SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) —The Bonsai Club of Central New York held a meeting Oct. 9 at Hill Community Church. In order to prepare Syracuse’s coming winter, club members discussed how to protect bonsais in the cold environment.
Curt Drury has been the president of the Bonsai Club of CNY for 20 years. He said bonsais in Syracuse have to be protected from freezing. Usually, temperate climate bonsais don’t need winter protection unless the temperature drops below 15F. Obviously, Syracuse’s winter is beyond this scope of temperature. Drury pointed out that the easiest winter protection is to put bonsais inside the house or garage. In addition, Drury suggested putting bonsais on the west side of the house where bonsais can get the maximum amount of afternoon sunlight.
According to Drury, the root is the most vulnerable part of the bonsai during the winter, even though the top of the bonsai is exposed to the chilliness directly. Roots are covered by the soil, so they are used to a warm environment and can’t adapt to the cold temperature very well. Drury said we can protect roots by moving bonsais into a bigger pot that can put more soils.
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© 2019 mingjun hou -
© 2019 mingjun hou
Carl Huffner is a member of the Bonsai Club of CNY. He said planters also shouldn’t overprotect bonsais by putting them in a very warm place. Bonsais need time to rest, which is called as dormancy. If the temperature is more than 40F, bonsais will stop being dormant and begin to grow.
“They will exhaust themselves,” Huffner said.
Bonsai is a very longevous plant, which can live more than 100 years if the planter can take good care of it. A bonsai is also a form of art, putting the huge tree image into a little pot. Bonsai Club of CNY was established in the 1970s, composed of a group of casual hobbyists. Their meetings are open to the public.
