Keeping Your Trees Cool in the Summer, The Bonsai Zone, June 2022

Most root systems work the best at a temperature between 20 to 30 C ( 68 to 86 F). The first day of summer is a hot one and I try and keep the roots of my Austrian Pine cool.
#TheBonsaiZone
#thebonsaizone

[@driftunit1]

Nigel I just want to let you know that if you have had a jump in views lately.. it's probably been me lol. I've watched many of your videos and some even multiple times. You're a man with a big heart and a lot of cool trees and I wanted you to know that you've spread joy and interest all the way down here in north Carolina. Thank you and keep it up!

[@PatricioBallesterosLedesma]

Hi Nigel, since you didn't mention it I wanted to add an additional benefit of using the aluminum foil on the surface of the substrate. Due to its mirror effect, by reflecting the sun on the underside of the leaves, it forces aphids, mealybugs and other pests that take refuge from the direct sun there to leave the tree. It works as an ecological pest repeller, in addition to keeping the soil cool and moist. Good luck in The Bonsai Zone!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Excellent thinking!!!

[@t3dwards13]

No way! Another benefit!

[@klauspoetsch1841]

Keep it cool Nigel! Keep it cool! ...and thanks for all the information!

[@Cleman404]

Amazing tips, most of my trees almost burnt last week in South of France (42°) except my baobab who grown a lot ! Will use your tips next time.

[@sophiaangelini4368]

Grand Green-Cool Austrian Pine. Sincere Thanks.

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Great tips for keeping your bonsai trees cool.

[@t3dwards13]

Here in southern California, it's been summer like for weeks now. Rained for a total of four hours most of this year. Thank you for this foil trick Sir Nigel! I'll start taking everyone's used foil so I don't have to spend more $.lol

[@9svm]

This video is useful for years to come.

[@patrickstonecrusher]

Figures l'd miss the one where you opened my package 🤣 Glad you liked them! The red rocks are jasper. The slate and the jasper both came from somewhere around the great lakes. The funkier rocks l suspect originated from the Ozarks, but l can't be certian.

[@jimysk8er]

A tip for cooling an enclosed space quickly is to blow the hot air out. bonus points for placing the fan higher since the hot air rises.

[@TheCrazyBird844]

Was just about to suggest head gasket when you said it. It doesn’t have to be a huge leak if it’s the head gasket, could be small and slowly combusting. Check the smell of the exhaust, if it’s sweeter than normal or more white it could be the head gasket. Pressure testing kits are fairly cheap as well, good luck with it. I have a ‘73 F250, I should get to working on it again.

[@DavesBonsai]

Excellent info Nigel. So important to keep those roots cool.

[@diggumsmack2]

Good tips especially the aluminum foil!!

[@natrjack965]

Great advice nigel 👍

[@otterwench]

great tips! And great thrift shop!

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Cool rocks from Patrick. I wonder if Patrick got them from Schroeder's landscape supply. Great variety of rocks. Cool.

[@patrickstonecrusher]

Hi! In the city l live in, large rock beds with landscaping cloth are a cheap and easy landscaping option, and thus are *everywhere.* l recently became interested in rockhounding and quickly realized that most of them came from the great lakes area, most likely lake Michigan due to the presence of Petoskey stones. I do want to make it clear that l'm not just looting willy-nilly. I ask permission whenever practical, I weed and de-trash the beds as l hunt, and l set a catch and size limit.

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

@@patrickstonecrusher That is great to know. I am 73 and do all my rock hunting at the landscaping supply. I bring a bucket and then bring to the office and they just charge by the pound. Easier for me to get the rocks that I need. Glad you can still rock hunt and get permission from the owners to gather them. Safe rock hunting.

[@Caseydog3]

Cool truck 👍

[@MaybeBonsai]

The tin foil is a great idea Nigel, I am going to use that! Thanks

[@TheBonsaiZone]

They make great hats too!!

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Cool windchime. Nice pot.

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Can you put a white sheet under the radiator? After the truck runs and you shut it off, anything dripping will show up on the sheet. Just a thought.

