Thank you Judy!!
Wintering Japanese maple
- Thread starter Mr Bear
- Start date
Thank you Rockm!! As you can tell, I'm a super noob at this stuffLet me put it this way, you're making a mulch pile and burying the pot in the middle of it--protecting all sides. Putting it only on the top is useless.
The pile traps ambient heat (and cold) from the surface it's sitting on. Think of it as a woody blanket of sorts. In your situation, I'd put the tree on the balcony floor against the wall that looks into your apartment. Pile mulch over the pot, top to bottom ensuring the soil is well-watered before doing so. That mulch pile will probably trap some ambient heat from the wall (since the other side or that wall is a heated apartment) that will help protect it over the winter. You will probably have to check the pile periodically to ensure it stays moist throughout if your balcony is covered.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Hey Mr. Bear, you should put your location in your profile so it'll show up under your name. Very helpful for people to know what climate you're in to help you out without having to ask you every time you post...
MountainExplorer
Mame
I know you all were talking about Japanese maples, does this same apply to rhodies and azaleas? Is there any posts I can read off the top of anyone's head?
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,369
- Reaction score
- 31,492
- USDA Zone
- 6a
Any temperate, cold hardy tree should be treated this way. Fwiw, broad leaved evergreens like rhodies and azaleas are very prone to winter sun and wind burn, ie. freeze drying. Siting them out of the wind and sun when the soil is frozen is crucial.
MountainExplorer
Mame
So even when planting in the ground I take it they are prone to these symptoms?
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,369
- Reaction score
- 31,492
- USDA Zone
- 6a
Yup. When I lived in zone 6 MA, every 5 or 6 years, there'd be a winter with a few weeks of very cold air... highs only in the teens and low 20's. The landscape rhodies and hollies always took a beating, with crispy, brown leaves come springtime.
MountainExplorer
Mame
Thanks! Have you ever grown a rhododendron in a pot up here before?
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,369
- Reaction score
- 31,492
- USDA Zone
- 6a
Briefly... I was a relative newby at the time and killed it quickly.
MountainExplorer
Mame
Seems like that's the norm with these plants.
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
One I've had in the ground for 4-5 years. Got it from Shaw's supermarket for like, $8? Crap soil, east side of house, so no sun after noon-time...that sort of stuff.....
Give it a hard prune next spring, see what happens, maybe lift it out, too...I had a Satsuki back when I first started, didn't last first winter. Rhodo's a little more zone tolerant than Satsuki, but nowhere near as nice.
I've got quite a few JM's. I put them in my covered porch on racks, nothing special. Porch double wrapped in poly. Everything up against the side of the house for radiant heat and I have about 20 or so 1 gallon jugs filled with water...little heat sinks. Get frozen occasionally, you know it get's cold here!! Just swap 'em out for new ones. Yeah...I've got jugs,tons of 'em!!
Tridents, Chinese Quince and Chinese Elms don't seem to like it, however. I need to work on that!!
But JBP don't seem to mind, so go figure....
Good luck to all Northern winter .....ahh....er's!!!
Give it a hard prune next spring, see what happens, maybe lift it out, too...I had a Satsuki back when I first started, didn't last first winter. Rhodo's a little more zone tolerant than Satsuki, but nowhere near as nice.
I've got quite a few JM's. I put them in my covered porch on racks, nothing special. Porch double wrapped in poly. Everything up against the side of the house for radiant heat and I have about 20 or so 1 gallon jugs filled with water...little heat sinks. Get frozen occasionally, you know it get's cold here!! Just swap 'em out for new ones. Yeah...I've got jugs,tons of 'em!!
Tridents, Chinese Quince and Chinese Elms don't seem to like it, however. I need to work on that!!
But JBP don't seem to mind, so go figure....Good luck to all Northern winter .....ahh....er's!!!
discusmike
Omono
Ive had fungal issues once when doing something similiar
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
What do you mean by fungal issues--above or below the mulch? and what do you mean by "similar?" Just wondering...I've had white growth on pots underneath the mulch, seems to be some kind of myc. It has never caused an issue with anything over the last 20 years or so.
discusmike
Omono
I built a box,wraped it in plastic n mulched and i believe the early spring before bud break caused one of my maples to get fungus in the buds,im curious to see how his works out,maybe if i built a larger box with circulation it might have worked better,but i have much better results putting them against the house n mulching around them.
Still hmmm'ng and haww'ng. Def going mulch it like crazy and have plenty of air circulation. Not going to fully enclose the entire bonsai if I go that route the cooler route (cooler with lots of drainage holes on the bottom that is)
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,369
- Reaction score
- 31,492
- USDA Zone
- 6a
No plastic. Use burlap as a windbreak if that's what you're wanting.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Why wrap it in plastic?
discusmike
Omono
At the time i framed the box n covered with poly to protect from winds n elements but i believe it caused more harm then help/been just mulching for 8 winters with good results
rodeolthr
Shohin
I'm in a similar zone just north of Seattle and all of my maples are left out in all the elements all winter (I have hundreds of seedlings in 4" pots along with more mature trees). The only problem I ever experience is if drain holes get clogged, which can lead to drowning and/or rotting.
Thank you rodeolthr!
Were the pots directly on the ground?
Similar threads
- Deleted member 49943
- Pines
