A Gardener’s Guide To Growing A Beautiful Indoor Bonsai – Part II
Posted by Amy on Jul 20, 2010
In Part I of my write-up on Indoor Bonsai we reviewed the differences between an indoor and an outdoor bonsai, and generally what characterizes an indoor bonsai tree. This time we’ll acquaint you with several of the most frequently used indoor bonsai plants, and give you a little bit of assistance with picking the top quality plant material from your local garden shop or plant nursery.
You can find suitable plant material for your indoor bonsai from a number of different suppliers. Specialized bonsai plant centers, at which they only grow and sell bonsai plants and trees, is the very best spot to search for the best quality plants and trees. If you don’t want to begin from scratch with your bonsai you can still buy a plant which is already established as a bonsai. This will be somewhat costly however. You can even take a look at your local garden centers for plant material that you could train to become bonsai. Many plants that are very popularly used as “house plants” can be trained to be bonsai.
Another idea is to take a house plant that you already have in your own home and begin training it as a bonsai. This is a a lot less pricey approach to get started in the hobby, and would be a little less unpleasant in case you lose the plant. Don’t boost the odds of killing your first bonsai plants by purchasing from the discount table. These plants can be unhealthy and will lessen your odds of long-term success.
Regardless if you are purchasing an established bonsai, or will be beginning with a houseplant, you’ll want to always make sure that the leaves on the plant are vibrant green and there is no sign of disease or damage from insects. If you are looking for your plant in the spring be certain that the buds are fresh and the shoots are firm. It will be easy to tell if the plant has not been getting enough water because the buds will be dried up. Try to find strong and healthy limbs and trunks. Get familiar with the different styles of bonsai before you go plant-shopping because this should help you choose plants with the best proportion, balance, and shape.
The following is a list of plants that would be highly suitable as an indoor bonsai tree and for beginner bonsai enthusiasts:
Java Fig (Ficus benjamina) This plant is commonly available as an established bonsai. You can also buy it as an ordinary houseplant and train it yourself. The java fig will stay green all year round. Some styles that can be considered for this plant are cascade and semi-cascade, informal upright, broom, and slanting.
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) Available as an established bonsai or as a houseplant to be modified. This is a hardy, semi-evergreen tree that when grown indoors is evergreen but when grown outdoors will lose it’s leaves and go dormant during winter.
Chinese Box (Murraya paniculata) You can buy this as a houseplant and train it as a bonsai yourself, or it is widely available as an established bonsai. This is a beautiful indoor bonsai. It has fragrant flowers that appear throughout the year.
California Juniper (Juniperus californica) You can buy this as a houseplant and train it as a bonsai yourself, or it is widely available as an established bonsai. This is an evergreen with yellow-green leaves with a scalelike appearance. The California juniper can be easily trained as a cascade, semi-cascade, informal upright, and a slanting bonsai. This plant makes a beautiful indoor bonsai tree.
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata) You can buy this as an established bonsai or you can buy it as a young houseplant and modify it into a bonsai. This is an evergreen with flattened succulent leaves with a scalelike appearance. Some styles that can be considered for this plant are informal upright, broom, and slanting.
This list hardly scratches the surface as far as being a comprehensive list of plants and trees that can make beautiful indoor bonsai. As time passes you will discover more and more species and varieties of trees to include ion your bonsai collection.
Resource
Japanese bonsai gardening is a hobby that is fascinating, affordable, and easy to get involved in. Bonsai can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and can last a lifetime. Click this link to learn more about growing your very own indoor bonsai tree, and sign up for your FREE 7-part introductory mini-course on how to grow miniature bonsai trees. Or, to get started growing your own bonsai trees trees right away check out the highly regarded “how-to” bonsai book “Beautiful Bonsai Secrets”.
Indoor Bonsai Care
Posted by Bonsai Care on Nov 10, 2008
It is quite possible that with the correct bonsai care your tree can live to be over 100 years old. There are many cases of Japanese bonsai trees being passed down from generation to generation.
Successful bonsai care comes down to 3 main factors; Watering, Lighting / Positioning and Pruning
Watering:
In general your tree needs to always have enough water contained within it’s soil to sustain it. Just as with any plant, over-watering or under-watering can kill the plant so great care should be taken. For more accurate information on watering you need to consult a guide about your specific tree as all trees have different requirements depending on how the climate is in their natural habitat. As a very general guide you should simply make sure that the soil is always moist but never let the plant have its roots standing in water.
Positioning
You need to find as much as you can about the natural environment of your particular tree. Does it need shade or does it grow out in the open? Asking yourself what sort of climate the tree comes from will help you decide whether you have an indoor bonsai or if it should be kept outdoors. The idea is to match the natural requirements of the tree as closely as possible.
Pruning
Pruning is probably one of the biggest mysteries of bonsai care. The trees need to have nearly all new growth pruned and also the roots from time to time. This keeps them small and manageable. If you don’t prune enough then the tree gets too big and will require more nutrients than the small amount of soil they have can provide.
Other points to consider are nutrients, fertilizers and soil, repotting and training.
Liquid fertilizers can be used and as the trees are essentially pot bound they need to have their soil changed by repotting about once every two years or so.
There are unfortunately no set rules when it comes to bonsai care and each tree should be cared for on an individual basis depending upon its location and the type of tree. It is highly recommended that you consult a detailed guide or a specialist in order to find the best way to look after your tree. The general guides that you will find freely on the internet will only give a certain amount of information and will not be specific to your particular kind of tree.
Consult “Bonsai Gardening Secrets” for detailed information on bonsai care
Insider Secrets to Creating Beautiful Bonsai
