Newbie--help me with my indoor grow setup please!

Paradox said:
I was gona say, why are you misting them, just get a watering can and water them when they need it...lol
I would also stop misting them every day.
Elms do not need a humidity tray and I would say that too much humidity and misting could be part of your leaf problem if the humidity is that high. Mold is an indicator of too much moisture.
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I dont have a watering can tbh lol. Will tap water hurt them? I could always just take them down to my sink and just the spray nozzle attachment on my faucet to water them. I've been using dechlorinated water, I wasn't sure if tap was okay for them or not. Tomorrow when the desk fan comes I will dump all the pebbles out and dry out the bottom of the tub and then just put the trees back in on the bare bottom. I know you all hate the tub but I need something to prop the legs of the light onto, but I think having a fan blow on the trees 24/7 will make sure there's not much humidity hanging in the tub.
 
Aquaticjade said:
I dont have a watering can tbh lol. Will tap water hurt them? I could always just take them down to my sink and just the spray nozzle attachment on my faucet to water them. I've been using dechlorinated water, I wasn't sure if tap was okay for them or not. Tomorrow when the desk fan comes I will dump all the pebbles out and dry out the bottom of the tub and then just put the trees back in on the bare bottom. I know you all hate the tub but I need something to prop the legs of the light onto, but I think having a fan blow on the trees 24/7 will make sure there's not much humidity hanging in the tub.
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Then use a measuring cup from your cupboard, or a cup, it doesnt matter and no tap water wont hurt them. I have close to 50 trees outside that get watered from a hose every day that is tap water from our public water system so its chlorinated. They have been watered that way for years with no ill effects. If you want to lift the pots up onto something so they drain, you can use just about anything. I use little ceramic tiles under my pots for my tropicals when I put them in my basement for the winter so the pots dont sit in water.
 
Aquaticjade said:
I dont have a watering can tbh lol. Will tap water hurt them? I could always just take them down to my sink and just the spray nozzle attachment on my faucet to water them. I've been using dechlorinated water, I wasn't sure if tap was okay for them or not. Tomorrow when the desk fan comes I will dump all the pebbles out and dry out the bottom of the tub and then just put the trees back in on the bare bottom. I know you all hate the tub but I need something to prop the legs of the light onto, but I think having a fan blow on the trees 24/7 will make sure there's not much humidity hanging in the tub.
Click to expand...
An empty water bottle with some holes punched in the cap works well for watering, but, yeah, anything that'll put water on them will work. Don't over think it.

After @Tums calculations (Thanks, btw! I know just enough about lights to feel confident experimenting on my own trees, but no one else's.) I can see you needing another supplemental light in the future if the funds become available, but you'll be able to get a start from where you're at. If you have room near a window, or even in a room that's usually well light much of the day. It all adds up, and none of it can hurt.
 
ShadyStump said:
An empty water bottle with some holes punched in the cap works well for watering, but, yeah, anything that'll put water on them will work. Don't over think it.

After @Tums calculations (Thanks, btw! I know just enough about lights to feel confident experimenting on my own trees, but no one else's.) I can see you needing another supplemental light in the future if the funds become available, but you'll be able to get a start from where you're at. If you have room near a window, or even in a room that's usually well light much of the day. It all adds up, and none of it can hurt.
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I haven't been growing for too long but I also keep cacti and succulents without much natural light. Based on my experience/reading, I think 10k lux for shade plants, 30k for part sun plants, and 50k for full sun plants should get pretty good growth. This is more than what would be necessary to just maintain the elms though.

Indoor growing and trying to control all the variables is a huge rabbit hole honestly, it's a big stress reliever in May/June when I can eject all my plants outside and just water them with the hose instead.
 
Paradox said:
I use little ceramic tiles under my pots for my tropicals when I put them in my basement for the winter so the pots dont sit in water.
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I used upside down humidity trays I had in my office to protect the window sill to keep my trees up out of the water. Sure beats having to take all the trees out, dump the big trays and put them back, which defeats the purpose of having the trays in the first place.
 
Carol 83 said:
I used upside down humidity trays I had in my office to protect the window sill. Sure beats having to take all the trees out, dump the trays and put them back, which defeats the purpose of having the trays in the first place.
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So you worked out about 8k lux, which may be just enough to keep the trees alive with everything else being perfect.
So another or brighter light will be needed, though I think we have more wiggle room there.

I have an LED bulb that goes up to 27.9 PAR in a thrift store desk lamp for my tree at work. No idea how that translates to to lux, but things like that can help cut cost when it's time. A good bulb cost me as much as all the rest of my setup put together, but it's worthwhile.
 
Carol 83 said:
I used upside down humidity trays I had in my office to protect the window sill to keep my trees up out of the water. Sure beats having to take all the trees out, dump the big trays and put them back, which defeats the purpose of having the trays in the first place.
Click to expand...


