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My bonsai is a maple tree, not a Japanese maple. I just found out that deciduous bonsai need to go dormant. I have had my tree since last year. It still has all the leaves and looks healthy, should I place the bonsai in the garage to allow it to go into a dormant state or should I wait till next year? I don’t want my tree to die.

Where are you that it still have leaves? My trees lost their leaves in October. No do not put it in a garage, it should be outside to get normal weather and light which even though it will have no leaves it is not totally dormant and needs light so a garage is too dark.

m5eaygeoff wrote: Where are you that it still have leaves? My trees lost their leaves in October. No do not put it in a garage, it should be outside to get normal weather and light which even though it will have no leaves it is not totally dormant and needs light so a garage is too dark.

Geoff,

Here in Birmingham, Alabama, my maples have started turning red, my cherries are a nice deep purple, the elms are a combination of yellow, and green, and several other outside deciduous are completely green. The maples just started turning last week when we got the first two nights below freezing. I suspect they will mostly turn real soon now because we just got another night below freezing and the forecast is a couple more in the next week.

My winged elm came out of the back yard, and three years ago the last green leaves turned to yellow in January. I have several elms of different species that started to leaf out last year Jan 7, and year before Jan 6.

We really should use terms like "growing season", "dormant season", etc., instead of "Spring" and "Winter" and we really should avoid "April" because time of year doesn't matter; what matters is what the tree is doing.

I live in West MI. I have kept my bonsai indoors all year with plant lights. I assume that is why it hasn’t lost its leaves. Is it too late to go through the dormancy process? I don’t want to shock and kill it by putting it outside now.

What are the temperature outside now?

Inside it will die, hope it is not to late to put it outside.

Mid 30s to mid 40s during the day. Upper 20s to mid 30s at night.

Arktos wrote: Mid 30s to mid 40s during the day. Upper 20s to mid 30s at night.

... those are summer temperatures....

On a side note: why on earth would you keep a tree inside with growing lights while placing it outside where it belongs will give it everything it needs ?

Arktos wrote: Mid 30s to mid 40s during the day. Upper 20s to mid 30s at night.

Of course, these are Fahrenheit.

Here is what I would do: try to find a window in an unheated garage, or maybe a spot on an unheated porch that is are least partially protected from the wind. While it is there, build a cold frame a couple of feet high, which could be just a wooden framework and plastic sheets, and put a light bulb inside it. In January and February turn the light bulb on to raise the heat above 20F or so.

Of course, if the temps had been C I would have said the frame should be half a meter or so.

Perhaps a better solution would be to find somebody with bonsais there and see what they do. It is absolutely crucial that the trees get a dormant period. Not getting the cold weather to go dormant and being under grow lights all winter is like drinking coffee all day and running all night. The organism requires a long sleep. We do it our way; trees do it their way.

Thank you! I appreciate the advice.

Would this work ok?