Thanks Craig.

Thankfully I have a couple of ficus that'll keep me
busy all winter. If only I could convince them to grow faster !!

I've also stuck a few outdoor perennials into pots and I'm trying to make
them last the winter.

Guess I'll pour through my mountain of bonsai books and re-read them all
again.

Isn't winter a boring season ??
Maybe I should take up curling !!

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Craig Cowing ]
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 5:07 PM
To: Mark Hill
Cc:
Subject: [IBC] Why Mulch ??



Mark Hill wrote:

Thanks all for your advice and encouragement.

I'll dig and mulch my trees this weekend, in a spot that won't get much
sunshine or wind.

Another question ..... How about drainage ??

Not an issue once things are frozen.


My soil is rather clay like.
Puddles form in driving rain which slowly drains away.
Should I dig a deeper hole and put a layer of mulch below the pots, put
the
pots/trees in the hole then mulch over the pot up to the first branch?


I wouldn't go to the trouble.


I'm assuming if they're covered in snow, they'll be frozen and won't
require
water ..... right ??


Yep.


Mark
It's going to be difficult looking at those snow mounds, knowing my
"babies"
are buried beneath.
Am I allowed to peek ??

Don't give in to the temptation to mess with them once they're locked in for
the
winter. If they're buried in snow the snow will crystalize after some time
and you
will risk breaking branches if you mess around. After my first winter I
couldn't
resist getting my trees out as early as possible, and I broke a pot in
addition to
some branches in trying to wrestle them free from the snow. It isn't worth
it.

Just relax, get a few tropicals to work on during the winter, and wait.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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