All Bonsai like fresh air, sunlight and would prefer to spend their late spring to early fall outside. But with our selection of Indoor Bonsai, they can do just as well indoors year round or just in the colder months.
For any Bonsai grown indoors, a humidity tray is always recommended. Fill with small pebbles or even better Lava Rock and fill with a little water. Letting the water stay in the drip tray. Once you notice that most or all of the water has evaporated, refill with water again. Make sure you do not have roots growing out of the Bonsai pot, that could potentially reach the water as they will surely rot.
Daily misting, even a few times a day is something all indoor bonsai enjoy. Try not to place the Bonsai on a window sill or too close to a window, so that the temperatures do not fluctuate too much between night and day.
If possible avoid areas near vents as they will decrease humidity quickly.
In Canada, a southern facing window is probably the best location for an indoor Bonsai.
If a good light source is not available, you can easily supplement this with an inexpensive growing light, left on for 10-12 hours a day. We have found this light to work best for one or two trees.
The most important advice when growing indoor Bonsai is to look up where the species is from originally (we usually pot this on the species page), and try and imitate those temperatures and humidity levels.
The three main distinctions in most indoor Bonsai are:
1. Tropical varieties do not go dormant at all and will require constant heat and light to grow. Watering consistently and maintaining high humidity is recommended. Always remember that air circulation is important as well, so a room with a fan, ceiling fan or even a small desktop fan that is turned on for an hour or more a day will keep the Bonsai happy and growing well.
2. Sub-Tropical varieties do slow down during the colder season, and will benefit if you are able to provide them with a little cooler temperatures during winter. SO unlike the tropicals that should not be kept too close to windows because of the temperature fluctuations, sub tropical varieties can be kept closer to the actual glass of the window as they will benefit from the temperature fluctuations.
3. Desert Varieties are similar to succulents in that they prefer the soil to dry out between waterings. As for the temperatures they prefer and their care, you can tend to them in much the same way as the sub-tropicals for best results.
