Ideas for indoor bonsai??

[treebeard55]

Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is a temperate-zone tree. It needs a winter rest to stay in good condition. The place where you bought yours must keep them in a greenhouse in order to keep them as green and spiffy-looking as possible, for the eye of potential buyers.

That said, Chinese elm is a classic species for bonsai. Check out the "Elm" forum -- I'm sure you'll find plenty!

 

[rsw]

Hey tanlu,
Check out "indoor bonsai" by Paul Lesniewicz.
It often shows up in the larger bookstores. He has great photos and excellent care descriptions including directional window placement, feeding, soil, and more. Many of these trees I wouldn't dream of keeping indoors but if you're up for the challenge he is a great starting resource.

 

[Jason]

Tanlu,

Consider Jade (Crassula ovata) or the smaller leaved Crassula Portulacaria as an indoor bonsai. Twenty years ago my roomate gave me this little stick like tree (crassula ovata) when we lived in the dorm. It likes light but will pretty much survive winter indoors anywhere and then is put out every summer. It survived undergrad, grad school (it was not pampered), several puppys, two kittens that used to climb it, kids, falling off a deck...It's lived in Wisconsin, MN, WA, and now OR. It blooms most winters (small white and unspectacular flowers), is taller than my five year old, and has a trunk about 4-6 inches in diameter. They start out looking like a houseplant but end up being a tree.

 

[Jason]

This is a super crappy photo of it about three years ago. The photo was taken after it had been indoors for most of the winter (see the big leaves from low light) and my daughters had "accidentally" ripped an entire limb off the tree while I was in Costa Rica. It's now about 3-4 inches taller and the trunk is thicker....This tree never gets any supplemental light and it gets watered in the winter....when I remember. It's the perfect "indoor bonsai" if there is such a thing. The smaller leaved variety is even better. The limb that got ripped off it went into sand and is now 2-3 inches around and has a better branch structure.

 

[milehigh_7]

This is a super crappy photo of it about three years ago. The photo was taken after it had been indoors for most of the winter (see the big leaves from low light) and my daughters had "accidentally" ripped an entire limb off the tree while I was in Costa Rica. It's now about 3-4 inches taller and the trunk is thicker....This tree never gets any supplemental light and it gets watered in the winter....when I remember. It's the perfect "indoor bonsai" if there is such a thing. The smaller leaved variety is even better. The limb that got ripped off it went into sand and is now 2-3 inches around and has a better branch structure.

Love that Jade! Actually seeing huge Jades is one of the thing that started me down my path to bonsai interest. We always had them in our home when I was a kid.

Here is an article for consideration in the discussion. It is entitled:
A Bonsai Close-Up on Indoor Tropical Bonsai in Northeastern Zones
By Pauline F Muth of pfm bonsai studio http://www.pfmbonsai.com/docs/BonsaiInfo/Indoor_Bonsai.pdf

 

[treebeard55]

Dang, Jason! Your kid could almost climb up into that thing to eat her morning snack!

 

[Jason]

Thats probably how the branch got ripped off. I used to have a kitten that used to sit in the top and get the whole tree swaying. I guess it builds character...pruning by young mammals.

 

[Jason]

Blooming