AusBonsai

Hey all, I know ur not meant to keep bonsai inside, but I'm just not sure of what the don't get if they are inside. I have a corner spot that has a window on each wall, one north facing one east. Barely any wall, it's all window. It gets full morning sun and all day through to about 4pm in the summer. Both open completely. When the Windows are open u could fall out into the back yard it's that open. My normal position for bonsais is litterally on the other side of the north facing window. I guess I'm just finding it hard to see what they would be lacking being on the other side of the glass? Is it just airflow and fresh air?

Cheers

Hi,

The main thing the tree needs is lots of natural spectrum light, fresh air-flow with natural out-of-doors levels of humidity, temperature levels it is used to, fresh water and nutrients. Those things are easy to meet outdoors so but if you can meet them indoors then you should be able to keep a tree there. It is trickier than outdoors but I have a friend (Jerry - he is on this forum) in the US who grows all of his trees indoors all of the time and he keeps some of the loveliest Figs.

Give it a go!

have fun
Ash

As Ash has well stated you can grow trees indoors but with much more effort to provide the conditions that would exist naturally outdoors. If you have specific questions we could try to help.
Jerry

Scooter_M wrote: I guess I'm just finding it hard to see what they would be lacking being on the other side of the glass?

Cheers

in your case y may be fine as the location you describe seems more out than in. Typically that is not the case and as the others have said, each case may vary.

Some issues inside is Humidity ( or lack of it), Constant temps which some trees do not like. natural rain and thus nutrients and other "stuff" that rain brings, Diffirenintg light and intensity levels, (glass blocks differing wavelengths of light), what effect does that have?
Lack of natural air circulation?

many things add up and just missing one may not provide the ideal environments, but each should try their own.

Ken

I use a second hand reptile tank with gravel in the bottom and a fish tank grow light on top for my port jackson fig. It is only a baby but going gangbusters, and one aerial root already sprouting down. The tank is open on one side and has air vents on two others, so I can get humidity by watering the gravel and some airflow. In Canberra they are harder to grow, especially aerial roots so this was a reasonable solution. I still give it days outside (some sun and part shade so not to shock it) and it has more than doubled in size this year. Not what is achieved up north or even in Sydney for sure, but it is possible.