Artificial Light for bonsai?

[robc]

Hi All,

My current living arrangement means my bonsai cant get more than a few hours direct sunlight a day (as it gets closer to the summer solstice some of my trees wont get any direct sunlight). Has anyone here played around with grow-lights for bonsai to supplement lack of natural light? or know of any way to minimize the damage to my trees caused by the lack of sunshine?

the internet is full of info on artificial light for indoor hydroponic setups, but all the info is quite specific to growing vegetables or weed (Expensive setups with multiple lights mounted just just above the plants, with specific wavelengths for growth/flowering) this type of setup wont work for me as it will block whatever direct sunlight the trees already get.

i'd love to know your thoughts/ideas/advise/experiences.

cheers,
Rob

[robb63]

Hi Robc
Have you thought about putting up mirror sheets to reflect what light you do get
They make them on Perspex or acrylic sheets that's easy to install. Just drill holes through
and screw to your fence or wall. Standard sheets are cheapest and come in 2.4m x 1.2m
Hubby will have them up in no time
I used them to light up a dark area in a mates garden but I have not used them in growing areas
Though it seems to make sense to me and its heaps cheaper than grow lights.
cheers
Bob.

[robc]

Hi Robc
Have you thought about putting up mirror sheets to reflect what light you do get
They make them on Perspex or acrylic sheets that's easy to install. Just drill holes through
and screw to your fence or wall. Standard sheets are cheapest and come in 2.4m x 1.2m
Hubby will have them up in no time
I used them to light up a dark area in a mates garden but I have not used them in growing areas
Though it seems to make sense to me and its heaps cheaper than grow lights.
cheers
Bob.

i had never thought of this, unfortunately it may not work in my case. My trees are on a second story apartment balcony which is somewhat recessed, so the walls receive even less light than the trees.

its also a rental, so my options for putting holes in walls are very limited!

[kcpoole]

Not sure how you will go but check out the setups from The Ficus Guy a few years back
viewtopic.php?f=133&t=15887&p=161850&hi ... ar#p161850

lots of posts about growing ficus indoors in colder areas in America.
Growing trees in low light conditions is hard

Ken

[robc]

thanks Ken,

i was initially keen to avoid a setup like this (purely to keep costs down) but the more i look into it, and the more i talk to people, the more it looks like this is the best/only solution. it'll be a pain in the neck continually rotating plants in and out of the grow-tent, but it sure beats sick/dead trees!

cheers,
Rob