Safe Nighttime Temps for Ficus

[markyscott]

Ficus are street trees in San Francisco. Just came back from there - really beautiful boulevards lined with 80-90 year old ficus trees. Average winter time lows there are in the 40s and it’s not uncommon to dip down into the mid to upper 30s in the winter.



580 Hayes St, San Francisco.

Scott

 

[AZbonsai]

Landscape trees here in AZ as well. Hard freeze leaves the entire valley of the sun ficus tree population burnt to a crisp. Mostly just leaf damage sometimes will take a foot of tree limb if deep and long. They always grow back....just a little shorter.

 

[AZbonsai]

There is a house under there somewhere. This is two ficus...about 25 years old. These are big...but there are others around much bigger.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

A few of mine got freezer burn last winter. Temps dropped into the low 30's and it was windy. Lost some fine branching, but they bounced back this summer and you'd never know they had been burnt.

 

[Timbo]

See this is why articles are annoying, They say bring your Tropical's in when it gets under like 55, but places they live don't always stay above that.
Sometimes 20 degrees diff like you guys are saying.
Not sure any semi-tropical or tropical trees could live in the US if they could never get below 55.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

See this is why articles are annoying, They say bring your Tropical's in when it gets under like 55, but places they live don't always stay above that.
Sometimes 20 degrees diff like you guys are saying.
Not sure any semi-tropical or tropical trees could live in the US if they could never get below 55.

Trees in pots are more susceptible to lower temperatures. They cool faster than the ground. A good rule of thumb is to bring ficus bonsai inside when temperatures are below 45.

 

[sorce]

Walmart cutting after freeze!

The base would have lived if I didn't carrot pull it!

Mad roots!

Sorce

 

[markyscott]

Certainly it’s safe to bring them in at 55 - they won’t get hurt by not experiencing colder temps. But for me it’s like this- it’s 48 right now in Houston. My buttonwood are in the greenhouse, but that’s it for now. Buttonwood tend to sulk a bit when temperatures drop below 55. Everything else is outside. First forecast with nighttime lows below 40, I’ll bring in the orchids, the Willow Leaf ficus and black olives. Macrocarpa and green island stay out until the first freeze. They’re the last things in and the first things out.

If you have wind, all bets are off. My trees are all sheltered from the wind. They may not be able to tolerate as low of a temperature with wind.

Scott

 

[AZbonsai]

@markyscott I was under the impression that a breeze during freezing weather would help prevent freeze in plants?Having been stationed in Alaska I know about wind chill temps, however, some of the orange orchards we have left have big aircraft engines with propellers attached that they crank up during freezes.

 

[Anthony]

Ha ha truth comes out ----------- some Ficus are Sub-Tropical.
It's the small pots I guess.

Now we change our approach to Ficus b.
Springtime work and so on.
The truth shall set you free
Good Day
Anthony

 

[markyscott]

@markyscott I was under the impression that a breeze during freezing weather would help prevent freeze in plants?Having been stationed in Alaska I know about wind chill temps, however, some of the orange orchards we have left have big aircraft engines with propellers attached that they crank up during freezes.

I can see how those may prevent frost, but a breeze will definitely remove the layer of insulating air around the tree, increasing both the temperature gradient and the heat loss. I personally would err on the cautious side with wind.

Scott

 

[AZbonsai]

It seems counter intuitive but some orchard owners spray their oranges with water during a freeze. When water freezes it creates some heat energy that may be enough to save the fruit on the vine. Definitely not recomended for your tropical bonsai.

 

[Vance Wood]

I have had them out with no damage when the temperature was 20*F.

 

[Starfox]

Mine only come in if it is going to be a frost which is at worst once or twice a year and even then this year I will just move them to a large prop box if I think it will get that cold. Bougies I don't even bother moving.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

easier to get a sun burn than a cold burn here.

This is a this year's cutting. Forgot to water one day in September. Half the plant died. Completely crisp

 

[Anthony]

Weird Gustavo,

even if watering of a ficus was forgotten for one day, even with our sun,
the most that might happen is a wilt and a few days later a few leaves fall/
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Timbo]

It seems counter intuitive but some orchard owners spray their oranges with water during a freeze. When water freezes it creates some heat energy that may be enough to save the fruit on the vine. Definitely not recomended for your tropical bonsai.

I read that awhile ago also...suppose to save the flowering/leaves on all kinds of fruit. They do it to apple trees if they get a late hard frost/freeze.

I can see how those may prevent frost, but a breeze will definitely remove the layer of insulating air around the tree, increasing both the temperature gradient and the heat loss. I personally would err on the cautious side with wind.

Scott

I'm in a somewhat windy area although the neighbors and I have windbreakers. Like you said it won't hurt them, but i wouldn't mind them getting use to colder temps if that's possible. The sooner i can get them out in the spring i feel like it's better for the trees. It's also a pain in the butt to keep taking pots in and out every night if it gets around 40-45.

 

[AZbonsai]

Mine only come in if it is going to be a frost which is at worst once or twice a year and even then this year I will just move them to a large prop box if I think it will get that cold. Bougies I don't even bother moving.

Same here in AZ...cut the bougies back to the green.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Weird Gustavo,

even if watering of a ficus was forgotten for one day, even with our sun,
the most that might happen is a wilt and a few days later a few leaves fall/
Good Day
Anthony

Maybe it's related to the plastic pot? There were a lot of surface roots. I mean roots really coming out on top of the soil.

It's a pitty though. It was a double trunk I was trying to grow. Now an ordinary single trunk These are guys are super fast growers thought. In the picture that's the growth of 7-8 months from a 3-4 cm cutting

 

[Timbo]

The right won't grow back?