Adventures in Bonsai

Notes from a bonsai newbie.

Monday, December 04, 2006

winter care to-do list

Getting my trees through the winter alive, preferably thriving, will be a major challenge. Here's a current status check:

-The dwarf pomegranate is currently in the basement, next to a window. It dropped quite a few leaves, but not all. Most of the newer growth is still intact and green. I even still have a bud growing!

-The ficus remains on my desk, next to the glass slider. I plan to repot it soon--have to check and see whether I need to wait until early spring to do this. It continues to grow, and I really need to figure out exactly how to pinch back the new growth, because it *really* needs doing.

-The cotoneaster is still outside. I haven't taken any winter precautions yet. It's still in its nursery pot, so it's a lot more protected than it would be in a bonsai pot. It seems to be doing well--it's lost a few leaves, and the remainder have just recently been turning red.

-The miniature wine grape (my latest acquisition--an anniversary gift from my husband) was recently moved down to the basement alongside the pomegranate. I'd been under the impression that this tree preferred a more tropical climate, but further research convinced me that it should get a winter cool-down. It actually seems to be doing better now that I've moved it downstairs. It's just now starting to really cool down outside, so we'll see what happens.

To-do list for winter/early spring:

-Prune (moderate) and wire pomegranate
-Leaf-pruning
-Wire cotoneaster?
-Pinch back new growth on ficus, and repot
-Repot cotoneaster?