bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - An important Physiological disease of japanese maple

I would not try to induce dormancy with the tree now. Your plan of waiting is a better one. Keep it growing inside. When the danger of frost and freezes have passed, get it outside and leave it there.

If you try to force the plant to go dormant now, you will most likely shock and weaken it. It will drop leaves if exposed to low light and temperatures, but not because it's entering dormancy. It will be a stress induced reaction to a sharp changes in growing conditions.

To enter real dormancy the tree has to have time to do so. This takes longer than a week or two. Outdoors, it takes months. Temperate trees begin their preparations a little after the summer solstice, as the days begin to get shorter. This process is gradual and cumulative. Expecting the plant to do it all in a week or so is unrealistic.

8-Feb-2005	#15
rockm bonsaiTALK ArchMaster Join Date: Oct-2003 Location: Fairfax, Va Country: USA USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 4,561	I would not try to induce dormancy with the tree now. Your plan of waiting is a better one. Keep it growing inside. When the danger of frost and freezes have passed, get it outside and leave it there. If you try to force the plant to go dormant now, you will most likely shock and weaken it. It will drop leaves if exposed to low light and temperatures, but not because it's entering dormancy. It will be a stress induced reaction to a sharp changes in growing conditions. To enter real dormancy the tree has to have time to do so. This takes longer than a week or two. Outdoors, it takes months. Temperate trees begin their preparations a little after the summer solstice, as the days begin to get shorter. This process is gradual and cumulative. Expecting the plant to do it all in a week or so is unrealistic.