Hi everyone,
So I'am getting ready for this coming winter leaving in NY it could be cold and windy and then the next day much warmer . Temperature over here are playing like a yoyo;)
I was thinking of building woven shade cloth to protect my bonsai from the sun and the wind since I learn from your advises than this is the main cause of bonsai death in winter time.
Do you think that could help to protect against the cold wind as well ?
I don't want to block the sun completely neither so how much shade Fabric range should I get 30-40-50% , more ...?
Thanks all for your precious tips!

What can you expect from winter weather?

Thing is, if the tree is frozen solid, it is not a problem to be completely in the dark. If it is not frozen it needs light.
It is when the tree is frozen solid that sun and wind come into play. Very hard to remotely say anything usefull without knowing the localities

In my garden my junipers stay in the regular spot in sun and wind unless it gets really cold, relaly long. Rare for us.

All others are set against a wall in a corner between two sheds. No direct coldest NE winds, and no direct sun exposure.

What I have heard, which makes a lot of sense, is that the winter winds can be drying. Well, if the wind takes the water out of the upper part of the tree and the ground is frozen, the upper part gets dehydrated and dies because it can't replace the water. Even if the ground isn't frozen, if the wind is constant it can dry out small twigs and buds.

So, protect it from the hard winds. I don't worry about them much around here because winter humidity for me us usually over 50% and it rarely gets cold enough to freeze very long. But, in New York, you need to worry about harsh winds. Put the tree in a box with the sides several inches higher than the tree. It will get some sun. You could put some kind of insulation in the bottom, too, which might help but probably won't hurt.

If you were in Europe I would have said 10 centimeters.

What type of trees are you trying to protect. I live in wisconsin and was able to keep junipers, boxwoods, and hornbeams alive through the winter with temperatures that reached negative 30 for stretches of time. I placed them in a cold frame with mulch around the pots and placed it against the house. Everyday I would open the frames to allow for airflow to let off excess heat then close it at night. It worked well!