My first post was a little incoherent (like any of them *aren't*!).
I was trying to say that dormancy is triggered in fall by photoperiod. So once trees go dormant, nothing will wake them up- light, warmth, it doesn't matter- for a while. Of course, tree roots do not undergo true dormancy, and will grow and function when
ever it's warm enough, but without dormancy there will not be that "flush" of root growth that bonsai people depend on in the spring. A dormant tree that's kept in warm conditions will eventually break bud- irregularly- and the tree will wake up in an unc
oordinated fashion. That's not terrible, except for trees like apples, which depend on a coordinated budbreak in order for their flowers to be pollinated. It's really a problem if budbreak occurs too early, and the new growth gets killed by cold. As I m
entioned before, this happens every few years, and trees generally can take a few years of this before getting stressed. After that, you will see an increase in disease and insect damage, and trees may die.
The point is that in an ordinary year, a shed is a perfectly fine place to store bonsai, even if it gets warm in the shed from time to time. This year, we're experiencing a strange warm period JUST as trees have probably gotten enough cold to allow them t
o break dormancy. So it's only now that being in the shed is an issue. My trees, outside, are experiencing highs in the 50's, while your trees, Mark, are probably experiencing temperatures in the 60's. If they are breaking dormancy, there isn't much you
can do about it. Keeping them cool will slow the growth of the young leaves, but won't stop them. And they don't have the same cold hardiness as buds, so future cold spells may kill them.
People who use cold frames have the same dilemma; the structure that has protected plants in the earlier half of the winter becomes a problem on sunny days when the cold frame heats up and the plants break dormancy prematurely. That's why many cold frames
have automatic window-openers that crack open the cold frame in warm weather. And that's why a blanket of snow is such a useful thing when you are trying to overwinter plants.
So anyway, I didn't mean to give the impression that you were wrong to put them in the shed. The problem here is the weather!
Nina.
************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Jarbas Godoy ++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail
+++++