Craig writes:
Michael:
I guess you're not familiar with my area. Despite the fact that I'm
only 1.5 hours away from downtown Manhattan, it gets considerably
colder here. We're at a much higher elevation than NYC. Last winter
we had several mornings below zero, a couple of times at -10. Even in
a protected environment I am quite sure a Kingsville would not survive
a winter outdoors here. Even my Ilex crenata didn't make it and it
was pretty well protected. I also lost a few small Chinese Elms and
another died back to the base, and all were protected. People here
tell me that's the coldest it gets here, but I don't want to take any
chances. I find my Kingsvilles do quite well indoors after a month or
more of dormancy outside. The other problem is that I don't have an
area in the house or elsewhere that is dry and stays around 35F.
Craig:
If it works, don't fix it. Last winter challenged all of our trees, and I know of few people who did not incur some level of damage.
That's a possibility I haven't thought about. The trees are in full
shade and I water pretty much every day. Would it be ok to cut back
on watering some? It isn't a serious problem--I just get a flush of
growth like that occasionally. I cut it all off and no harm is
done. This happens, btw, on two out of three of my trees. The third
I've had longer and it doesn't produce these leaves.
Craig:
Your watering habits may be fine. I am suggesting that most of the bonsai with oversized leaves and unusually long needles are the result of overwatering. I would suggest experimenting with less water and recording the results. Frankly, slightly oversized leaves and needles do not bother me aesthetically if the tree as a whole is large enough to accommodate them from a visual/artistic perspective.
Cordially,
Michael Persiano
members.aol.com/iasnob
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