Shallow pot's tips

[Martin555]

Thanks for the info, Alan Peck probably knows nothing about growing bonsai indoors or using lights etc, youtube is full of positive advice about how to do so, lecturing newbies is so passé.

[Sno]

Grow Figs . Figs grow in shallow pots they are also more suited to indoor ,balcony growing than other trees . Figs grow well in Sydney and are readily available in the bonsai nurseries there . I have seen some really nice group plantings as well .
If you have to keep a tree indoors without lights for long periods or permanently I would grow Umbrella trees easily the best indoor tree .
Up here in the mountains we have no choice but to grow them inside and while all the trees I have seen up here aren’t going to be show stoppers they cope and most of them are grown by people with no idea about growing bonsai .

[Martin555]

Thanks for that, the umbrella tree was mentioned in an article I read about indoor bonsai, thanks for the encouragement, I am sure that with lights and rotation that sees the plants spending as much time outside as inside all will be well and I am not trying to win comps with them or be a 10th dan bonsai expert.
This tree is doing ok in a shallow pot.

[KIRKY]

Just bear in mind when looking at pictures, the size of trees and pots can be very deceptive.
As reference a bit of history on your example tree. https://www.bonsaiempire.com/blog/walter-pall-maple
Cheers
Kirky

[Martin555]

You are right, I enlarged the image and I had read that the tree was one metre high which made the depth of the pot about 10 or 11 centimetres which is not shallow at all is it.

I have also found a good solution to rotating the plants on my balcony, a stainless steel shelving system with wheels which means I could roll the plants around and catch the shifting sun, pleased with that.

[KIRKY]

Agree, photos are just too deceptive. I’ve been surprised at just how big some of the trees are. Also trees that are collected or in this case from memory I think the tree may have been an import from Japan which would mean basic structure of the tree would already have been well developed. Which is a different scenario to growing a tree from young material. Once a tree is well developed you’re just maintaining growth shape, feeding, repotting etc.
Stunning tree though, Walter has many prime trees.
Cheers
Kirky

[Martin555]

Interesting story behind the tree as it was regarded with contempt by the japanese masters but for me I like the naturalist approach of making the bonsais tiny replicas of what they really are, although I am looking forward to doing some radical things with nursery seedlings as well, wonderful hobby, so much potential in a little seedling.

[Nate.bonsai]

Thanks for the info, Alan Peck probably knows nothing about growing bonsai indoors or using lights etc, youtube is full of positive advice about how to do so, lecturing newbies is so passé.

I think that Alan was trying to be helpful and save you a lot of wasted time and heartache. You came here seeking advice and were provided with some very good advice. You were a little ungracious about it.

You can absolutely choose to ignore someone’s advice. But given that you are starting out in this hobby, I would recommend not mindlessly discounting the advice of someone with a lot more experience.

There are indoor plants and trees and there are outdoor plants and trees. There are trees that need a shady environment and trees that need full sun. It is possible to grow trees in an environment that is not their ideal, but the range of measures that you have to adopt to counteract not accomodating the tree’s preferences suggests that there will be a lot of road bumps along the way if you follow that path. Speaking from experience, plants and trees do much better when you grow them in the conditions that they want. So, you’d be well-advised to follow those species recommendations above.


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[Nate.bonsai]

You’re obviously used to different kinds of internet forums. We try and be constructive and collegiate here.

Best of luck.


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[Keep Calm and Ramify]

He did not give any advice he just spouted opinion and it may come as a surprise to you and him that your opinions are not always facts and I repeat that he has probably never grown bonsai indoors and knows nothing about it, his opinions about water values was just banal as well, you are obviously doing the same thing he was doing which is bullying a newbie, I knew when I joined that there would be a status driven hierarchy and that there would be trolls and basically you and him are little better than trolls, get off your high horse, thank god for the block button.

For a newbie seeking free information - you are rude.

[Rory]

Martin555, You are very welcome here and we enjoy offering advice and all of us that have been growing bonsai for a long time were all just explaining how it is often a long heartache growing bonsai indoors and how much more effort it can be. I have grown them indoors myself and never had good results.
I started growing them indoors in the mid 90s and didn’t have as much experience as I do now, but it was not an enjoyable experience.
As Sno says, figs would be the best trees to attempt indoors I would probably agree . But…. I would also comment that trees that actually are best in heavy shade are a real winner to trial.

