Thx Nigel. Yes, I am quite happy with this; So far, no real problems (Except for the odd early or late frost that arrives unexpectedly). How do you handle winter? We are at the same latitude, but your winters are less friendly!
Always good to watch again! Here in Boise, the winters are now a bit erratic with more rain than snow as in the past. I use my unheated north facing pool equipment shed that stays between about 22 and 35 over the entire winter for the ones that don't do well under 20, the sun room in the house for the tropicals, and the rest get grouped up on the ground tucked under the trees in the shade out of the wind. If we get snow, I heap it up on the trees tucked outside so they get slow snow melt over the winter. So far so good the last 5 years. Thanks for all the practical reminders. A great and practical and timeless presentation - as usual. Thanks!
As I would expect - this is absoutely top quality information that is easy to understand and hits all the trees most of us worry about. Well presented Jelle and you also reminded me that I need to dig out my old brown leather jacket for my New y]Years Eve party :) Brilliant stuff, cheers Xav
Super informative! I live in Montana, and we regularly hit -35c a few days in winter, and have stretches of weeks where it doesn’t get above -15c…it has kept me from trying bonsai for awhile now, but this year I’ll try it again!
Great info! Thanks! I'm in Texas USA, our temps are going to drop from 70 degrees f to 5 degrees f in 2 days. It happens so fast, but then warms up again. Then may or may not do it again during winter. Never know.
This is more great information, I recently found your channel and your videos covering the winter period have boosted my confidence. We had a pretty early very cold spell recently in the UK. I have a selection of trees in training that I gathered throughout the year and its our first winter. Seeing solid pots I thought it was the end for the tiny ones once we started to hit a week. All I have found is fortified growth since a recent thaw. You mentioned here it isn't a particular worry until it is dry and frozen for a few weeks without snow cover. We didn't touch anything like that and being in Manchester it's always humid so I'm much more confident. However they have remained where they stood since the beginning but I recently noted the sun is too low at the moment to reach them. I did think this was a cause for concern not getting enough light but I am now considering moving them closer to the house to prolong the dormancy. Great content and presentation. I look forward to seeing more. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hy welcome to the party! I am happy that my blabbering help you! Note, this is how I do it. You will get a range of opinions on how to handle your trees and in the end it is your garden, and your choice! Small ones freezing up is mostly a problem for those that are weak (recent cuttings, airlayers). Seedlings normally are very robust
Very informative video Jelle. We have a storm coming in with winds taking us way below our normal average, so I opted to move them in the unheated greenhouse till after the storm passes. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Jelle, I did put my special trees in the green house when our temps went below freezing but when it became minus7 for longer I put most of them in there except I discovered I had left out 3 mame! Yet they have survived, I think if it goes below again this winter I will just put them on the ground. So far so good but will only find out in spring what deciduous ones have done. Keep growing.xx
My pleasure! I just hope I can infect more people with these great bonsai virus, and provide enough information to get people through the first hoops. It can be tricky and lots of contrasting information!
I'm still figuring out the overwintering thing. This winter has been warm so far, the coldest we had at night is -27C. I have all my outdoor trees in my camping trailer this year. So far the snow and ice that was on them has not melted, the pots are still frozen solid. I put them in there November 24th I think. I might bring my spruce in the house. It is the only tree I have had survive winter, and I am terrified to lose it. Today I will go check them and perhaps throw new snow on the top of what is already there. The ground is frozen here, frost goes down 3 to 7 foot, a meter or two, depending on how much snow we have. I never thought to thaw them out to give them water. I thought that would not be good for them. Perhaps I will kick the furnace on in there and thaw them for a day. Great information Jelle. Thank for this! Merry Christmas!
