Where to start??

JDN

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I've read enough to be throughly confused at this point. I've killed a few trees over the years due to lack of general plant knowledge. I now have a decent ability to keep plants alive (and thrive in many cases). I want to try my hand at bonsai again but don't want to doom another tree. I know that it's not optimal to do indoor but that's my desire. I have a few good possible locations in my house that have stable temps and good light. any list of trees that would do well indoors yet also be able to attain and look (or atleast somewhat) of my local trees? My budget is small and I only have room for 1 fairly small tree. Also any suggestion for reading material? This hobby looks to be filled with lots of poor info from places looking to sell product. It makes finding good reputable info tough to say the least. Thanks for any replies!
 

Guy Vitale

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If it has to be indoors, Ficus are fairly forgiving and recommended for beginners. Check out the link below, it's the most complete resource out there for Ficus. Don't fret over dooming a tree, we've all learned quite a bit from killing many trees early in our learning process. Also don't focus too much on 'Bonsaing' the tree, let it grow and just keep it healthy, the rest will come in time.

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/
 

Eric Group

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Man... please don't take this the wrong way... but maybe it just isn't a good idea to get into bonsai for you right now.

Limited budget, room for maybe one small tree, and want to keep it INDOORS? Bonsai is an outdoor game, to do it well on any level IS EXPENSIVE, and take time and lots of room outdoors.. Even Tropicals kept indoors need massive lighting setups, timers, humidity... to be really happy. "Can" it be done? Yeah... sorta...
I'd recommend you read, A lot and get into Bonsai when you have a house with a yard and you can do it outside, the get some Juniper, Pines, Maples...

Of course, if you would like to keep one indoors... get a Ficus. Please don't get a Juniper or an Elm and keep it indoors.
 

JDN

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I have a yard with plenty of room. Over 1/2 an acre of more or less unplanted yard. I just don't want it outside. I'm not outdoors much when I'm home so It'll quite honestly go un-enjoyed. I do enough outdoor stuff for work so during the summer months I'm inside, as well as winter. As for the indoor space I have it but I only have it for 1 smaller tree. I already have too much space dedicated to plants and what not. If I were to wait for indoor space it'll be 18 years or more when my daughters have moved out. Lol. So really that's not a great option. I'm not going to say I doubt the cost, but where is it incured? Lights, timers and humidifiers I already have for and from other past hobbies and expierments.

Ficus was the conclusion I came to from all I've read. Between that and jade but the ficus seems more suited. I've brought a severely neglected alli back to health so my care for it seems decent. Juniper was my first slaughtered plant many years ago so I know better than that now. It was a gift after my best friend passed.
 

JDN

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JDN

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Man... please don't take this the wrong way... but maybe it just isn't a good idea to get into bonsai for you right now.

Limited budget, room for maybe one small tree, and want to keep it INDOORS? Bonsai is an outdoor game, to do it well on any level IS EXPENSIVE, and take time and lots of room outdoors.. Even Tropicals kept indoors need massive lighting setups, timers, humidity... to be really happy. "Can" it be done? Yeah... sorta...
I'd recommend you read, A lot and get into Bonsai when you have a house with a yard and you can do it outside, the get some Juniper, Pines, Maples...

Of course, if you would like to keep one indoors... get a Ficus. Please don't get a Juniper or an Elm and keep it indoors.

No offense taken, but when is a good time to dive into new consuming hobbies
 

Eric Group

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No offense taken, but when is a good time to dive into new consuming hobbies
When you have the time, money and "want to" to do it.

It seemed like your first post said "I don't have the room or the money"... Then your next post said "I have the room, but I don't have the time and don't want to be outside".... So, ask yourself is this the right hobby for you? I don't know if it is or not.. I was just going off what you said.

For me personally I have been doing Bonsai for probably overly 15 years and most of that time I didn't get much out of it because I didn't have the money to invest into it, and my commitment level wasn't quite what it should have been... once I was able to ramp up the time I spent trying to get better and increase the money commitment... what I got out of it was a lot more rewarding...
 

