how bout now?

dankone

sorry to sound a little repetitive, but this is my first wintering using a lightless shed for protection. i was wondering if it is ok to put pines and junipers into darkness now? i was wondering because i had used a coldframe for the first years of doing bonsai and the whole shed thing is new to me. deciduous trees are in there now, and are doing well. thanks in advance. :}

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Ang3lFir3

If you can get away with not putting the conifers into a situation without any light that would be best. They are afterall evergreen and are still photosynthesizing (granted its almost non existant but its there). They need some light to survive otherwise you simply won't know what will survive the winter and what won't (if anything).

If you still have your cold frame for the conifers it would be best to keep them in there. They really do need some light still throughout winter.

bisjoe

Rather than going by a date, I only put them in there during a severe cold spell. If it warms up during the day, put them in only at night.

Mcspeed

I agree with not using a date, but once cold you want them to stay cold, warm here should be at best a relative term( ie. you leave your trees outside all the time except when it gets below the trees hardiness temps. and put them in a garage or shed for the winter, otherwise you are taking a cold/frozen tree out to warm up, this is what you want to avoid.

My feel is the consensus has become that once below dormant temps. trees aren't using the sunlight or are using it very little at best, and dark storage isn't a problem.

Think about hom many trees get completely covered with snow for months at a time, and come out in the spring with a yawn and burst of rowth.

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Repotter

Years ago a very well known bonsai person told me of how he wintered his trees here in Michigan.
He put them into a deep pit in the ground that was built just for that purpose.
After the trees went into their dormancy they spent the winter in the pit. All his jumipers, pines and deciduous trees like maples, elms and hornbeams.
The trees had no light in this pit, were on shelves and were checked on a regular schedule.
He said that they did not need light being they were now dormant.
He had some very special trees that were always the hit of the show.
So I have always gone with that same theory, the trees did not need light once they were dormant.

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