How to get your bonsai to leaf by making them sweat! (Part 1)
Two of my trees this year have not grown leaves after winter and have been in a dormant state now for way too long. After a bit of research I found that one method you can break dormancy is to “sweat” the tree. I found this at the University of Kentucky’s website. The good news is that they do mention oaks and hawthorns which are the two bonsai of mine that are affected.
You do this by covering it with a see through plastic sheet to trap the moisture in and also activate a greenhouse effect and turn up the heat. I am currently trying this on my oak and hawthorn to see if it works.
If it still does not bring them round I am going to try bringing them indoors as a last resort to convince them it is warm enough to come into leaf! They will be in the kitchen under the skylight just long enough to break bud. However, hopefully the first method I have tried (sweating) will work successfully.
I will give you an update on this in a few days.
