Indoor bonsai trees are not just plants, but also living art forms. They bring the elegance and tranquility of nature into your home. Let’s explore the best types of bonsai for indoor keeping, as well as how to care for them effectively.
Best Bonsai Trees for Indoor
Some bonsai trees grow better inside your home than others. Here are tropical bonsai trees that can live indoors:
- Ficus Bonsai: Ficus is a strong plant that can handle low light.
- Jade Plant (Crassula ovata): This tree stores water in its leaves, so it’s great for indoors.
- Dwarf Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola): It has a look like an umbrella, perfect for the home.
- Hawaiian Umbrella Bonsai (Schefflera): It’s sturdy and can grow in less light.
- Carmona (Fukien Tea): The Carmona has small leaves and can flower indoors.
- Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta): While not a true palm, it’s easy to care for indoors.
- Brazilian Rain Tree: This tree adjusts to indoor conditions well.
- Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia): It’s forgiving and adapts to the indoor climate.
- Sweet Plum (Sageretia theezans): It can thrive inside with bright, indirect light.
Indoor Bonsai Tree Care
Indoor Bonsai Tree Care means keeping your little tree healthy inside your home. You must give it the right amount of light, water, and food. You also need to make sure it’s warm enough, but not too hot, and that the air around it isn’t too dry. It’s like creating a mini eco-system that mimics where the bonsai comes from.
Care for your bonsai includes giving it the correct soil, watering it properly, and managing its shape and size through pruning and wiring.
Light
Light is the bright energy that comes from the sun or artificial sources. Bonsai trees need this energy to grow and stay healthy indoors.
Water
When we talk about water for indoor bonsai trees, we mean giving them the right amount to drink. Just like you, plants need water to stay alive. But each bonsai tree is different. It needs a certain amount of water, not too much or too little. You’ve got to check the soil and see if it’s dry before you water your bonsai. Make sure you soak the soil well so the water reaches the roots.
Soil
The soil for indoor bonsai trees is very important. It must drain water quickly. This way, the roots don’t get too wet. But, it should also hold some water. This helps the tree stay hydrated.
You need special bonsai soil. It is not like regular potting soil. Bonsai soil often has lava rock, pumice, and other things. These ingredients help with the water and air the roots need.
Temperature
Indoor bonsai trees like to be warm, just like you do. They need a stable temperature that is not too hot or too cold. This helps them grow and stay healthy. Most indoor bonsai trees prefer temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Always keep them away from drafts or heaters. If the temperature is good for you in your home, it’s likely good for your bonsai too.
Humidity
Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air. Indoor bonsai trees need a certain level of humidity to stay healthy. If the air is too dry, your bonsai can suffer. It’s like how you feel when your skin gets dry.
To help your bonsai, you can use a spray bottle to mist it, or place a humidity tray filled with water beneath the pot. This keeps the air around your bonsai moist.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is like vitamins for your bonsai tree. It gives the tree important nutrients to grow healthy and strong. Use a balanced mix that has equal parts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This mix is often labeled as N-P-K and may have numbers like 10-10-10 on it.
You should feed your tree with fertilizer during the growing season, which is spring and summer. However, in the fall and winter, your bonsai doesn’t need as much. Too much fertilizer can harm your tree, so follow the instructions on how much and how often to use it.
Placement
Placement is where you put your bonsai tree in your home. You need to find a spot that gets plenty of light but is away from direct, harsh sunlight. The place should also be away from drafts and heat sources, like radiators or vents. Good placement helps your bonsai stay healthy and grow well.
Repotting
Repotting is when you move a bonsai into a new pot. You do this to give the roots fresh soil and room to grow. It keeps your bonsai healthy. You should repot a bonsai every couple of years. When repotting, you trim the roots carefully. Then, you place the tree in a new pot with new soil.
This process is important because it prevents the roots from getting too crowded. It also makes sure the tree gets the nutrients it needs from fresh soil.
Pruning
Pruning means cutting parts of your bonsai tree to keep it small and to shape it. You use sharp tools to trim the leaves, branches, and roots. This helps your bonsai stay healthy and look good. It’s like giving your tree a haircut to help it grow the way you want.
Wiring
Wiring is a technique you use to shape bonsai trees. You wrap wire around the branches. This helps them grow in the direction you want. It’s like putting braces on teeth. You need to be gentle.
The wire guides the tree as it grows. You take the wire off after a while. This way, the branch stays in place. It’s a key part of bonsai tree training.
Problems with Keeping Non-Tropical Bonsai Indoors
Non-tropical bonsai trees usually live outside in nature. When you keep these trees inside, they don’t get what they need to be healthy. For example, they need cold winters to rest and prepare for spring. Without this rest, they can get weak and may not live very long.
They also need fresh air and lots of light that indoor settings often can’t provide. Therefore, it’s best to keep non-tropical bonsai trees outdoors to make sure they grow strong and healthy.
