Eager to start the season up north.

[Timbo]

Anyone starting doing any branch work with shaping and wiring yet in zone 4/5? Wanting to get a early start because i have lots of RL stuff to do this year and don't want to miss the windows to work on my trees for spring.
Not talking repotting as I'm sure we will get plenty of freezing nights for awhile.

 

[M. Frary]

Not here. Mine are still under mulch,frozen. Probably frozen to the ground too.

 

[Timbo]

Only thing left here is mostly ice, might be gone after this week if the temps reach what they claim.

 

[M. Frary]

Only thing left here is mostly ice, might be gone after this week if the temps reach what they claim.

We'll still get hard freezes. Its only February. March is still ahead.
Living here you got to realize that bonsai "seasonal work" is different.
I don't do any work to a tree until it's thawed and shows signs of life.

 

[GrimLore]

Anyone starting doing any branch work with shaping and wiring yet in zone 4/5? Wanting to get a early start because i have lots of RL stuff to do this year and don't want to miss the windows to work on my trees for spring.
Not talking repotting as I'm sure we will get plenty of freezing nights for awhile.

I am in 6b - 7a and although I have trees in need of a LOT of trimming they are still dormant, more freezes will occur, so it waits...

Heavy wiring on most of my stuff would normally get done in the Fall, trimming and further wiring in the Spring around Mid April...

Being your climate is far tougher I would avoid being anxious for certain.

Grimmy

 

[GailC]

I had temps in the 50's last week so I did some branch pruning on hardier species like apples and a juneberry but of course it snowed and went below zero the past few days. Really glad I didn't do more, hoping the cold snap doesn't affect the fresh pruned areas.

 

[GrimLore]

I had temps in the 50's last week so I did some branch pruning on hardier species like apples and a juneberry but of course it snowed and went below zero the past few days. Really glad I didn't do more, hoping the cold snap doesn't affect the fresh pruned areas.

Apples and Crabapples can be trimmed anytime the cutters are sharp I normally wait but have had to cut them because of breakage and it did not seem to make a difference at all. I do usually seal them anyways if a cold weather cut not because of sap flow but to discourage any infestations, bugs or other.

Grimmy

 

[Timbo]

We'll still get hard freezes. Its only February. March is still ahead.
Living here you got to realize that bonsai "seasonal work" is different.
I don't do any work to a tree until it's thawed and shows signs of life.

I am in 6b - 7a and although I have trees in need of a LOT of trimming they are still dormant, more freezes will occur, so it waits...

Heavy wiring on most of my stuff would normally get done in the Fall, trimming and further wiring in the Spring around Mid April...

Being your climate is far tougher I would avoid being anxious for certain.

Grimmy

Yeah, guess i'll keep myself busy with indoor trees and seeds.
My tree buds begin to swell sometime late March, early April if i remember right.
By then it's too late for maples though, because they bleed so much.

 

[Solaris]

Yeah, guess i'll keep myself busy with indoor trees and seeds.
My tree buds begin to swell sometime late March, early April if i remember right.
By then it's too late for maples though, because they bleed so much.

That's about right on timing; I don't expect to see things really leafed until April.

I wouldn't be too scared of the maple bleeding. From what I've read and a few have reported, it looks much worse than it is; the plant has mechanisms to keep itself from bleeding out.

 

[Timbo]

Problem with maples bleeding a lot is, it takes the vigor out of the tree. It was super slow growing last year when i did a chop at the wrong time and the Maple was bleeding for a few weeks. I don't mean like a conifer that oozes a little sap...i mean like a water faucet dripping.

From my reading and short experience, you have to do it in winter or wait till after the leaves open up. I just test a minor cut to see if it bleeds. Amazing how much it bleeds from a tiny test cut if it's the wrong time.

 

[Solaris]

I'll certainly take that over the theory!

Was it a JM, or another species? Did you do anything else to that maple around the chop? Was it a trunk chop, or a branch pruning?

 

[Timbo]

No red maple, Mainly just a trunk chop. I stopped after it started bleeding. I didn't do anything else to it until fall.
Lots of dieback on one side from the cut also. The Branch i chopped to lived, but half the tree died back on the backside. No idea if it did that from the moisture loss or just normal. I've never had another maple dieback like that, so take it for what it's worth.
Red maples are pretty tough though.

 

[Timbo]

I went out and looked at my trees today, one of my red maples is already bleeding from what looks like deer chewing off the tips. Mine bleed from nodes also when sap is flowing. Must be why maple syrup is plentiful up here.

 

[GrimLore]

I went out and looked at my trees today, one of my red maples is already bleeding from what looks like deer chewing off the tips. Mine bleed from nodes also when sap is flowing. Must be why maple syrup is plentiful up here.

Shade won't hurt for a few weeks to slow it down

Grimmy

 

[Timbo]

It's in the ground so not an option.

 

[MountainExplorer]

Not here. Mine are still under mulch,frozen. Probably frozen to the ground too.

When would you take it out marchish?

 

[drew33998]

Come on down here I got plenty of work for you if you want to start early! Most of my spring repotting is complete but it was a tough year for me with all the repots.

 

[Timbo]

I could have come in late Jan when it was -5F