Defoliating A Forest!

Adam_MA

I second that!

Adam

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David Yedwab

re: jerry's book - can I third and fourth that - I read it twice, so far ... very helpful.

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David Yedwab

dbz12fan

After reading Jerry's book on ficus, I feel sympathy for everyone up north who grows them. I take the climate of Florida for granted.

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"Success demands understanding"-Andy Rutledge

Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

Jerry Meislik

Thanks so much guys. I was hoping that the value of the book would be recognized as a bit broader than Ficus since much of the material in the book applies to all indoor trees. Basic growing concepts indoors are pretty much the same for most tropical and sub-tropical materials.
Charles you are lucky living down south and being able to grow these trees with ease. We can only envy your trees and growing conditions.
Jerry

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Jerry Meislik
Whitefish Montana USA
Zone 4-5
http://www.bonsaihunk.us/

Dale Cochoy

Noting Carl and Jerrys info on defoliating and getting tropicals out.
I thought I'd tell briefly what Dale does.
The last two years my tropicals ( and subtropicals) have spent an extraordinarily long time indoors under lights or in wibdows. I bring in tropicals ABOUT first part of October and that is after stretching ( cheating) the season a bit by moving them all into my unheated greenhouse for a few weeks away from too cool nights, possible frosts, but still get some warmth/sun benefits.
The sub-tropicals ( or what "I" consider sub-tropicals) like Chinese elms usually come in AROUND Thanksgiving depending on how the season is going. They'll usuall get frosted heavy and maybe some snow, and some freezing.
This year tropicals had 8 1/2 months inside! They came in too early ( cold) and got back out too late ( cold) . They were CRYING to get out. They always lose a lot of leaves, sometimes some twigs and the nerifolias are usually sporting some scale by then. ( BTW, everything is sprayed a couple times before coming in)
With so many of them inside I can't follow the instructions I give customers with only a few tropicals , like move in/out in shade during day, in at night to avoid frost, slowly move into sun to prevent burning, etc.
No, When it seems we are on a warming trend, I take them all out at once. Trim and spray and....they are on their own! Whatever happens! Once in a while we'll get a frost but usually I've procrasted long enough that isn't a problem, usually :>)
Like Jerry says, leaves fall off everything but are IMMEDIATELY replaced by an even better coating of foliage. Nerifolias, benjimina, bougies, you name it, I can practically stand there and watch them grow and can hear them all "sighing". Once in a while I'll repot something that desperately needs it but for the most sakes anything tropical gets it's worst work done in June-September when it's hottest. That is the good thing about growing tropicals in the north, by the time I'm done working on temperate stuff ( or it starts getting too warm) it's "Tropical time"!
but, I don't think I've ever needed to defoliate a tropical. It's partially done by overwintering :>) and then when I cut them back as they go out and/or drop leaves as they go out, I guess it pretty much takes care of it's self.
Dale

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If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
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Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
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Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio