I forgot to add that i am using grow lights.

Jason

what about the other variables requisite for proper growth ... like heat/coolness [considering your home heating variables] ... humidity in relation to that prior ...

light is but one variable ....

going to start a new post on whether conifers REQUIRE a dormancy period

ken

Well i have thought about other variables and humidity i dont think is problem. I have several things that hold water and it evaporates into the air. Another thing is i mist them about twice a day. Sometimes 3-4 if i am home. I have a small space heater, but It uses up more wattage than both the lights i have combined. I would use it just on the cold nights. I am not growing them in the house. I have a room at the back of the garage that i have sort of winterized for this reason. I understand that they do require dormancy, but i want to know if it will hurt them if they miss out on just one winter. Thanks

Jason

Glad you asked. I just posted a reply to Ken's question. It looks some trees require a low temperature period (e.g. 1000 hours below 40F). The bonsai experts say its possible to use a refrigerator for that. That's not really an option for my own seedling set-up; I might move them from the basement to the garage.

Here is a link that might be useful: bonsai and dormancy

I love that Brent Walstons website. It is very informational and helpful to the bonsai novice. I really just want to grow them over winter to let them get bigger, since they did not grow well or germinated late.

but if they need the 1000 hours.. why bother with the lights???? eh????

or misting...

or watering ... i was told if i was keeping them in a barn in winter in my z5 .... to just put an ice cube or snowball on a pot.. and if it warmed enough for the plant to MAYBE need a drink ... the snow would melt.. and provide it when necessary .... rather than on a schedule ....

BTW jason.. where the heck are you ???/ might make a big difference in how we TRY to help ... coco beach FL????

ken

Oh sorry im in zone 7b maybe 8a in NC. Right now the temps are pretty pleasant aside from this ida storm bringing in cold fronts or whatever. After it is gone, the weather is supposed to be in the upper 60s and maybe 70s. I want to keep them from going dormant and keep them growing. I know its possible, but not if it is potentially harmful. Even for just one winter, not forever.

Jason

in your zone.. i have no clue why they even need to be indoors ..

how long will they actually be dormant in your zone .. 2 weeks????

since my zone is so divergent.. i doubt if i can add much more to your discussion.. other than to offer issues that need to be addressed ..

good luck

ken

They will be dormant usually for 3 months. December, January and February. March is when the buds begin to swell on most plants and by April they are growing.

Jason

3 months outside ...

inside the enclosure.. you can probably lop off a month on either side ... i would suspect you can easily add a zone or two by removing winter wind and sun ...

if that is in fact true ... i dont know... then you are willing to risk harm for lack of one month of normal dormancy ????

i wouldnt risk it ...

or .. if i had duplicates.. i would do half and half.. and see if experimentation actually yields any SIGNIFICANT result ...

if in fact.. you got an extra inch of growth this winter.. 5 years down the line.. i bet you wouldnt see a difference ...

anyway... lots to say .... for someone who said he didnt have much more to add... lol ..

ken

Well thanks for the input. That is exactly what i was looking for. Your probably right about the 5 years down the road.

Thanks

Jason

Outside in a cheap unheated hoop house?

That seems like a good way to give them what they need to me. If it is cool and rainy (like it is here in the winter) leave them exposed. If it goes cold pull the plastic up. For zone 7 plants if it is going to be a zone 8 type low (20F) I would start to worry, zone 6 plants I start worring around (10F), etc. The bigger the pot the less worring I do.

The other option is the garage near a window. Cool but not cold and higher humidity. I keep palms and other tropicals in mine and they come through fine.

I will post some pics a little bit later.

Jason.

This is the right side of the grow room.

This is the left

Looks good!

Here's a link to a bonsai forum thread. They discuss P. pungens seedlings planted in December, and the moderator says it's probably ok to skip dormancy for that first winter.

Needless to say, I'm very interested to see how this all turns out!

Here is a link that might be useful: can you fool mother nature?

I left all of my Redwood and other trees inside for their first winter. I hardened them off and got them introduced to the sun when they dropped their needles.

Thanks Nate. They answered my question. Which was about cheating with seedlings and skipping their first winter. I think i am going to keep most of the stuff in there until it gets a little colder, then move them to the garage for dormancy. I will keep a few in the grow room for test subjects to see how well they do next grow season and if it bothers them to skip their first winter. Once i move some of it out, it will give me more room to start some seedlings. Which i am going to have a lot of.

Jason