rhododendron impeditum

[gbhunter77]

This plant is zone 5 but does it need the cold? Or is it more adventagous to keep it indoors?_

[TomM]

If a plant is "zone 5" it is hardy to the range of -10F to -20F.
Is your house zone 5?
Hardy plants/trees need winter dormancy.

[gbhunter77]

The reason I ask is I found a post in these forums where a person was overwintering them under grow lights. And no one said anything about it.

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14081[/url]

It mentions that the plant goes into a garage for the dormacy period. When I spoke with a local nursery they told me to spray the plant with wilt proof for added wind protection. So I guess I'm asking 2 questions. At what temp is a plant considered dormant? And what other plants will benefit from wilt proofing?

[rainbowgardener]

not sure you read all of it:

Scott/Helpful gardener (bonsai expert) said: I am very interested in the Rhododendron impeditum, as I grew this one years ago... I kept mine outdoors year round

then the OP replied: This one is a new one I made this spring (beginning of April). It will be living in the shop under lights with my outdoor Bonsai during winter* I was going to see if it could live indoors all year but after I got it potted I like it to much to try Maby I should buy another one and see if it would live indoors all year. (all this is from the thread you linked to)

*Since he specified with the outdoor bonsai, I take that to mean an UNHEATED shop. Note he was concerned that it wouldn't live if he kept it indoors.

[gbhunter77]

I guess I did not read the entire post. Ty. Sorry I wasted your time guys I will be more diligent in searching the forums before asking. I just do not know if the plant looses its foliage in fall or not.

[rainbowgardener]

rhodendron is evergreen, should not drop its leaves.

You do seem to keep acquiring (or at least asking about) a bunch of plants that you don't know anything about. Doesn't seem like the best way to be successful. THe bonsai experts here (not me!) can answer some simple questions, but they really can't give you a whole education about a whole bunch of very different trees and shrubs...

[tomc]

Rhodies (azalea too) hearty in your zone, need snow pack protection. I still retain one, and do not give it snow pack protection here (in SE-OH), I may yet find that a bad choice.

Evergreen is debatable with or without snow protection.

Indoors is only an option for the tender indicum's, and they don't really like indoors...

I gotta tell ya, if your going on a trial and buying jag, and have not already secured a 35 gallon barrel or two of each of sifted crushed granite and bark mulch; you are gardening in the emperors new cloths.

The sequence I had to have when I did, as you propose, is to secure dirt first. And by "dirt" I mean the soil mix specific to keeping trees in shallow pots or trays.

This time of year, hows about foraging for unwanted grape stumps, where the adult local bloogood japan maple grow. if you must possess (read buy) something, barter for some Osage orange, Picea Glehnnii, or one or more of the japanese five needle pine seed(s).

[gbhunter77]

The only new plant I bought was a Jap blood maple for 8$ that was normally priced at 180$. Unfortunately my club only does beginner classes every two months. The class is the same thing over and over. When they are not doing that they watch videos of other bonsai shows. Plus they don't take anyone under the age of 60 as worth while to talk to.

It seems everyone that know I try to do the bonsai thing thinks I have a PhD in horticuture. So I end up getting asked by everyone. Again I will not do that sorry.