Leionema’green screen’ would be my best recommendation .
I had many of them growing under an almost impenetrable canopy and they grew for many years with no issues at all.
That might be a real winner to trial indoors.
Everyone obviously would love to have bonsai indoors, and this was one particular species I was curious to attempt indoors as my kids keep asking for something indoors.

I think the majority of users here would agree that to grow indoors is a lot of heartache if you can instead grow them outdoors. Why would you try it if you have the option to grow outdoors is what most people would wonder
But again, if you do want to trial indoors regardless of the reason then make sure you don’t overwater them, and maybe just take them out for low sun relatively frequently just to give them a good dose of sun. But be careful with strong sun as it would burn leaves that are accustomed to indoor light only. And air con will dry them out quicker too.

No-one was saying you’re silly for growing indoors. It’s more of advice that it can be a lot more difficult and just not worth the effort.

Good luck if you trial it and definitely put up a progression of how you go. We’d all love to see how you go.

[Martin555]

Thanks for the sane reply, most appreciated, you did not mention whether you used lights or not, it is ok there are lots of positive articles online about using lights, I aim to provide the indoor plants with sunlight through windows and lights as well as regular trips to the balcony for some real sunshine, I have an extensive collection of succulents that love the lights I am not saying that they are the same as bonsai but they do need special care which includes plenty of light, thanks for the interest.

[TimIAm]

I think the problem is you are better off asking this question from a community that has long term experience successfully growing trees indoors. Most of the users here are in areas where we don't have the pressure of having to bring our trees indoors over winter.

Part of the reaction is because it is a common mistake for beginners to grow their new trees indoors expecting them to grow happily when they usually have the opposite outcome. (Not saying this is you, but it is very common on bonsai forums to have new users ask about their young dying trees which were grown indoors)

Part of it is because the alternative (growing outdoors) would be preferable, so a lot of people would be thinking why bother. Especially if you are starting out with bonsai, it is an added layer of difficulty on an already complex hobby.

That being said, you are correct, there are people successfully growing trees indoors and if this is your circumstance and you go into it with the understanding that you need to do things differently to grow indoors then go for it! It would also be great if you can share your journey on here for the next time someone comes here and has to take this approach.

My suggestion:

- Find an online bonsai community where they have extended winters and need to grow indoors for a period of time
- As others have suggested, work with suitable species to avoid disappointment. Even within a genus, for example ficus, there are a wide variety of preferred growing environments. There are some native ficus that are desert plants which love blazing sun and limited water and there are some which grow in the shade in rainforests and enjoy being damp. You can use this to your advantage when selecting a species to grow indoors.
- Be prepared to pay for the setup. You will need to pay for equipment to grow indoors.

With your pots, sometimes beginners put developing trees into smaller, shallower pots too soon when they should be chasing growth. That would mean having the tree in a pot with more room to promote growth. I can't say whether or not they would be suitable for use now because I think it is also a good question to direct at a community who has experience growing indoors as the size and depth of the pot may need to be considered when growing indoors.

Also, if you are planning on rotating between indoors and outdoors; some species, for example Ficus benjamina can react by dropping their leaves if their growing conditions change dramatically.

[Martin555]

Thanks for that, there is a lot of specialist info online, I was wondering if the entire genus of figs were suitable for indoor, I have purchased a Fukien tea tree as well as a dwarf jade which are recommended and if I am restricted to just a few indoor types then so be it but I do have a large balcony and am planning to use that for bonsai at present I am building an attractive wind break on it.

[Ryceman3]

Issues that arise from growing indoors are not solely restricted to light. Most plants that do well in an indoor environment are tropical/sub tropical species. One of the reasons is there is a relatively low variation in temperatures inside, and that is true as well in their natural environments. Things outside get much warmer and much cooler than inside a house. This lack of variation in temperatures, along with no exposure to wind/rain/whatever else is a big reason why trees like maples and pines aren't going to thrive inside. I'm not saying don't do it, if you feel the need then far be it from me to stop you, but just be aware that throwing up some lights and expecting some species to thrive as a result probably will end in disappointment.
I think your idea of setting up an area on your balcony is closer to the right direction ... but again, I'm not you so let your own judgement be your guide.