Refrigerated shohin

MACH5

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These Kiyo Hime shohin sometimes spend the last part of winter in the fridge. I have an extra one in the garage so I usually try and fit in a few. Kiyo Hime in particular loves to wake up very early so I have to take measures to prolong their dormancy as much as possible. Wanted to share a couple of pics of them in their well... refrigerated state! :rolleyes:



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dkraft81

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My trident is popping already too. I dont have a fridge though, so in the garage and out of the garage on the nice days. Thanks for sharing your trees.
 

small trees

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Beautiful! What's your address again? :p
 

MACH5

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My trident is popping already too. I dont have a fridge though, so in the garage and out of the garage on the nice days. Thanks for sharing your trees.

Yes same here with the larger trees. This time of year the "bonsai shuffle" really kicks in! :rolleyes:



Beautiful! What's your address again? :p

Thanks! Yes it's right by the cul-the-sack by the large tree to the left in northern Jersey :D



Maybe put a couple beers in there as well!

Not to worry... they are there just out of the picture frame ;)
 

Cadillactaste

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Very interesting...is this common procedure to keep bonsai in a fridge then to promote their dormant period? Very interesting indeed...what temp do you have inside? Just curious...

Nice trees by the way...thanks for sharing.
 

Beng

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I love your maples it you ever want to part with one please let me know!!
 

MACH5

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Very interesting...is this common procedure to keep bonsai in a fridge then to promote their dormant period? Very interesting indeed...what temp do you have inside? Just curious...

Nice trees by the way...thanks for sharing.


Thanks Darlene! I keep temp around the mid 30s. This is definitely a known thing to a lot of bonsai folks. Whether or not they practice it I don't really know. But just to be clear that I do not induce dormancy this way but rather prolong it to avoid early bud brake which could spell disaster with outside temps still being below freezing.
 

JudyB

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Cleanest fridge I've ever seen! What's in the crisper, accent plants? Looks like they are itching to go....
 

Cadillactaste

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Thanks Darlene! I keep temp around the mid 30s. This is definitely a known thing to a lot of bonsai folks. Whether or not they practice it I don't really know. But just to be clear that I do not induce dormancy this way but rather prolong it to avoid early bud brake which could spell disaster with outside temps still being below freezing.

Thanks for the explanation...protecting early buds by extending their dormant period. Wise practice I would imagine with our crazy weather.
 

MACH5

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Cleanest fridge I've ever seen! What's in the crisper, accent plants? Looks like they are itching to go....

Haha! Yes it is clean Judy! It only gets used to store mostly water, beer, some ice cream in the freezer and on occasion.... bonsai! Much to the delight of my wife :p

Thanks for the explanation...protecting early buds by extending their dormant period. Wise practice I would imagine with our crazy weather.

Yes these Kiyo Hime are just itching to wake up this time of year. They only need a few days in the 40s and off they go! So I need to try and slow down the process.
 

discusmike

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Mine are starting to move now, you are absolutely correct.
 

Poink88

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Looks like you can fit a few more. ;)

The advantages of a small tree. Why did I start with big ones? (I am always asking myself this when I am moving my trees also) :p
 

Beng

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Looks like you can fit a few more. ;)

The advantages of a small tree. Why did I start with big ones? (I am always asking myself this when I am moving my trees also) :p

Big trees are easier to care for then small shohins. Pruning and styling mistakes can be more easily hidden, a missed watering is more recoverable. There's lots to be said for starting larger then gradually going smaller. ;)
 

Nybonsai12

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Thats quite a chunky Kiyohime! Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, always love seeing your trees.

Mine has been buried under snow but with the temps melting much of it this weekend I will have to keep an eye on it with the constant fluctuations.
Have you ever had yours move too soon? if so what did you do to keep it healthy? just make sure it is kept somewhere above freezing temps?
 

thumblessprimate1

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Nice Kyohimes. I hope to have something like the thinner one before I leave this world. Please take a lot of good pictures of these guys when they show spring color.
 

Poink88

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Big trees are easier to care for then small shohins. Pruning and styling mistakes can be more easily hidden, a missed watering is more recoverable. There's lots to be said for starting larger then gradually going smaller. ;)

So true...

Really though, my (getting old) back is taxed by the big trees. I love them but not looking forward the winter protection move as I get older.

Plus M5 and Rob are showing super nice small trees...cannot resist getting "envious" (in a good way). :)
 

MACH5

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Looks like you can fit a few more. ;)

The advantages of a small tree. Why did I start with big ones? (I am always asking myself this when I am moving my trees also) :p

Yes I do have more shohin but they are mostly standard A. Palmatum and do not wake up as easily or as early as these pesky Kiyo Hime so no need for the fridge! :rolleyes:



Thats quite a chunky Kiyohime! Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, always love seeing your trees.

Mine has been buried under snow but with the temps melting much of it this weekend I will have to keep an eye on it with the constant fluctuations.
Have you ever had yours move too soon? if so what did you do to keep it healthy? just make sure it is kept somewhere above freezing temps?

Oh yes I have had that happen in the past. If they start to leaf out I keep them right by a window with lots of sunshine but still inside the unheated garage where there is still cool and the ambient moisture is moderate. In milder days they go outside and brought in for the night. Often this is done many times per week until temps go consistently above freezing in which case they are permanently moved outside.



Nice Kyohimes. I hope to have something like the thinner one before I leave this world. Please take a lot of good pictures of these guys when they show spring color.

Sure will do! BTW the thinner tree has taken only a few years to get it to this point. Although still in development, it won't take a lifetime to get them to look like that :)

So true...

Really though, my (getting old) back is taxed by the big trees. I love them but not looking forward the winter protection move as I get older.

Plus M5 and Rob are showing super nice small trees...cannot resist getting "envious" (in a good way). :)

Funny enough Dario I actually like the bigger ones myself. I enjoy shohin very much but probably prefer the bigger sizes if I had to choose.
 
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Poink88

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Funny enough Dario I actually like the bigger ones myself. I enjoy shohin very much but probably prefer the bigger sizes if I had to choose.

I really like them too :) ...they just use up too much space and super heavy when being moved. What I fear is, if I can still handle moving them 10 (or so) years from now.
 

MACH5

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Yes I hurt my shoulder beginning of January and has impacted greatly how and when I can move some of the bigger trees. I often think about that also and probably safest to keep my sizes manageable for the future.
 
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