@@GrowingBonsai Thank you! One year I buried all my hardy trees in the ground, pot and all. There was a lot of snow that year, above my head. Nothing survived. I tried burying them against the foundation of my house. No survival. So last winter I brought everything indoors to the coldest room of my house and I took them outdoors when the temperature warmed to between -20 to -25C. My Spruce bud out mid winter with frozen roots and lived as a houseplant the rest of the winter. It is so healthy now. Nothing else survived, I was quite sad as my Apple trees died, I had grown from seed. Overwintering is by far my biggest hurdle in Bonsai. Once I have that part figured out, then I can really start to collect more native trees. And purchase some more expensive ones, like Dwarf Alberta Spruce. I lost my first 2. That was an expensive lesson haha!
Great logical information Jelle. Good luck with your tree’s over the winter. Merry Christmas and thanks for a year of great, interesting and informative content. Thanks, keep growing
I've had all evergreens for a few years with no trouble. I worry about the roots when it dips below 14F. This year I am venturing into some deciduous, so I am doing a lot of frost protection because they have tiny buds and I'm not sure what to do yet. Thanks for your info!
I'm really hoping that the junipers being okay during hard freeze is true . . . I just inherited a LOT of them and they were replanted. In large containers. I rescued them from a throw-out pile. :) And it's ten degrees here in the DFW area right now.
Where was this 2 days ago??? Zone 3-4. Plants getting exposed after being buried in snow all winter. Placed juniper in warmer location ... 30-40 degrees. First night it rain a small amount, then went below freezing, then sunrise ... burst, the bark right off the plant. In retrospect this such a newbie screw up! Although seemed such a gentle change ... in my head. Painful!
Going back to a comment I made a few videos ago (about bringing a Japanese maple inside to a ~45-50F attic because I was afraid the roots were too underdeveloped/not hardened off enough to withstand normal frost conditions). I think I forgot to mention that if it did end up breaking dormancy early, I have space for it inside the house where I can tend to it the rest of the winter. I'd actually been trying it out as a houseplant part of last year, and it did surprisingly well despite terrible interior conditions at the time. Fingers are still crossed.
Dormancy is however a requirement for temperate species long-term health. See it as sleeping. If you do not sleep several nights in a row, things start to misfire.
Oh, absolutely; I'm just taking comfort in the fact that if this tree does complete its dormancy before the outside weather is ready for it, that I have a place not in the dark where it can limp along the first while until the weather improves.
And heh, I'm glad that I had brought it inside before last night when the wind chill dropped down from 57°F/14°C to 1°F/-17°C in around four hours. Since it's been milder of late, I don't think the tree would have built up the cold tolerance needed, like you mentioned. We'll see... 🤞🏻
I have lost 2 pots to frost in ~12 years. But what yu are referring to is probably due to using poorer quality pots. I use ceramics that are burned at high enough temperatures to be frost resistent (But expaning ice in dense rootballs can still cause breakages). But concerned.. Nope. I know the statistics will demand that every once i a while I loose a tree or a pot.
I don’t know a lot about taking care of bonsai’s. I just got a small juniper from my grocery store and I was curious on how to take care of it. It’s the middle of winter (19 degrees Fahrenheit) and the tree was kept inside. I know the species is meant to be kept outdoors, but is it okay to just put it outside? It’s a young tree too.
I bet I saw this question before! Please note, this is a personal channel, for fun. I do not have a team of people working on answering :) Tricky.. Junipers are very cold hardy and the temperature you refer to is certainly no issue (E.g., my juniper cuttings taken over summer are not protected in winter, and here we had teens as well). But the transition from a warm supermarket into the cold could be an issue (Often is not though!). Beste would be to put it in an unheated shed for a bit, untill temps clear up to moderate frost or frost free then to move it outside and leave it there.
@@GrowingBonsai Thank you, I appreciate the reply! I have it outside right now, but I’ll probably move it in this week because it will be getting in the negatives.
Hi Jelle :) As told in the live-chat right bevore, love your vids - and your style on how to explain in general. I got a small unheated greenhouse180*70*50 on my balcony where i put most of the younger trees in. It tends to fog up (too much moisture) quite alot - would you recommend opening it up during the day even when the temperatures are below freezing?
Hi Markus, absolutely. Trees are not babies. Assuming you have species local to your climate, they can take quite a bit. Warming up is in fact not great for them!
