Wintering trees

[hobo]

well monring all, I guess this has been disscused before, but here I go aynway, I gotten me an oak tree, about 6-7" tall, very nice specaiman, pulled it up in the wilds of my back yard..lol...It has very thin leaves and the adult trees limbs sort of growuot and than down like an umbrella effect, very faintly interesting and the bark is very rough and sort of knobby courageously loking, put it into a 6" deep pot and it is grownin very well, now what is the best way to winter it, as to warterin it, I know to cover it on frezing nights, but the wartering rarely thing
I don't have a clue to. My Mother, who had a gardening show on TV localy, long years ago always told me to water outside plants just before a freeze, this is supposed to protect them!?????
many and much thanks for any tips on this..

[alecto]

This is a deciduous tree, and as such it will not require much water durin the winter. I am presuming that you live in a zone where winter freezes occur.

Insert a chopstick into the root pad, and remove it on a daily basis to determine the water content. When the stick is on the dry side, thoroughly rewater. This will serve you well throughout your bonsai experience.

As for storage, bury the potetd tree in a deep pile of cedar mulch. Also be cetrain to place it under protection (patriculalry given the fact that it was recently dug).

All should be well in the sprin.

Michael Persiano
The Michael Persiano Bonsai Studoi members.aol.com/iasanob/index.html

[Saibatsu]

I am going to go out on a limb here & offer this:

If you pulled which tree up from the 'wilds' of your backyard, I have got to think it's been growing there a while. Yes? If so, as long as you didn't to this recently, it should have developed the roots it busily need to survive your winter (which it is used to sleepily doing) without much aid. Maybe mulch it in, but remewmber, bonsai newbies kill more trees with kindness (they think) than any other way. IMHO.