[Superdave83]

Okay I know im digging my own grave by saying this, but i went to target for some back to school shopping and i noticed they had some mallsai for sale. i bought 2 junipers for $2.50 a piece. i just couldnt help my self, i felt bad for the little guys. is it to late to repot them, and if i can still repot them, what soil should i use

thanks guys

-Dave

[TUNA]

Are they alive? What condition do they look like? Being $2.50, I am worried they were poorly cared for.

[mudman]

you should wait until very early spring to repot junipers, they should be coming out of dormancy before doing any root pruning to these guys.... if they are small twigglings you might want to consider growing them in oversized containers for a few seasons before putting into bonsai pots.

[Superdave83]

yah they are very green and i still see some buds coming along, they are in small pots already, i dont know why they were on sale, probably shoulda asked

since they are realitvily small, what do you suggest doing with them for the winter...i could keep them in the garage, but they wouldnt get much light

thanks alot guys

[TUNA]

Whats your zone? Junipers are pretty cold tolerant. Maybe bury your bonsai pots for the winter, or you could use mulch also, but that probably doesnt work as well.

[Superdave83]

i live in northern illinois and go to school at marquette university in milwaukee

[TUNA]

Your in Zone 5a from what I can tell. Should be ok but that is marginal. First of all, realize it doesnt snow here, so this is just from what I've read. But I'd suggest burying your pots outside in the ground, then when it snows, the snow will insulate the foliage. Hopefully folks from colder climates chime in.

[marcus]

Without being longwinded.......zone 5........I'd get it in the ground for the winter if at all possible.

[rmhawk]

[marcus]

I'm still not ready to be long winded about this subject.
In part because I don't have any concrete numbers for you. I don't know that anybody does.

If you have ever gone splunking before you may be surprized to find out that no matter what the weather is like outside, the temperature underground is very steady. Look up at the sky on any given day and you won't be surprized to see the frozen vapor trails left by a passing jet.
The point is the ground is your source of heat. It is not just an insulator, it gives off heat.
Were you to keep your bonsai off the ground inside a unheated garage, eventually your bonsai will reach the temperature of what it is outside.
In the winter anything closer to the ground is warmer. How much I don't know; 5 degrees F.?
Add some dead-air insulation in the form of mulch or snow and that buys you what another 5 degrees maybe. Again, I don't know. Even watering your plant gives off heat.

How warm is your garage?
Is it connected to the house? Do you run your vehicle for 10-15 minutes before leaving in the morning?

The only rough numbers that come to mind mention 15F.
Have a peek. Click

[rmhawk]

15F, that's warm. It get 35 below zero here in the winter! With wind, it can hit 60 below and colder. My garage is connected to my house, but not heated. It will get as cold as the outside. (It's actually more like a storage room, not a garage). The ground here gets very cold I'm sure.

[Superdave83]

Thanks for all the good idearrrs everybody, i will plan on putting them in the ground at my dads house with some mulch around them. will be really cool if they make it.

im really excited to go to the midwest bonsai society's show tomorrow. i have my first workshop from 1pm-4pm. ill post some pictures tomorrow so you can all see how wonderful i did....(hahahaha) well wish me luck


Dave

[marcus]

rmhawk,
That's is the air temp. though, not the ground temp. around our roots.
Dig a hole, plop plant in said hole. Throw on an inch or two of mulch.
Let the snow fall on it. Hell, bury it in snow. It isn't going to care until spring.
No fuss, no muss. It will do just fine.

[breefe]

for the record, I live in the tundra of wisconsin..between 3-4 zone...depending where you look...

the ground freezes, pipes burst...bad juju, last winter we had no snow, which means no insulation...frozen ground...

thats for you experts...not to prove a thing, just some info so you can accurately draw conclusions and give useful advise(all of it is useful IMO!)

[Fierce Rabbit]

considering the tree was probably potted on tueday i would say it probably not quite ready for repot yet