Great informational video, Jelle. What's the reason for keeping the trees out of sunlight beside heat? I got a dawn redwood and J larch which are partially berried in the ground that still get some lights, wondering if I move them to a shady spot where my JMs are.
It looks like you have a good routine for overwintering Jelle, it's very important to have this!!!
Thx Nigel. Yes, I am quite happy with this; So far, no real problems (Except for the odd early or late frost that arrives unexpectedly). How do you handle winter? We are at the same latitude, but your winters are less friendly!
Always good to watch again! Here in Boise, the winters are now a bit erratic with more rain than snow as in the past. I use my unheated north facing pool equipment shed that stays between about 22 and 35 over the entire winter for the ones that don't do well under 20, the sun room in the house for the tropicals, and the rest get grouped up on the ground tucked under the trees in the shade out of the wind. If we get snow, I heap it up on the trees tucked outside so they get slow snow melt over the winter. So far so good the last 5 years. Thanks for all the practical reminders. A great and practical and timeless presentation - as usual. Thanks!
Sounds like you have a good setup there!
As I would expect - this is absoutely top quality information that is easy to understand and hits all the trees most of us worry about. Well presented Jelle and you also reminded me that I need to dig out my old brown leather jacket for my New y]Years Eve party :) Brilliant stuff, cheers Xav
Glad it was helpful, and, hopefully enjoyable!
Where did you get the idea for a leather jacket though? Certainly not from my video my friend?
Super informative! I live in Montana, and we regularly hit -35c a few days in winter, and have stretches of weeks where it doesn’t get above -15c…it has kept me from trying bonsai for awhile now, but this year I’ll try it again!
Some great advice, and a nice blue watering can! 🤣😂🐦💙
Right?! I do love this one. I have a copper one too, but I hardly use it!
Great info! Thanks! I'm in Texas USA, our temps are going to drop from 70 degrees f to 5 degrees f in 2 days. It happens so fast, but then warms up again. Then may or may not do it again during winter. Never know.
Merry Christmas! Thanks for all your excellent videos, information, advice and much more!!!!
Aooohwww.. Thank you so much! Merry christmas to you too!
Well done Jelle!
Thank you so much!
Thank you ,and Merry Christmas🎅🏻🎄
Happy holidays!
This is more great information, I recently found your channel and your videos covering the winter period have boosted my confidence.
We had a pretty early very cold spell recently in the UK. I have a selection of trees in training that I gathered throughout the year and its our first winter.
Seeing solid pots I thought it was the end for the tiny ones once we started to hit a week.
All I have found is fortified growth since a recent thaw. You mentioned here it isn't a particular worry until it is dry and frozen for a few weeks without snow cover.
We didn't touch anything like that and being in Manchester it's always humid so I'm much more confident.
However they have remained where they stood since the beginning but I recently noted the sun is too low at the moment to reach them.
I did think this was a cause for concern not getting enough light but I am now considering moving them closer to the house to prolong the dormancy.
Great content and presentation. I look forward to seeing more. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hy welcome to the party! I am happy that my blabbering help you! Note, this is how I do it. You will get a range of opinions on how to handle your trees and in the end it is your garden, and your choice! Small ones freezing up is mostly a problem for those that are weak (recent cuttings, airlayers). Seedlings normally are very robust
Very informative video Jelle. We have a storm coming in with winds taking us way below our normal average, so I opted to move them in the unheated greenhouse till after the storm passes.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Bob, I presum you are in the USA? I have seen the weather you are in for. That is no joke!
Fantastic, sensible information all in one place. Thanks Jelle. 👍👍
My pleasure! So glad it was usefull to you Guy!
Thank you Jelle, I did put my special trees in the green house when our temps went below freezing but when it became minus7 for longer I put most of them in there except I discovered I had left out 3 mame! Yet they have survived, I think if it goes below again this winter I will just put them on the ground. So far so good but will only find out in spring what deciduous ones have done. Keep growing.xx
Personal experience beats all websites and videos :).
