bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Winter hibernation: Waking up my Thuya occidentalis

Leave it be until spring. Don't dig it out until the time has passed for frost and freezes. Don't put it on the balcony until frosts and freezes have passed. Certainly don't take it into your house. The tree should be left in place until the weather turns RELIABLY warmer. The gradually warming temperatures of spring will work there way into the mulch, negating any shock. If you dig it out and the weather turns cold you will definitely "shock" the plant.

If you dig the tree out and put it in an exposed location (especially in a relatively windy place) and it freezes or frost is about, you risk damage to the foliage and possibly the root mass if the tree begins growing and the soil freezes.

1-Feb-2008	#2
rockm bonsaiTALK ArchMaster Join Date: Oct-2003 Location: Fairfax, Va Country: USA USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 4,561	Leave it be until spring. Don't dig it out until the time has passed for frost and freezes. Don't put it on the balcony until frosts and freezes have passed. Certainly don't take it into your house. The tree should be left in place until the weather turns RELIABLY warmer. The gradually warming temperatures of spring will work there way into the mulch, negating any shock. If you dig it out and the weather turns cold you will definitely "shock" the plant. If you dig the tree out and put it in an exposed location (especially in a relatively windy place) and it freezes or frost is about, you risk damage to the foliage and possibly the root mass if the tree begins growing and the soil freezes.