[@bigjeo123]

Hey Nigel, seeing those red rocks got me thinking, what if you tried to do a martian or outer worldly landscape bonsai? Use some weird looking plants like maybe succulents or something and make a landscape that looks like it's from another world. I think it could be fun creating rules for that world and then following them in creating a bonsai landscape or forest. Just an idea for a creative bonsai that I don't think is done often. If it is a thing please let me know how to find as I would love to see examples

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I've always wanted to do an alien landscape with maybe a UFO parked nearby!! Look for it in the future!!

[@ashleybonner5423]

Gollum jade's look funky enough for that type of alienesque project. A possibility, perhaps??

[@stuartrose7628]

Try taking the thermostat out of the truck Nigel you won't have any heating but the coolant will circulate instead of boiling off, that is if its the thermostat

[@patsfreund9164]

Enjoyed the tips on growing during the hot summer. Sometimes we water twice a day during summer.

[@Chris-oq6kn]

Thank Nigel for all ur knowledge! This was a great bunch of info. I like the tinfoil trick. I wonder if I killed some of my maples this way. I always water when hot but some of my maples are very young and I wonder if I should tin foil them during the summer . I live in n.y.c. I did have alot of leaf burn but after cutting all the leafs off some of them just never bud out again. Thanks nigel!

[@wolfmanbonsai]

Ey Nigel, check that thermostat, rad cap, and the pump, behind the pulley, there may be a weep hole, when that leaks replace the water pump. Good luck, and great video. Keep cool 😎

[@ArmchairExpress]

Been quite hot in my part of Missouri recently. Upper 90s with close to 110 Fahrenheit heat indexes. I water all my plants outside multiple times per day. It's very humid out, but the soil still dries out rather quickly.

[@joshturner5165]

Same here in Iowa. I set a alarm on my phone for the plants and the lawn. But lately having to do it twice a day.💦🌊

[@alicer3423]

Your trees are looking fantastic Nigel. Those rocks from Patrick are beautiful too!! Some people think I am crazy when I collect rocks. I collect fairly large for my outside flower beds and small ones for my potted plants. I do make sure to ask permission if needed.

[@jamesn7156]

We’ve had a lot of temps in the 90s F in the past few weeks. It got up to 100 yesterday in Chicago which is about as hot as it gets here. My ficus religiosa hadn’t been growing much all year, but it seems to be taking off in this hot weather!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, they love the hot weather!!!

[@marysoldeeley2218]

Thank you Nigel!! Excellent information! Tinfoil likely keep pests off as well! You need a coolant/antifreeze tester. There separate ones for green or red coolant. It's good to test the coolant straight from the rad in fall when you park the vehicles for winter. It will tell you the actual temperature you are good to for cold. Prevent an accidental freeze. We test all the machinery and vehicles at work every fall, the testers are very easy to use... I mean, I can do it...🤣😋

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Marysol, good advice!!!

[@wilerman]

I live further north and don't generally have this problem yet, my issue is trying to keep them alive through the winter. All of my potted apple trees died in the cold, even the pots buried in the ground. I might try sticking one in a fridge or something this winter

[@Crootcovitz]

Or setup a tiny greenhouse inside. Make sure it has good enough insulation and stick some cold packs in it. Maybe even water the trees with ice water. At least that's an idea I had recently. It should work, I think. I have a glass jar for keeping a forest inside, I'm thinking of keeping my tiny trees in there.

[@D.Will.C.]

Great tips!! From the HOTT desert of the Phx, AZ

[@lukasmihara]

Great tips! I built myself a small shade tunnel by using bamboo sicks and leftover insect screen. I think it helped! I unfortunately still lost one tree - a hinoki cypress - in the corner. I guess it got baked during the drought we had or it wasn't that healthy when I bought it...

[@gijspunte2056]

My acacias are happy but the rest starts suffering. Well over 50 C at the balcony. I never considered the roots though. Very usefull info here.

[@ashleybonner5423]

Heya Nige, I've been misting my succulents in the polyhouses somewhat regularly as they seem to still prune up regularly in spite of their succulent nature. I wonder what the sweet spot temps for succulent roots are. I've been getting some minor leaf fall and burn on a few Crassula ovata Minima and portulacaria plants but nothing major. Have a huge collection of portulacarias now though... Will email you the pic from my new phone a bit later. Hope you're well! - Ashley Bonner

[@ferasi6944]

Great tips! I have never considered the temperature of the soil. The red stones look like chunks of meat 😉

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks, yes it's important to keep the roots cool!!