Awesome video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
My pleasure! I just hope I can infect more people with these great bonsai virus, and provide enough information to get people through the first hoops. It can be tricky and lots of contrasting information!
Merry Christmas, Jelle! Best wishes for the holiday season and many thanks for the useful advices!
Happy holidays! Wish you a great end of the year!
I'm still figuring out the overwintering thing. This winter has been warm so far, the coldest we had at night is -27C. I have all my outdoor trees in my camping trailer this year. So far the snow and ice that was on them has not melted, the pots are still frozen solid. I put them in there November 24th I think. I might bring my spruce in the house. It is the only tree I have had survive winter, and I am terrified to lose it. Today I will go check them and perhaps throw new snow on the top of what is already there. The ground is frozen here, frost goes down 3 to 7 foot, a meter or two, depending on how much snow we have. I never thought to thaw them out to give them water. I thought that would not be good for them. Perhaps I will kick the furnace on in there and thaw them for a day. Great information Jelle. Thank for this! Merry Christmas!
WHen outside covered in snow, no worries. If exposed to wind and sub, drying out becomes a risk. THawing really is just thawing, not heating up ;)
@@GrowingBonsai Thank you! One year I buried all my hardy trees in the ground, pot and all. There was a lot of snow that year, above my head. Nothing survived. I tried burying them against the foundation of my house. No survival. So last winter I brought everything indoors to the coldest room of my house and I took them outdoors when the temperature warmed to between -20 to -25C. My Spruce bud out mid winter with frozen roots and lived as a houseplant the rest of the winter. It is so healthy now. Nothing else survived, I was quite sad as my Apple trees died, I had grown from seed. Overwintering is by far my biggest hurdle in Bonsai. Once I have that part figured out, then I can really start to collect more native trees. And purchase some more expensive ones, like Dwarf Alberta Spruce. I lost my first 2. That was an expensive lesson haha!
Thanks
Hope it helps!
Merry Christmas Jelle :o)
hohoho!
I hope my few trees survived -7 degrees Celsius. Good thing they were already on the ground due to a lack of bonsai bench :")
Which species were they? Anything really sensitive to frost?
Great logical information Jelle. Good luck with your tree’s over the winter. Merry Christmas and thanks for a year of great, interesting and informative content. Thanks, keep growing
Happy holidays! Looking forward to another year, and, the lengthening of days. Merry christmas!
Great tips Jelle 👍
Thank you!
I've had all evergreens for a few years with no trouble. I worry about the roots when it dips below 14F. This year I am venturing into some deciduous, so I am doing a lot of frost protection because they have tiny buds and I'm not sure what to do yet. Thanks for your info!
Jelle I absolutely love your content, top notch . I also envy your garden space, ( 40m² for me is nothing 😅). Happy holidays !!!
Thank you so much! Garden space was one of the key selection criteria for our property. This also comes with downside (Distance to many services)
I'm really hoping that the junipers being okay during hard freeze is true . . . I just inherited a LOT of them and they were replanted. In large containers. I rescued them from a throw-out pile. :) And it's ten degrees here in the DFW area right now.
Fingers crossed!
Hoi Jelle weer een leuke en informative video hier hebben we wat aan bedankt weer .
Graag Cor (Cor uit Emmen?)
@@GrowingBonsai nee ik komt uit de buurt van Rotterdam
I brought my trees into a cold room. It is suppossed to drop to -17C with high wind chill between -26/-31C
Good call. It is going to be naty the next few days in North America
Where was this 2 days ago??? Zone 3-4. Plants getting exposed after being buried in snow all winter. Placed juniper in warmer location ... 30-40 degrees. First night it rain a small amount, then went below freezing, then sunrise ... burst, the bark right off the plant. In retrospect this such a newbie screw up! Although seemed such a gentle change ... in my head. Painful!
❤️❤️✌️
Ahww.. Thank you!
