"just me" wrote in message
...
zoomer mentioned in passing :

I missed the original post. But here in southern california I have a
mimosa like the wpe93.jpg picture growing in my back yard. It has
achieve almost twenty twenty feet in hieght and about the same in
crown width. It is a fast grower and has met my expectations two
years earlier than planned as far as canopy width. I think that it
could be a good bonsai ( I am no expert here) and prabably would
achieve good effect in a short amount of time. They tend to be
multiple stemed and cast sort of a delicate nice shadow in the sun.

I started mine from see three [or is it 4?] years ago. I've kept it
short.
It's about 30 inches tall. My question has to do with its reaction to
well.....let me explain. In Nov. 2004 we moved from Florida to Vermont,
where I had it growing outside in a 'pot' year round. For last winter I
kept it in a basement under lights, watered regularly. It lost its leaves
like it should and grew new growth just a little later in the year than I
would have expected it to in Fl. I put it back outside after last frost
here for the summer and left it there until mid-October [we had a very
mild
autumn], only bringing it in to avoid frost damage. Since I brought it in
it has put out new growth shoots twice now [doing it right now!] and has
kept all its growth. I am befuddled with this as it is a decidious tree
that should loose its foliage for the cool months. While I don't see any
obvious harm to it I do wonder both why it is not resting for the winter
and
if there will be any negative long lasting effect? Any ideas?

-Aula, in Vermont

--
Describing is not knowing.



My initial thought is that the artificial indoor temp and light caused an
extended growing season.
A cold chamber outside (box in the ground with translucent cover) would
protect it from frost and still give the right light
and temp to put it into dormancy. It could also cause the green house
effect so give the cold box good ventilation.
Here in the Mojove Desert of CA it gets into the teens at night for a week
at a time several times between dec and feb. My
yard tree does just fine. For a bonsai, the roots need protection (blanket
or cold box) that my yard tree gets
naturaly from the ground its in. You could prabably put your bonsai into
dormancy if you put it outside with some protection.
I have some pre-bonsai (ginkgos, maples, oaks . . .) that I pushed all the
leaves from my yard around (mulch would work too).
Hmmm . . maybe the extra growth you are seeing can be used to fill in where
there is a need. Your bonsai may need (I don't know)
dormancy in order to flower next spring.

Robert, Mojave Desert