JDN

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When you have the time, money and "want to" to do it.

It seemed like your first post said "I don't have the room or the money"... Then your next post said "I have the room, but I don't have the time and don't want to be outside".... So, ask yourself is this the right hobby for you? I don't know if it is or not.. I was just going off what you said.

For me personally I have been doing Bonsai for probably overly 15 years and most of that time I didn't get much out of it because I didn't have the money to invest into it, and my commitment level wasn't quite what it should have been... once I was able to ramp up the time I spent trying to get better and increase the money commitment... what I got out of it was a lot more rewarding...
Fair enough. And some food for thought. The outdoors thing isn't going to change I'd guess. If I'm not at the beach I'm not an outdoors person. I don't know why but I'm much more of a out of the sun person. As far as money commitment goes what would I be looking at as a annual expense? Like I said I have the lights timers and stuff from either other indoor growing experiments. I spent far too much one year on indoor tomato plants at my local hydroponic shop. Then I got into a large aquaponic setup to grow kale. So I have an abundance of "gadgets". What I don't have is tools. If it's something that I truly found the need for space for I have about 800 square get of basement that I can build out to whatever I need. I wasn't really clear with my space limitations. It's more self (or wife?) imposed. We don't have a huge house (under 1200sq finished living space) so I have to be selective with what I can have in our living space. Also with the money I'm not gonna lie and say I stay with every hobby. So I sell off previous things to fund the new stuff. It's my way of funding my ADD interests. Some take some don't. Maybe you're right and it's not the time. But I suppose that's kinda why I'm here. before diving in and dumping $$ in I'll do some more thinking and reading!
 

Rusty Davis

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I get where your coming from. My suggestion would be a Brazilian rain tree. They are pretty cool little trees that close up their leaves to sleep and other reasons. But mostly a clip and grow tree.
 

leatherback

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I would say.. buy yourself a shade and do bonsai outside. Also plant your tomatoes and kale outside.
I understand a lot of people like the "challenge", but hey, it is hard enough as it is to grow good trees and keep them happy in the best of circumstances. Why start off on the wrong track by trying to grow plants in an environment they were clearly not evolved to grow in. You can byu all the equipment you want. But mother nature is going to beat you. Every, Step, Of, The, Way.
 

JDN

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I would say.. buy yourself a shade and do bonsai outside. Also plant your tomatoes and kale outside.
I understand a lot of people like the "challenge", but hey, it is hard enough as it is to grow good trees and keep them happy in the best of circumstances. Why start off on the wrong track by trying to grow plants in an environment they were clearly not evolved to grow in. You can byu all the equipment you want. But mother nature is going to beat you. Every, Step, Of, The, Way.
I understand it being a outdoor thing. But we do all sorts of things that are not in tune with nature. Fish in the house, plants in the house, birds in cages. It's our nature to want to conquer and control. I do know i would never be outdoors enough to enjoy it. Even with shade. We have a large concrete patio with a roof and I spend little time outside. Bugs, sun, humidity, wind... all foes. I gave up on gardening ing because of all that stuff. Hydroponic gardening was actually pretty simple but I don't eat fish and kale can only be eaten so much.

Is growing a tropical tree more difficult than other plants indoor? My bigger focus seems to be good now that he's settled in and not moved much. Maybe I'm just trying to force something that's too difficult indoors but some people do seem to have luck with it. It's also a "winter" think for me. i like green in the house in the winter it helps us all. I wouldn't be so much opposed to a tree I keep outside spring and summer. As much as I don't want to be outside in the summer I still love the look of it... just in a controlled environment (that control again). Plus I need a hobby that's move peaceful than some others I've had.
Keep the advice coming. Maybe you guys will talk me out of failing!
 

Lazylightningny

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Don't worry about killing trees. I've killed plenty. As long as you're learning from your mistakes, you'll progress in knowledge.
 

JDN

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I get where your coming from. My suggestion would be a Brazilian rain tree. They are pretty cool little trees that close up their leaves to sleep and other reasons. But mostly a clip and grow tree.

