 

[ShadyStump]

Look what I found working on the seasonal yard chores.

Ladybug nymph!
I moved it into the plant shelves. Lucky score considering the aphid issues I've had in past winters.

Back to the "why leave your trees out in the 40s" topic, you can also knock down a few pests at those temps. So far I've had no issues with spider mites, which I think that practice is at least partially to thank.



Anyone else find themselves getting slightly superstitious since starting bonsai?

 

[Carol 83]

I think I might bring the ficus (plural) in tomorrow just to make the migration easier and not all at once. All of the others will stay out for awhile. Lowest lows next week are in the mid-40's, so they'll be OK. I've been watching the BRT's to see if they are pouting but they seem to be fine so far.

 

[JackHammer]

All my tropicals are in and many are under 24 hour lights. Even my greenhouse was getting to the low 50s in the morning so I called it. I had some unexpected freezes in past years where I lost trees (more like pre-bonsai) so i dont want to push it too much. Azaleas, cotoneaster, and boxwoods are still in the greenhouse.

On the topic of benjimima - are you folks giving them direct summer sun? Mine did much better in full shade under the bench.

 

[takira]

My ficus retusa LOVED being outdoors in high summer when it was sunny and humid. I bought a willow-leaf ficus over the summer and it enjoyed its outdoor time too, and when I moved them indoors (to a light frame with 12+ hours of light per day), the retusa didn't bat an eyelash. The willow-leaf had a full-on panic attack and dropped all but fourteen of its leaves. It seems to have stabilized since then, but I'm not sure if there were something I should have done to acclimate it first.

 

[KateM]

All my tropicals are in and many are under 24 hour lights. Even my greenhouse was getting to the low 50s in the morning so I called it. I had some unexpected freezes in past years where I lost trees (more like pre-bonsai) so i dont want to push it too much. Azaleas, cotoneaster, and boxwoods are still in the greenhouse.

On the topic of benjimima - are you folks giving them direct summer sun? Mine did much better in full shade under the bench.

Mine were in direct sun.

 

[Lorax7]

All my tropicals are in and many are under 24 hour lights.

24 hour lights is a waste of energy and likely detrimental to the health of the plants. Trees have circadian rhythms and have various physiological functions that occur at different times of day. If you don’t have a dark period, you’re confusing the timing of these processes. Beyond 16 to 18 hours or so is overkill.