Unthawing a rootball??

TinyTree

Now that the temps are staying in the low 40's throughout the day, should I bring my frozen bonsai outside in hopes to thaw them out? The roots are frozen solid. I have them in the garage currently in styrofoam coolers with mulch packed around them. Can they be in the sunlight?


Thanks

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007

no need. Leave them where they are until spring.

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johnbonsai

Hi, it sounds as though your garage keeps a constant temperature. I believe that Bonsai, when frozen need to be able to thaw out, otherwise a constant "freeze" will affect them adversely. If the plants' are evergreen they will still be growing albeit much slower in the winter and not being able to thaw will kill them. By the sounds of where you are overwintering them I think they would be better off outside where they can take advantage of the ambient temperatures, so that they do have a chance to thaw. I do n't know if this garage is where you usually keep them but if the place keeps a constant very low temperature all the time I expect that it will do your trees' harm. If they have lived through this on many occasions before then I'm a little stumped!

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"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a delay of about three hours." Milton Burle.

rockm

" do n't know if this garage is where you usually keep them but if the place keeps a constant very low temperature all the time I expect that it will do your trees' harm. If they have lived through this on many occasions before then I'm a little stumped!"

Not true. Depends on the lowest temperature in the garage. Frozen roots aren't necessarily a bad thing and in fact can be good thing. Frozen is a relative thing when it comes to plant roots. The danger of intracellular (water within cells) water freezing is the real danger, as opposed to intercellular water, or water in the pot surrounding the roots. Those two things wn't really harm roots.

Plants have varying degrees of when intracellular water can freeze. A safe bet on overwintering bonsai is to choose plants that are reliably hardy in your zone and storing thos plants where their roots are protected from extremes (this includes winter warm ups, as well as deep freezes). A mulch moist rootball in a poly container in a garage probably isn't going to be a problem, unless the garage temp drops below 15 F degrees, maybe lower.

The important thing is to keep the roots MOIST, not wet, as water will provide them with added insulation.

Another danger in overwintering is keeping things to warm. You want CONSTANT temperatures, not freeze thaw cycles. Thawing hte roots can lead to the plant coming out of dormancy, as soil temperature is the primary trigger for that. This is particularly dangerous in late winter, as trees will be ready for a warm up to being growing. You could wind up stimulating new growh in mid-February, or even late January.

Aim for CONSTANT low temperatures in winter storage but not below 20 degrees for most cold hardy trrees, as a rule of thumb.

TinyTree

Cool and thanks for the replies and patience. However, I am still a little confused. So are you saying it IS o.k for my trees to stay frozen for a month or two at a time? My garage consistantly stays between 30 and 40 degrees(F) and drops a little cooler in the evening. With these temps, the roots/soil/rootball won't really thaw for some time. Last year, the temps were milder and my bonsai never froze. I just kept them slightly moist over the course of the winter and everything was fine. This year I have frozen bonsai popsicles and it seem to me that with them being totally frozen, they won't recieve the nutrients that they need to survive the winter dormancy period. Please explain this to me.

-Its been said to keep the soil "moist" throughout, but with them frozen, that doesn't constitute as moist,right? I don't water frozen bonsai, correct?
As you all know,bonsai become 'part of the family' and I'd hate to loose them due to the freeze.

-Also, since I protected my maple from the wind, it didn't drop the dead leaves. Do I just cut them off? Do I cut at the base of the leaf or where the stem of the leaf connects with a branch?

Thanks to all again for your patience and willingness to help a fellow bonsai'er out.

rockm

"So are you saying it IS o.k for my trees to stay frozen for a month or two at a time? "

Yes, as long as temperatures don't get below 20 degrees or so for any lenght of time, things should be fine.

"Its been said to keep the soil "moist" throughout, but with them frozen, that doesn't constitute as moist,right? I don't water frozen bonsai, correct? "

"Frozen" is moist. No, you can't water a frozen rootball. Well, you can, but it doesn't do any good. Watering should be done when the roots aren't frozen.

"Also, since I protected my maple from the wind, it didn't drop the dead leaves. Do I just cut them off? Do I cut at the base of the leaf or where the stem of the leaf connects with a branch?"

Do NOT cut leaves off. Let them be. This is a phenomena that's happening this year in the east. We had a warm fall, followed by a sharp dip in temps. Leaves are left hanging on maples as the cold took hold this winter. The leaves are dead now, or will die soon. Allow them to stay onthe tree. Doesn't make any difference if they remain.

What could make a difference at this point is leaf pruning. Cutting them off could---an outside chance--set off new growth, or at least stimluate the process. Pruning tends to stimulate growth. Leaving them alone is the safest course.

TinyTree

Alright, Thanks. I'll just let them be and let nature takes its course.

shibu

Unthaw = freeze. Did you realise that, when you posted the thread?

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Vidi, vici, veni...

TinyTree

.................maybe .................just seeing how long it would take for someone to notice.


just kidding



you are correct