treebeard55

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, winter is fast approaching. And many of us, at some point this winter, will leave home for a week or two for family visits and trips of other kinds.

What do we do with our tropicals when we're away from home for more than a day or two? A discussion might well be helpful, especially to beginners; but those of us who have been in bonsai for a while just might learn something new ourselves.

Best option, of course, is a reliable tree-sitter; but it isn't always possible to find one.

Since I brought it up, I'll go first. My tropicals overwinter under lights in a small enclosure in the basement. When I have to leave for a while, I soak each tree's soil thoroughly and let it drain. Then I enclose each tree completely in a sturdy plastic bag. I like the poultry-roasting oven bags sold in most grocery stores; they come in two sizes here, and are sturdy enough for repeated re-use.

After replacing the trees under the lights, I turn the temperature in their enclosure down to the low 50's F. This slows their metabolism and reduces their need for water.

I've left trees alone for more than a week with this method with good results. It's important to make sure each tree (with the possible exception of a succulent like Portulacaria afra) is completely enclosed by the plastic; otherwise it can dry out.

A serious caveat: never, repeat never, leave a plastic-enclosed tree in direct sun for any length of time; you'll lunch on roast bonsai.

My method isn't quite perfect. After returning from a trip I have sometimes had to go after insect pests with some vigor, since they have had a while to proliferate unmolested. And I've occasionaly had a tree defoliate while I was gone. But I have yet to lose a tree with this technique.

OK. Others, please.

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Treebeard 55

"... the Lord God made all kinds of trees ... trees that were pleasing to the eye ..." (Genesis 2:9, NIV.)

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