Japanese maple- kotohime

amcoffeegirl

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I got a starter plant last year and it survived in my garage over winter.
It has buds swelling. Do I still protect it from frost and cold temps? Or leave it outside now. Temps are getting cold again for the next several days.
I am very happy that it lived.
 

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I got a starter plant last year and it survived in my garage over winter.
It has buds swelling. Do I still protect it from frost and cold temps? Or leave it outside now. Temps are getting cold again for the next several days.
I am very happy that it lived.
I got a starter plant last year and it survived in my garage over winter.
It has buds swelling. Do I still protect it from frost and cold temps? Or leave it outside now. Temps are getting cold again for the next several days.
I am very happy that it lived.

You may want to consult with someone in a colder climate more similar to yours, but I would recommend protecting it inside until your frosts and freezing temps have passed.
 
I got a starter plant last year and it survived in my garage over winter.
It has buds swelling. Do I still protect it from frost and cold temps? Or leave it outside now. Temps are getting cold again for the next several days.
I am very happy that it lived.

How warm is your garage getting?
 
It has buds swelling. Do I still protect it from frost and cold temps? Or leave it outside now. Temps are getting cold again for the next several days.
My japanese maples stay outside now, most of them have slightly opened buds. Only for sustained frost, or temps expected well below "night frosts" (26-28F) do I move them. Last weekend saw us dip to about 23F for an hour or two in the early morning. No issue for my trees at this time of year. Note: I keep my trees as unprotected as I dare throughout winter, as to have a high cold resistence. I tell myself that also protects them in early spring.

If you keep your trees warm throughout winter (say, at 33F in a slightly heated space) frost resistence levels will be different: It is not just species/genetics, it is also prior exposure which determines how frost hardy a plant is at any given time.
 
I did get down to the teens in the garage within the last month.
 
Our temps look similar and I took mine out. Talking with a club member north of me in a cool z6 / warm z5 said he always waits until April. I might take mine in on nights it dips below 30. The way I think about it is that my neighborhood is in a bit of a microclimate, in a valley near the river, there is a microclimate on my back patio with 3-sided wind protection and warmth from the house, and the lowest temperature usually only lasts a few hours, probably not long enough for the temperature in the pot to drop that low, so the roots likely stay above freezing. The biggest risk is if it leafs out and they get damaged by the frost - overhead protection can do the trick. I'll sometimes just move plants under my patio awning on my front or back porch. Having said that, I may be particularly careful this year because I did a lot of fall repotting - while those plants had a lot of chill hours (approx 45 degrees) for roots to start growing, they are still going to be more sensitive to freezing temperatures.
 
Thanks for asking this question.
Similar situation with similar questions.
I have many small plants I’ve wintered in the garage inside a Heat regulated foam box. I try to keep it between 33 and 36°F

when it gets this time of year, I move most out of the box, but still in garage to be safe.

trying to do less 2 stepping. But IDK.

following closely. ✌️
 
Once those buds open, you are going to have to protect it.
In my experience, there is no way to slow down the buds once they start swelling.

I have had this happen with my maples I overwintered in the garage.
This year I expanded my cold frame and put them out there to try and keep them from budding out so early.
 
I think I will 2-step until it’s at least 40 at night.
Thanks
 
Interesting.

Buds do slow down if it cools down. You cannot reverse budding. But budds stall when temperatures drop back to winter.
As said. I have found the first sets of leaves to be very frosthardy still. I find it best to let nature take control and let spring come naturally rather than protecting. The more you protect, the more the tree pushes early, making it prone to all sorts of problems (long internodes, prey to early insects etc).

Of course, if starting to leaf out and the temps drop to 20 and below.. that is not a night frost anymore.
 
I've been doing it with my Camellia, even though it's probably not necessary.
I know a few who are seasoned bonsai people...who still do. The ones repotted...I'm doing the two step with. But for the rest...I'm trying to keep them dormant a bit longer.
 
I will admit.. The ones I have repotted moved into a shed & greenhouse 2 days ago because of the weather. But nt because of frost, it is because of 2 weather fronts passing through, with yesterday winds in the 8/9bft range.
 
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