Going back to a comment I made a few videos ago (about bringing a Japanese maple inside to a ~45-50F attic because I was afraid the roots were too underdeveloped/not hardened off enough to withstand normal frost conditions). I think I forgot to mention that if it did end up breaking dormancy early, I have space for it inside the house where I can tend to it the rest of the winter. I'd actually been trying it out as a houseplant part of last year, and it did surprisingly well despite terrible interior conditions at the time. Fingers are still crossed.
Dormancy is however a requirement for temperate species long-term health. See it as sleeping. If you do not sleep several nights in a row, things start to misfire.
Oh, absolutely; I'm just taking comfort in the fact that if this tree does complete its dormancy before the outside weather is ready for it, that I have a place not in the dark where it can limp along the first while until the weather improves.
And heh, I'm glad that I had brought it inside before last night when the wind chill dropped down from 57°F/14°C to 1°F/-17°C in around four hours. Since it's been milder of late, I don't think the tree would have built up the cold tolerance needed, like you mentioned. We'll see... 🤞🏻
It certainly can be tricky to manage multiple species
Yeah, sometimes it is just best to use oneway for all trees, but as the variety in species grows that gets harder
Jelle great advice. Are you concerned with your posts cracking though if left outdoors in those freeze thaw temps?
I have lost 2 pots to frost in ~12 years. But what yu are referring to is probably due to using poorer quality pots. I use ceramics that are burned at high enough temperatures to be frost resistent (But expaning ice in dense rootballs can still cause breakages). But concerned.. Nope. I know the statistics will demand that every once i a while I loose a tree or a pot.
We had -50C last winter 😖
👍👌🙂
brrr cold winter
I don’t know a lot about taking care of bonsai’s. I just got a small juniper from my grocery store and I was curious on how to take care of it. It’s the middle of winter (19 degrees Fahrenheit) and the tree was kept inside. I know the species is meant to be kept outdoors, but is it okay to just put it outside? It’s a young tree too.
I bet I saw this question before! Please note, this is a personal channel, for fun. I do not have a team of people working on answering :)
Tricky.. Junipers are very cold hardy and the temperature you refer to is certainly no issue (E.g., my juniper cuttings taken over summer are not protected in winter, and here we had teens as well). But the transition from a warm supermarket into the cold could be an issue (Often is not though!). Beste would be to put it in an unheated shed for a bit, untill temps clear up to moderate frost or frost free then to move it outside and leave it there.
@@GrowingBonsai Thank you, I appreciate the reply! I have it outside right now, but I’ll probably move it in this week because it will be getting in the negatives.
Hy ich wünsche dir und deiner Familie ein schönes Weihnachten! LG Henryk
Danke Henryk. Guten Rutsch!
Hi Jelle :) As told in the live-chat right bevore, love your vids - and your style on how to explain in general. I got a small unheated greenhouse180*70*50 on my balcony where i put most of the younger trees in. It tends to fog up (too much moisture) quite alot - would you recommend opening it up during the day even when the temperatures are below freezing?
Hi Markus, absolutely. Trees are not babies. Assuming you have species local to your climate, they can take quite a bit. Warming up is in fact not great for them!
@@GrowingBonsai Thx for your advice.
Great informational video, Jelle. What's the reason for keeping the trees out of sunlight beside heat? I got a dawn redwood and J larch which are partially berried in the ground that still get some lights, wondering if I move them to a shady spot where my JMs are.
warming up of the branches in the sun, and through that loosing water which cannot be replenished from the soil which remains frozen
@@GrowingBonsai I see. Thank you!
How did you learn about bonsai? Did you have a teacher?
Hi Ottoman, I have been taking cuorses, reading books and am now in a joint japanese/german bonsai school
Wie hat es dein Ficus bis jetzt überstanden?
So far, so good! Danke dir fur dein eingreifen!
@@GrowingBonsai immer wieder gerne.
Haha, I do everything wrong.😅🤣😂
Yet, your trees live?
@@GrowingBonsai actually, I lost one last spring.
@@greenmachinesweden Great! Do you get lots of snow ?
@@GrowingBonsai Normally not. Coastal mild area. Similar to usda zone 7 just as you.
@@greenmachinesweden It is a good climate to have for bonsai :)