Gabler
Masterpiece
Not everyone has the luxury of an outdoor garden for their trees.
Help! Will My Baby Die?
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Not everyone has the luxury of an outdoor garden for their trees.
bonsaichile
Omono
a ficus should be fine indoors. many people use them as house plants. anyways, I question the reasons for having a tree and hide it in a tent. it is like buying a painting and keeping it in the closet
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Why not both? They can take it out of the tent, and enjoy it when it suits them. The tent is excellent growing conditions for ficus, as the OP mentioned he/she doesn't have the best growing conditions at the moment. I love the tent!a ficus should be fine indoors. many people use them as house plants. anyways, I question the reasons for having a tree and hide it in a tent. it is like buying a painting and keeping it in the closet
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
I was about to mention how the ficus looked lonely in the tent by itself, and needs some friends.
Peter.Constantine325
Mame
I. I don’t have any other way of practicing the art of bonsai.
II. Whether or not the grow tent is hideous is purely subjective, just like the beauty of art. I like to think it’s rather sleek in design.
III. I am able to provide my bonsai with optimal humidity without suffocating myself in my apartment.
IV. I love the idea of having an indoor garden, and it’s actually kind of cool to have a dedicated space to my plants inside my apartment. I’ll probably get another grow tent, even bigger, to grow other plants besides bonsai, next year.
V. I plan on getting stands for my trees to put in the living room to display them for guests. Putting them back in the grow tent when they leave.
What’s the point in belittling my gardening?
Peter.Constantine325
Mame
Yes! I’m not sure what to get though. I want them all to be generally the same height. So I have to ask Wigert’s about their other ficus trees to see what would be best. Next month is around the corner. That’s when I order the other five. Right now I’m looking at two more willow leaf and three microcarpa tiger bark with curved trunks. But there’s also ficus exotica and ficus philippinensis.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
I really like Tiger bark ficus, and I have a few from Wigerts. I like the tropicals with aerial roots and I'm trying to grow/create a banyan style tree using some dwarf schefflera trees. Really depends on what you like. Good luck.
This is what I meant in the other thread about understanding soil and all before attempting to make the perfect indoor setup. From my limited experience indoors, that fan is huge compared to the amount of airflow you'd like to have to avoid mildew. If there's a speed control, I'd turn it way down. I use the AC Infinity S7 and related fans all set to low speed.
I don't see anything humidity related, and if so that means all the extra humidity is coming from your tree's soil, which of course dries the soil out. I have sphagnum moss over my soil which allows me to water less frequently, which may or may not help here. Either way, you would rather the soil have moisture than the air only, though both is ideal.
I don't see anything humidity related, and if so that means all the extra humidity is coming from your tree's soil, which of course dries the soil out. I have sphagnum moss over my soil which allows me to water less frequently, which may or may not help here. Either way, you would rather the soil have moisture than the air only, though both is ideal.
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
That tree looks like me in the dead of summer... my wife hates that i have the oscillating fan trained directly on me to sleep at any time the bedroom gets over 75 deg. Full blast. Sounds like a jet engine in our bedroom.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
The tent doesn't need that big of a fan. I would recommend finding a salvaged PC cooling fan instead. The PC cooling fans are much quieter. All you really need in that tent is some air movement and not near gale force wind inside that tent.
Some of the PC cooling fans nowadays have USB wiring. Finding a USB power source is easy, just about any charger power supply will power up the fan.
Some of the PC cooling fans nowadays have USB wiring. Finding a USB power source is easy, just about any charger power supply will power up the fan.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
I really question the need for a humidity tent for ficus. Seems a lot of people get too much humidity with them. Ive kept my ficus inside during the winter and one 18 month period when I couldn't put them outside. I have tables set up in my basement with daylight bulbs on trays just to catch the excess water with no tent at all. Winter is usually pretty low humidity here. They do fine and grow for me.
Honestly I think enough light is the more important factor
Honestly I think enough light is the more important factor
Gabler
Masterpiece
I keep mine in the living room during the winter, and it's pretty dry, but then I'm able to put them outside in the summer for optimal growing conditions. If I had to keep them inside year-round, I'd want a more humid setup with reflective walls to maximize available light.
Peter.Constantine325
Mame
I probably should have gotten the LED light that came with a built in fan. The fan I have now is on its lowest setting. Could I turn it off and on? Like on during the day and off at night? It’s not that loud either. It’s kind of too late to return the light to get the other one. Technically I could, but then I’d have to ask my roommate to put the tree in his room for light. I have a grow light stand setup, but I’m not sure how good it would be as a substitute for the better light made for a grow tent.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
It's all good as is. I just want to point out that you can find a salvaged fan for no money that will work well.
Peter.Constantine325
Mame
It’s not really a humidity tent, it’s a grow tent. And I explained the need for it already, I don’t have any yard or windows with direct sunlight. I also enjoy the very concept of a grow tent, a dedicated space to gardening.
Ficus do like a lot of humidity, they get it in their natural environment. They will probably be a degree healthier for it. And a guy I’m talking to has the exact same setup and trees, and says he has a humidifier in his.
Ficus don’t need as much light as other trees. I was told several times that marijuana needs more light than a ficus. Which, if that is the case, then my trees will get plenty of it.
Peter.Constantine325
Mame
Okay. I’ll look into it.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
As I said, I keep mine in a basement with no windows but under some pretty strong light with no humidifier at all. I don't believe a window alone in the winter gives enough light because the glass will block a lot of it.
Will just have to agree to disagree. I don't believe they need all that much humidity as I've grown ficus from a pencil thin trunk to a 2 inch base under my setup. No tent, no humidifier, just full spectrum lighting, regular watering and fertilizer. I also like being able to see my trees, not having them hidden in a tent.
Peter.Constantine325
Mame
Sure. But a basement tends to have more humidity than an upstairs bedroom. And do they need optimal humidity for growing in general? Probably not. Will it help them in general? Probably, at least a little bit.
And I’ll probably see my trees as often as you will. I don’t hide them at all, I have a dedicated space for gardening that they’re in. I mean, how often do you actually look at your trees? I’ll be looking over my trees twice or more a day. I don’t have to look at them any more than that. And as far as sharing them with guests? I plan on getting stands for the living room to put them on whenever any come over.
Your remark about seeing them and my apparently hiding them seemed a little snide. It’s one thing to have a preference, it’s another to share it in a disparaging way.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
I look at mine every day because I water them every day and every time I walk by their table. I notice things as I walk by a lot. I just don't like the idea of having them in the tent where I can't just see them without having to specifically open the thing. I don't believe the tent is the end-all, be-all for tropicals that some people make it out to be. I've done fine for 10+ years without one.
They are your trees, do what you like.
I don't have to agree, and will do what I like with mine.
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Peter.Constantine325
Mame
I don’t have to open the tent, I just have to open the window. Every time I walk by my tent, I get a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that it’s my garden.
And that’s fine. You don’t have to like the idea. I’m just pointing out that you don’t have to be snide about it either. It was uncalled for, and I think an apology is in order.
