I understand I am a bit out of my depth here, but I am looking for any advice or information anyone can give! In June I was given a Monkey Puzzle Tree from someone in Oregon. (He had one in his yard, pics below) My dilemma- I live in Idaho, whereas monkey puzzle trees do not. I left it to live outside all summer, and it seemed to love the weather we had this year. Temperatures are starting to drop now, and I’ve brought it inside on nights its supposed to get below 25 F. I plan on keeping it in a cool location with a grow light, and then take back outside in the warmer months, repotting only every couple of years when necessary. Is this a feasible plan? I have done a decent amount of reading on the species, and current known growing locations, but it seems what I’m trying to do is unheard of (or unsuccessful) Anyways If you have any suggestions,opinions, helpful links, please share. Pictures- 1&2: the tree in his yard 3 : the tree when I first got it in June 4&5: 2 months later, in August 6: October, current
Don't see why that shouldn't work for a few years, until it is too large to cope with. The other option would be to plant it in the ground, and erect a temporary greenhouse (poly tunnel style) over it each winter; they'll take temperatures down to about -15°C so it would only need minimal supplementary heating in the coldest winter weather. Shovel plenty of loose snow around the base of the greenhouse for extra insulation.
Are you in the upland conifer belt or in the semiarid lowlands where most people located in the intermountain region live?