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| I've done a little bit of dabbling with bonsai in the past, but still consider myself a beginner. Last year my fairly new bonsai died in the winter - I think it was raised inside only, and had never been out in the cold. I had read that my particular tree required a dormancy period, but being a beginner I somehow let the tree down and it died on me (most likely rightly so.)
I've done a lot more homework now and would like to get a new tree. I've read a few books on some basics, but still have a few questions. I understand that it's not fair to try to take care of a tree that cannot survive in the climate I can provide. Right now I live in an apartment - there are windows, but I'm not keen on putting a plant right on the window sill because it's so cold out right now. It seems that I would be needing a tropical plant - preferably one that is pretty hardy (easy to grow) that can live indoors. Can anyone suggest what kind of tree I ought to be looking for? I suspect that ficas (ficus?) might be good for me. Aestheticly, I really dig the trees that have twisted looking trunks and fruit/flower, but I don't know if there's a species like this I could keep indoors. I have a little "bonsai beginner's kit" that was a gift. It has 5 seeds for Jack Pine (which I don't think I could successfully keep indoors.) It also has a peat pellet to raise them in. Don't bonsai require a gritty, almost pebblish kind of soil, for air circulation and root growth? I have read that "akadama" volcanic soil is really good - is that true? When is a good time to actually buy a new tree (or seeds) and get involved? It's below freezing for the most part in Northern Illinois (Rockford.) I'd like to grow one from a seed, but as a beginner it's probably better to go with something bought from a store that has a few years under its belt, isn't it? I'm joining up with a local bonsai club at Rock Valley Greenhouse in Rockford, IL, to learn more and get some help. But I would appreciate in guidance in what kind of tree I should look at getting, how to take care of it, etc. from you guys online as well, since it's obvious to me that many of you have a lot more experience and knowlege than I do. Thanks =) |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi, the club will be the best place to get all your answers - good move! Your other questions really depend on a few things (except spring is always best when starting out with new plants). You're worried about keeping plants in a cold window, but if you can, measure the temp there about 8" up from the sill and 1" away from the glass as late at night (or early a.m.) as you can to find out how cold it really would be... many plants are just fine at an overnite of 50-55 F., even though some aren't. A major factor will be dryness, so having a wide tray (wide to span foliage spread) of stones and water under pots (being very sure the water's never high enough to reach the drain hole or risk root rot) is a good way to humidify, lots better than spraying. Light can be a huge factor with many/most tropicals and if you're in a position to spring for a 4' long fluorescent fixture fitted with two Full spectrum 40w grow bulbs, 5-6 inches away from the trees, 14+ hours a day, you'll be a lot better off than dealing with leggy, sad plants and/or cold sills (and never keep them near heating vents or A/C). So you see, the answer's not so easy - if you can create the right environment, you can grow many types of ficus, schefflera, all kinds of things (many beginning as houseplants from the supermkt) but if not, you might have some trouble. And of course (not strictly environmental) is soil quality - gritty and fast draining is good, peaty and soggy bad. Water should be given only from above (vs immersion), when the top layer(s) is dry for leafy trops, though succulent types like Desert Rose will be better off going almost dry between times, and enough given to flow right through. |
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| Well ficus is definately an option my ficus plants grow well even without supplemented light. If you are just begining and would like to experiment with growing environmentf florecent bulbs can be effective also. the most cost efficient are small fish tank fixtures at a place like wallmart or meijer. As far as fruiting or flowering trees, they are more tempermental and get infestations more frequently so as a beginer i would suggest alot of study before going this route. Obviosly it would be possibly to grow tropical fuits indoors throught the winter and i personally have a bougainvillea which when in bloom it has purple flower like growth called bracts. When spring comes i would suggest going to a place like lowes and buying some cheap ficus house plants. You can repot them individually fuse them together whatever tickles your fancy and if you mess up they are cheap to replace. That type of experimentation is one of the best ways to learn. if you combine your own trial and error with club expierience you'll be off to the races in no time at all. P.S. as far as fruiting bonsai the one i find the most visually appealin is the Dwarf Pomegranate.good luck with your endevour. |
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| Hooks... Fish tank fixtures are incandescent and very BAD for growing bonsai as they're really expensive for what you get, burn out quickly and don't really give the right amount of the right light anyhow. |
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| Thanks. I have a pet tortoise that I keep in a really large wooden box I built for him - he has a big heat lamp/light (150 watt bulb.) Would it be possible to keep a bonsai in there with him and use his light for it? I could easily keep it out of his reach (so he couldn't eat it) by setting it ontop of his "house", kinda like a dog house I built for him. It would be about 3 feet away from the lamp itself (which angles down diagonally into the enclosure.) |
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| Hi, 150w doesn't tell what kind of light it is - high pressure sodium, metal halide, incandescent, fluorescent, etc. and it doesn't give any idea of the lumens output to the tree (10,000-12,000 are good for plants if kept a few inches away from a fluorescent). Metal halide can burn your tree and turtle, HPS are good but expensive and incandescent not good. What kind of tree do you have, how many hrs/day will you burn the lamp, and what about air circulation (vital to a bonsai, or you'll end up with bugs and mildew), plus what about humidity? And if leaves drop into the turtles area, will they be toxic? |
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| Lighting Avery simple setup would consist of a Shop light with std bulbs. Most of my trees are 18" or less and I've been doing it very successfully for years. The tree foliage should be as close to the light as possible < 2". I keep it on all but 2 hours per day. You have many options for plants but Ficus is certainly one of the more common, fruiting and flowering plants require much more effort and experience. Old Ficus trees have a wonderful impact when trained as bonsai |
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