In a message dated 12/16/2003 1:03:13 AM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

Ordered a red maple bonsai and had no
idea it was for outdoors.

It will depend upon the exact variety of Maple to some extent. For some
Maples your winters outdoors may be too severe. Inside it might survive for a
while but will not thrive no matter what variety it is.
Can it be outside most of the year?

Billy on the Florida Space Coast
Bonsai Societies of Florida Annual Convention Memorial Day Weekend 2004
Radisson Hotel, Cape Canaveral, Florida www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org

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Hi,
Ordered a red maple bonsai and had no
idea it was for outdoors.

I live in Wisconsin and bought it for my
office window.

If i give this tree the tlc i give my other
bonsai will it do ok in a well lit 68 degree
environment?


The short answer is NO.

Maples are outdoor trees. They all need a dormant period.
Ideally, this tree should be kept on an unheated porch, or in a
garage (since it should be without leaves now it won't need
light) until spring and allowed to have its months of dormancy.

If it still has its leaves, and they're still green, you may have
to keep it inside for the winter. I'm certain that a Wisconsin
winter would be to cold for me (er, it) -- especially a sudden
application of winter. For a tree with leaves, I think it would
be best if you could find an unheated room in your house, so it
could be allowed to drift into a late dormancy. Check the soil
twice a week, and don't let the soil go totally dry. If it's not
possible and you have to keep it indoors, with leaves, 68 shouold
be OK. "Well lit" is probably brighter than you imagine, but
give as much light as you can. Humidity is going to be the
biggest problem, by far. Heated winter homes are much too dry
for trees. Misting will be of little help. If you have a room
with houseplants, the humidity will be a bit higher there, so
that would be a good place for the tree. A widowsill immediately
over the kitchen sink is probably the most humid spot in a house
(actually, the bathroom most used for showers is, but there's
usually almost no light in a bathroom), so that could be a spot
for it.

Good luck, and do NOT patronize that dealer again if he didn't
say OUTDOOR in the advertisement!

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only to the
white man was nature a wilderness -- Luther Standing Bear
(Ogallala Sioux Chief)

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Hi,
Ordered a red maple bonsai and had no
idea it was for outdoors.

Offices are deadly places, even for *indoor* plants, because the air tends to be very dry, and few offices have enough sun. So I would discourage you from having any kind of bonsai in the office, except for a really tough fig. I once worked in a nightmar
ish office complex, and I had a willowleaf fig that flourished (I didn't).

I knew someone who kept maples indoors in winter. He sealed off a room in his house and kept that room unheated. He took all the curtains down. His maples, of course, lost their leaves and went dormant (you should know that maples need to go dormant, ev
en indoors). I was impressed with his success, but it was a pretty cheerless room, a bit like a prison cell.


Nina, who has 3 species of fig and a natal plum living in her sunny office right now.

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************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

For some Maples your winters outdoors may be too severe.

He will need to keep it in a cold protected environment, like the garage, where
it will remain dormant.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Hi,
In the garage it goes.
Thank's for your help.
Rich


On 16 Dec 2003 14:05:14 GMT, (Iris Cohen) wrote:

For some Maples your winters outdoors may be too severe.

He will need to keep it in a cold protected environment, like the garage, where
it will remain dormant.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)