My tropicals sit in big trays where I keep them for the winter. I put the pots on the tiles in the trays so they dont sit in the water.
I water each tree until it comes out of the bottom and I never have to dump out excess water, it evaporates before the next day.

This picture is from one of the earliest years I had my tropicals. The trays I use are much bigger now than what is pictured

June 2015_small.jpg

I use these trays now

www.greenhousemegastore.com

Garland Standard Garden Tray Black

The Garland Standard Garden Tray in Blackis a robust and versatile gardening accessory designed to cater to various planting needs. Its sturdy construction from recycled polypropylene ensures durability, while its spacious design makes it an ideal choice for cultivating wheatgrass, fodder...
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ShadyStump said:
So you worked out about 8k lux, which may be just enough to keep the trees alive with everything else being perfect.
So another or brighter light will be needed, though I think we have more wiggle room there.

I have an LED bulb that goes up to 27.9 PAR in a thrift store desk lamp for my tree at work. No idea how that translates to to lux, but things like that can help cut cost when it's time. A good bulb cost me as much as all the rest of my setup put together, but it's worthwhile.
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Wrong person?
 
Paradox said:
My tropicals sit in big trays where I keep them for the winter. I put the pots on the tiles in the trays so they dont sit in the water.
I water each tree until it comes out of the bottom and I never have to dump out excess water, it evaporates before the next day.

This picture is from one of the earliest years I had my tropicals. The trays I use are much bitter now than what is pictured

View attachment 399118
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I guess I didn't explain myself well. I use the Bootstrap farmer 10" by 20" trays. I set the upside down humidity trays in the big trays. Even thought the trays have ridges inside, they aren't deep enough to keep the trees out of the water.
 
I actually like the idea of having an enclosure with plants and animals in it. I kept bearded dragons in my dry(no running water) Alaskan cabin for almost 10 years and repeatedly tried to grow edible plants in my beardies enclosure. I never had much success though because they destroyed everything I put in there. They ate faster than the plants could grow in an arid environment, crushed and pooped on everything. I eventually just stopped keeping live plants in there.

I guess that I got a little off topic there.

I was just wondering how OP was going to deal with dormancy since they can't drop the temp and light for the whole enclosure since the main concern are the newts.
 
berzerkules said:
I actually like the idea of having an enclosure with plants and animals in it. I kept bearded dragons in my dry(no running water) Alaskan cabin for almost 10 years and repeatedly tried to grow edible plants in my beardies enclosure. I never had much success though because they destroyed everything I put in there. They ate faster than the plants could grow in an arid environment, crushed and pooped on everything. I eventually just stopped keeping live plants in there.

I guess that I got a little off topic there.

I was just wondering how OP was going to deal with dormancy since they can't drop the temp and light for the whole enclosure since the main concern are the newts.
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It seems to be a split audience on whether or not these particular elms require winter dormancy to survive. There isn't too much available on the internet about this part specifically but I've found a website or two saying these can be kept evergreen all year. Sorry to the experts if evergreen is the wrong technical term lol I mean no offense if it is. I'm going to attempt to keep them in full light year round. As for the success of my project, that's TBD. So far it seems like once I recover from covid I'm going to try and move the trees over near a window, so they can get some natural light in conjunction with my LED. I'm going to either move them out of the tub altogether and onto a tray, or at the very lease remove the pebbles and water from the tub. Put a fan blowing gently on the trees for ventilation and to keep excess humidity down. I cant hang my light from the ceiling, so trying to find a way to prop the light up above the trees without having the walls of the tub is going to be my challenge. It would be much simpler if I didn't have mischievous cats.....I need to ensure they can't get into the trees where I set them up, hence why I was using a tub to begin with.
 
Big laundry basket?
Ventilated on the sides, solid on the bottom, and then set the light on top like you did with the tub.
 
I'm located in the Pittsburgh area, not sure if anyone on here knows of a club?
 
One of the oddest corners of the bonsai world is the Anti-Indoor Bonsai Bros.

People have been growing trees inside for decades.

It’s not that complicated.

It’s not for everyone, but man, you mention indoor bonsai and the Bonsai Bros come at you.

Lol. Relax.

She’s not curing cancer, here, just tryin to grow some trees.


✌🏻❤️🌲
 
PeaceLoveBonsai said:
One of the oddest corners of the bonsai world is the Anti-Indoor Bonsai Bros.

People have been growing trees inside for decades.

It’s not that complicated.

It’s not for everyone, but man, you mention indoor bonsai and the Bonsai Bros come at you.

Lol. Relax.

She’s not curing cancer, here, just tryin to grow some trees.


✌🏻❤️🌲F
Click to expand...
Oh for crying out loud...It is complicated, particularly if you haven't done bonsai before (As this poster hasn't) Name three people who have been successfully growing bonsai for a decade inside...five years...I'll wait

A
 
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