Bonsai Secret

Download Secrets of Growing Bonsai - A Step-By-Step Book

Indoors is not indoors!

Growing trees indoors is a difficult task, and part of the problem is that indoor growing conditions can be quite variable. One window in your home drops to 48 degrees Fahrenheit at night, while another windowsill may be a constant 85 degrees! One spot in the living room is extremely dark with almost no natural light and another area has southwest light streaming in from the window. Trees that grow well in one room of a house may not be happy in another room in the same house. Finding the right microclimate in a home is a huge part of winning the battle. A cool basement is the ideal place to grow boxwood, crape myrtle, Cotoneaster, Chamaecyparis, Serissa, and citrus, while the warmer bedroom is the best place for Ficus, Schefflera, Wrightia religiosa, and buttonwood. Ask friends who are successful in growing trees indoors about the lighting, humidity, temperature range, soil, and water conditions that work for them. Use these suggestions as a starting point for your indoor growing set-up and modify these to suit the types of trees that you grow.

All plants are not created equal!

One key element to successfully growing bonsai indoors is selecting trees that will survive indoors. Most trees will not survive indoors for long periods of time, while a few trees are proven indoor survivors. Temperate trees, those requiring a cool dormancy period, such as maples, larch, pines and junipers will usually not live indoors. While tropical trees such as Ficus, Brassaia/Schefflera, Sageretia, and Portulacaria are quite happy in most homes and will not need chilling, or a prolonged winter resting period. They also will not have a leaf drop and sit in leafless condition for weeks while waiting for the start of their spring growth period.

Select trees that will be happy under your home conditions. If you do select sub-tropical or cooler type trees modify your home to make these trees happy.

One way to find suitable trees that may work for your indoor situation is to go to the produce section of your supermarket and buy some fruit; try guava, lemon, kumquat, tamarind, and fig. As you eat the fruits, save the seeds and plant them. Some of these will survive, and may make good plants for indoor bonsai. Next, go to your local plant nursery, and select any small-leaved tree from their terrarium selection. Trees that you can find are cotoneaster, chamaecyparis, boxwood, myrtle, elm, and ivy.

Download Secrets of Growing Bonsai - A Step-By-Step Book

Grow these plants in your home, and over a year or two some will survive while others will die. Select the healthy and growing survivors and concentrate your efforts on these few trees. Propagate the vigorous trees and discard the weak trees. Make sure to have at least three or four specimens of each of the strong varieties.

Lastly, purchase some pre-bonsai and finished indoor bonsai from a reputable bonsai nursery. Ask specifically if these plants can be grown indoors or whether they will require a dormant period or an outdoor summer growth period. These developed trees can be admired immediately, while your young, new experimental trees will take time to mature into respectable bonsai.

Tags: Growing Bonsai Tree