datguybk
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:40 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

New Tree Owner, need help with winter

Hi everybody, I'm new to the world of bonsai.
I received a juniper as a Christmas present and I've been keeping it indoors but learned that it needs to be kept outdoors. I live in an apartment building in Brooklyn, NY without a balcony. I have a fire escape on the 3rd floor that faces southwest.

What can I do to successfully enter my Juniper into its dormant state?

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Intriguedbybonsai
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Posts: 262
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:03 pm
Location: Escondido, CA (USDA Zone 9-10)

Hello and welcome ;)

See if your landlord, or leasing manager allows window boxes.
Or check out this old thread. https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1214

See pictures here.

datguybk
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:40 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Unfortunately window boxes aren't allowed in the complex :(

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Intriguedbybonsai
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Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:03 pm
Location: Escondido, CA (USDA Zone 9-10)

No rooftop garden either I'm assuming?

Well if it is kept indoors, chances of survival are slim. Gradually overtime it will suffer. The tree won't thrive as it would if kept outdoors. All conifers need that period of cold dormancy to ensure proper growth.

I know it was meant as a gift, but sometimes you just can't argue with mother nature. I recommend an indoor species such as the Brazilian Rain Tree, Fukien Tea, or Ficus.

Kaerihana
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Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2011 8:17 am
Location: Wisconsin

Can allways try the the fridge as well thats what they do in warmer climates. just make sure ya don't let it dry out. but a few months in the fridge has worked for others.

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

But that fire escape should work.... The only trouble is in Brooklyn, you probably are well in to winter. If it's been indoors all this time (and probably before it came to you), you don't want to just plop it out into harsh winter conditions. In nature, it would have gotten gradually adapted and gone dormant through the fall. So if you are going to put it out, wait for a warmer day, and then maybe just put it out for a few hours the first day and then gradually more, harden it off.



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