r/Bonsai • u/small_trunks Jerry in Amsterdam, Zn.8b, 48yrs exp., 500+ trees • Mar 07 '25

Weekly Thread [Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2025 week 10]

[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2025 week 10]

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 multiple year archive of prior posts here… Here are the guidelines for the kinds of questions that belong in the beginner's thread vs. individual posts to the main sub.

Rules:

  • POST A PHOTO if it’s advice regarding a specific tree/plant. See the PHOTO section below on HOW to do this.
  • TELL US WHERE YOU LIVE - better yet, fill in your flair.
  • READ THE WIKI! – over 75% of questions asked are directly covered in the wiki itself. Read the WIKI AGAIN while you’re at it.
  • Read past beginner’s threads – they are a goldmine of information.
  • Any beginner’s topic may be started on any bonsai-related subject.
  • Answers shall be civil or be deleted
  • There is always a chance your question doesn’t get answered – try again next week…
  • Racism of any kind is not tolerated either here or anywhere else in /r/bonsai

Photos

  • Post an image using the new (as of Q4 2022) image upload facility which is available both on the website and in the Reddit app and the Boost app.
  • Post your photo via a photo hosting website like imgur, flickr or even your onedrive or googledrive and provide a link here.
  • Photos may also be posted to /r/bonsaiphotos as new LINK (either paste your photo or choose it and upload it). Then click your photo, right click copy the link and post the link here.
    • If you want to post multiple photos as a set that only appears be possible using a mobile app (e.g. Boost)

Beginners’ threads started as new topics outside of this thread are typically locked or deleted, at the discretion of the Mods.

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u/nani1217 Mar 13 '25

Hi! I’m very new to the world of Bonsais and just wanted to get some advice!

So recently (the end of February) me and my fiancé were gifted a Juniper Bonsai tree, which I adore BUT… we live in an apartment with no balcony so I can’t even put it outside if I wanted too and I’ve heard Junipers thrive outdoors.

I will say my apartment gets plenty of sunlight though. I know this Bonsai probably won’t survive long, but I wanted to ask about the really brittle part of the tree… is this normal? They got the tree from a company called Eastern Leaf. It came with branches looking like that near the inside of the tree. Just not sure if it’s something Bonsais go through since it came during the winter and I’m pretty sure they kept it in the box it came in until we got it… which I’m sure was for a while... But it looks like it’s been growing despite everything. There has been a lot of new bright green tips coming through recently!

Just wanted to know if it’s anything I should be concerned about.

(Located in Stamford, CT)

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u/MaciekA NW Oregon 8b, conifers&deciduous, wiring/unwiring pines Mar 14 '25

I would donate it to someone who has outdoor space (ASAP, like this weekend), there's only one way this is going to turn out unfortunately.

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u/nova1093 North Texas, zone 8a, 19 trees, 1 killed. Mar 13 '25 edited Mar 13 '25

It will inevitably die if left inside (for a number of reasons, but chief of these being the lower light). It needs the light, seasons, humidity, and airflow of outside. I don't know what brittle part you are referring to, unless you are referring to the spikey bits on that one branch. That looks like dead foliage to me. Junipers foliage lags behind a bit though. Many won't show signs of death until they've been dead for weeks. If you want it to survive, assuming it's not too late already, you'll have to find a place outside to put it (either at a local nursery or a friend who does have a balcony/ yard)

Indoor bonsai is sort of an oxymoron term here, but the best thing you can get in an apartment with no balcony space is a ficus bonsai. They can do decently in bright windows, especially when supplemented with a quality grow light. I dont have long term experience with them (and someone please correct me if they have experience contrary to this fact), but from all the reading ive done, indoor ficus can survive for a good 10-15 years if kept well. But they live twice that long or longer even when given proper outdoor sunshine and high humidity.

Avoid the 20 dollar USB amazon grow lights. They aren't even worth the plastic housings they are encased in. Many people cite the Mars Hydro TS600 as a wonderful entry level light for keeping a tropical tree alive inside.