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Too bad they did not sell a white cover for the pots. Good idea for someone to invent.

[@LemonsGraphics]

Hey nigel, would moss help with keeping the soil cool? I am unfortunately not home 10 hours at a time ☹️

[@TheAnekron]

Isn't the foil reflect too much light? I would be worried that it burns the leaves.

[@yunzeli]

Great tips!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Alepoudiitsa]

we had 41 C here one day and all i can do is leave them under other trees otherwise the cook sins i have them in plastic pots, i didn't know about tin/alumin foil, i will try it on my bugambilia that i finaly made it to flower.

[@HellcrushPlays]

(algorithm food pellet)

[@Alepoudiitsa]

i used to have a shade 70% one but the air tier it apart haha.

[@Denkar11]

Wish I could have seen this video earlier in the year. I think I've lost my larch tree, due to exactly what you were talking about, overheated roots. We had several days of upper 90F- lower 100F temperatures, and I think it killed the roots. Oh well, now I know better.

[@ursp.haller8407]

Larches are very sensitive. At temperatures above 80F I'd put them in a shady place.

[@Crootcovitz]

14:51 The red rock in the middle looks like a piece of meat.

[@KuwNova]

Check the radiator cap its maybe leak steam

[@gerardjenerou8025]

When will the big greenhouse be going up

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Some day!!!!

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🍎🙂

[@luannemcgraw3109]

We got our second day of 80 degrees here in Vancouver, WA

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Stay cool Luanne!!

[@Kjbrunzo]

What kind of thrift store sells Japan made bonsai pots? Lol, I think I'd do a somersault or cartwheel or something if I found one like that for $5.99. There's almost no place that sells bonsai pots here west of Cincinnati, Ohio...there might be a place east of Cincy but it's quite a drive.

[@jameswalker3416]

I have to drive 3 hours to find pots myself

[@Kjbrunzo]

@@jameswalker3416 Wow, and the price of gas, Yikers!

[@jameswalker3416]

@@Kjbrunzo Idrive to bills house 2 times a year and get mostly everything I need for the year for that vary reason.

[@radrickdavis]

Yes, I find japanese bonsai pots at the thiftstore too. Once a month I check and see if any bonsai pots show up for sale. Can get lucky. Last year I found a tiny 3 inch pot, it says Japan etched in the clay underneath.

[@peter6370]

Did you send him some money to pay postage.... rocks are heavy😳

[@patrickstonecrusher]

I wouldn't really be able to call it a gift if l expected money back 😉

[@johnrb9397]

Rocks? They act as a heat soak!! Stand on a rock barefoot on a sunny day ..

[@D.Will.C.]

Right track... What about the shade?? Ohhh....

[@TheRealOrangeGringo]

Ugh. Wind chimes! Please, please, consider the people around you when putting these horrid things up. There’s a few conditions, such as misophonia, that can cause people to become really uncomfortable with unnecessary sounds (such as wind chimes). People can become angry and anxious about them and it’s really not a reflection of their true nature. Just worth some consideration. Great video as always Nigel, thanks.

[@aviralgupta3821]

Lmao kids we have 43-47°C here in India.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, it seems silly to complain about the heat when you are 10 C hotter!

[@ashleybonner5423]

To be fair, a country as far north such as places like Russia, Canada and Scotland are normally used to fairly cold temps. We English like to complain no matter how cold or hot it is though to be fair lol we're an infamously miserable bunch!

[@Emre-syoutubehandle]

Foist?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Emre, you are in the Foist Zone!!!

[@nrponugoti]

Hi

[@spencerbray5989]

hey Nigel great tips as always! i have some beautiful japanese seiryu stone i would love to send you! how can i contact you?

[@ashleybonner5423]

That's the dragonstone popular with aquascapers right? I'm sure Nigel won't mind me posting his email address here as he gave me the address in comments before, but you can email him at [e-mail] Hope this helps!

[@joshturner5165]

Cool, literally! I just saw a Ryobi mister fan the other day. That's sweet with the rain water. 👍💦🌡️🌬️🌱🌿 can it be used on a timer? Or do you have to use the Fan/mist controls manually?