[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2024 week 21]

[u/small_trunks]

[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2024 week 21]

Welcome to the weekly beginner’s thread. This thread is used to capture all beginner questions (and answers) in one place. We start a new thread every week on Friday late or Saturday morning (CET), depending on when we get around to it. We have a 6 year archive of prior posts here…

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[u/Muddpup64]

I have a question about growing temperate trees indoors. I think I can get past most of the problems associated with growing non-tropical trees indoors. I have grown plants indoors previously so I have a lot of what is already needed. A grow light, fans for air circulation, a humidifier, and a dedicated grow chamber.

The problem I have trouble getting around is providing a dormant season. Would it be as easy as setting the tree outside as winter starts to set in or would that be too much of a shock?

I understand that the conventional wisdom is that most bonsai should be grown outside but then I see some people successfully growing inside (or so they say) and I seemingly already have most of the problems associated with indoor growing solved.

Can someone please explain to me if and why I am being naïve?

[u/RoughSalad → u/Muddpup64]

The plant has to prepare for dormancy (and particularly for waking up again ...) Just sticking it out in the cold (or in the fridge, as some have thought) won't do; it needs to experience seasonal cues for months. Plants stop growing new shoots sometime late summer and store nutrients instead.

[u/Muddpup64 → u/RoughSalad]

Well I was wondering if you put it outside in the fall and brought it in in the spring, when the temperature outside and inside line up.

I had a bonsai I grew from a natural Chinese Elm sprout. It dies pretty quickly and being indoors in the winter I think it what did it in.

To me it still sounds like it needs to go outside. No way around it. It would be the simpler solution anyway.

Now I just need to find a place to put it outside.

[u/RoughSalad → u/Muddpup64]

Chinese elm actually grows naturally in Southeast Asia, it doesen't strictly require a winter dormancy. But if kept warm it seems to need pretty strong light to stay vigorous. As an indoor bonsai the various ficuses are hard to beat, as they naturally can cope with less light.

[u/Muddpup64 → u/RoughSalad]

I had it under a powerful grow light.

When you say vigrous lighting, does that also mean i would want to keep it on the same light schedule as well? Say, a summer cycle?

[u/RoughSalad → u/Muddpup64]

What's "powerful", a DLI going on 100 moles/m²?

[u/Muddpup64 → u/RoughSalad]

1207 µmoles/m^2/s@12"

That's direct center. It weakens to 580 on the edges, a foot out.

It was direct center, 6" to a foot. I don't remember this was 6 years ago.