I'm wrong in thinking clip and grow is a possibility? This tree was 3rd on my list of potential trees.
 

Eric Group

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Fair enough. And some food for thought. The outdoors thing isn't going to change I'd guess. If I'm not at the beach I'm not an outdoors person. I don't know why but I'm much more of a out of the sun person. As far as money commitment goes what would I be looking at as a annual expense? Like I said I have the lights timers and stuff from either other indoor growing experiments. I spent far too much one year on indoor tomato plants at my local hydroponic shop. Then I got into a large aquaponic setup to grow kale. So I have an abundance of "gadgets". What I don't have is tools. If it's something that I truly found the need for space for I have about 800 square get of basement that I can build out to whatever I need. I wasn't really clear with my space limitations. It's more self (or wife?) imposed. We don't have a huge house (under 1200sq finished living space) so I have to be selective with what I can have in our living space. Also with the money I'm not gonna lie and say I stay with every hobby. So I sell off previous things to fund the new stuff. It's my way of funding my ADD interests. Some take some don't. Maybe you're right and it's not the time. But I suppose that's kinda why I'm here. before diving in and dumping $$ in I'll do some more thinking and reading!
"Indoor tomato plants at my local hydroponic shop".... uh huh... yyyeeeeaaahhh RIGHT. "Tomato plants"- gotcha! ;)

I'm not saying whether it is the right time for you or not man, just saying your first post seemed to indicate you had limited resources to be really engaged in the hobby... and that's fine but you get out of it what you out in- like most anything else in life. Just trying to get you to kind of visualize the commitment it takes to be good at this. I spend way too much time and money on it and I am far from as good as I want to be! LOL

If you just want one little ficus to sit on your dining room table, it really isn't much of a time or money commitment.. If you want to be good at this and really grow a collection of quality trees that you have the skills to create and maintain on your own, it is a massive time and money commitment. There are all levels in between and nothing wrong with one over the other. However you decide, if it makes YOU happy, then you did it the right way and I apologize if I implied anything else with my other posts!
 

JDN

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Don't worry about killing trees. I've killed plenty. As long as you're learning from your mistakes, you'll progress in knowledge.

I am unfortunately a bleeding heart. I feel like garbage after killing things.
 

JDN

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"Indoor tomato plants at my local hydroponic shop".... uh huh... yyyeeeeaaahhh RIGHT. "Tomato plants"- gotcha! ;)

I'm not saying whether it is the right time for you or not man, just saying your first post seemed to indicate you had limited resources to be really engaged in the hobby... and that's fine but you get out of it what you out in- like most anything else in life. Just trying to get you to kind of visualize the commitment it takes to be good at this. I spend way too much time and money on it and I am far from as good as I want to be! LOL

If you just want one little ficus to sit on your dining room table, it really isn't much of a time or money commitment.. If you want to be good at this and really grow a collection of quality trees that you have the skills to create and maintain on your own, it is a massive time and money commitment. There are all levels in between and nothing wrong with one over the other. However you decide, if it makes YOU happy, then you did it the right way and I apologize if I implied anything else with my other posts!

No need to apologize at all. I appreciate the input! I'm not thin skinned and don't like people coddling an answer. Honest upfront and first though gut reaction is usually the right thing. And at this point that little ficus that looks like a miniature tree is all I want. I usually have a tendency to jump too far into things though. A collection is not where I'm at and I know that. Someday down the road an elm or juniper could be for
outdoors if my summer irritability changes. Lol.

And seriously dude it was tomato! Wife and I are of only a few that have never partaken in the other "tomato"!
 

JDN

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Just need to do more killing. It gets easier after a couple innocents under your belt.
Ouch man! Lol.
Idk I've killed so many things in my life and each kill gets worse!! I had a thumb blacker than black years ago. I can't even think about the number of plants I killed!! I just had to flush a molly yesterday from my daughters tank and it hurt, snail this morning found dead is burning my soul!! If it gets easier this fish tank will be my savior,I seem to be killing everything in it.
 
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