Ideas for indoor bonsai??

[tanlu]

Hi everyone,

I know there's no such thing as "indoor bonsai", since trees are TREES and they belong outdoors. However, I read some species can be successfully grown indoors. I tried a few species(Serrisa, Grewia, Ficus) and was unsuccessful.

I'm not so interested in ficus, but I do like something that's relatively low maintenance (unlike the serrisa).

Some ideas are: pomegranate, olive, and Chinese elm.

Your ideas are welcome!!

 

[rockm]

You will have very limited success with Pomegranate, olive and chinese elm indoors without specialist high output lighting....

Those species are subtropical or Mediterranean in origin, which means they require a bit of dormancy--they all drop leaves in the winter.

Tropical species (like ficus) offer the most success with indoor bonsai. They can take lower light, dry air (indoor air in the winter is more arid than desert air) and poor air circulation. Ficus, like it or not, is by far the best for indoor bonsai.

 

[digger714]

Ficus is definately the easiest, then i would say fukien tea, then serissa. Serissa dont require much, they just dont like to be moved. They can go for days without watering, while indoors, and have awesome flowers on them. I got a european olive last month, but havent had it long enough to tell much about it. Good luck.

 

[tanlu]

Ficus is definately the easiest, then i would say fukien tea, then serissa. Serissa dont require much, they just dont like to be moved. They can go for days without watering, while indoors, and have awesome flowers on them. I got a european olive last month, but havent had it long enough to tell much about it. Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback

I actually would love try to out an olive bonsai. Since they're from a warm dry region, I would assume they would at least do ok indoors...but I heard from others on this forum that they also need special treatment if indoors that only experts could provide. I'm not sure if that's completely true and would love to at least find a low-priced small olive tree to experiment.

 

[rockm]

You're not going to have success with true olive. It is from a warm dry climate, but it requires significant light--which usually requires high-output specialist lighting--to do well inside.

Don't confuse true olive (olea Europa) with black olive (Bucida species). Black olive is not an olive, but a tropical from the Caribbean. It is a pretty common "indoor" species, but can be a bit tricky--especially if you let the soil dry out and don't have enough humidity at the top and warmth at the roots.

 

[digger714]

Mine is a cutting but i saw some from meehans miniatures. I would think they would have some relatively inexpensive smaller trees to choose from. I got my serissas from them, and the service was great.

 

[donkey]

A friend of mine has minature orange trees in his house but i don't know how well they would take to training.

 

[TreeKiller64]

Yesssssss, there are NO indoor Bonsai,,, Yet there are NO outdoor bonsai too. Bonsai are trees in trays or pots, but whether and where you live Bonsai will adapt to indoor or outdoor conditions, as long the conditions are similar to that where they came... Hell I could grow an Elm on the Moon if I could replicate the growing conditions it requires. Get where I'm coming from?