Newbie ready to learn the hard way - apartment living

[ConfusedWoodElf]

I know, I know. I did some browsing already and I see most of the advice is to grow your trees outside year-round, or at least as often as possible. But... I want to try.

I don't have a porch or balcony, I'm in zone 5a, and I'm also limited in my tree options by what won't poison my cats (bolding for emphasis, not in a shouty way). Obviously I'll be putting any sort of tree I get somewhere the cats won't have easy access to, but I want to play it safe.

But I do have a south-facing window I can open and place a tropical in during the summer, a grow light (this one, I know it's cheap, I'm open to recommendations), a willingness to buy a small fan and to mist daily, and the spot I've picked out is right next to my 36 gallon aquarium, which is heated and thus experiences quite a bit of evaporation. I'll probably place the fan in such a way that it's blowing the humid air onto the tree. Additionally, I anticipate only being in this apartment for 2 or 3 more years. So of course, ideally, my next place has a balcony/porch/etc.

I don't have a tree yet. Right now the best species candidate I've found is a Vietnamese blue bell. Sadly there isn't much information that I can find, but they seem to be similar to Ficus, and as a bonus aren't poisonous to cats (whereas Ficus are mildly so). I would love other recommendations.

Again, I know my situation is far below the ideal, but I want to give this hobby a shot. I find a great deal of comfort in long-term projects like this, as well as caring for other living things. As I said, I have a 36 gallon tropical aquarium. Bonsai seems like a really promising thing for me, as it combines both of those. I'm also familiar with how long-term projects sometimes go south. Sometimes VERY far south. So I'm ready as I'll ever be to try this out.

Thanks in advance.

 

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

vietnamese blue bells are probably gonna require more light than can be provided via a window. while a sunny day through a window can look very bright to human eyes, but the window glass itself blocks a majority of the outdoor light from getting in

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Do your cats nibble and eat other plants? I have two cats and dont worry much about them biting or trying to eat my plants because theyve never gone after the plants to begin with. Ficus or shefflera are always good inside tree options.

 

[Lilliput]

You could try a Portulacaria Afra. Safe to eat for humans and pets. Won't mind the dry air inside either. My favourite is the Lilliput variety, as it has even smaller leaves and grows very good for me indoors. I have most of mine outside during the warmer months, but have kept some indoors year round just for fun. They grow very good under a cheap Sansi grow light, in a bright window. Growing some plants indoors for bonsai can be done, they would just grow better outdoors. Check out TexasDwarfJade on Instagram for inspiration, he grows his indoors year round as I understand it.

Good luck!

 

[minkes]

When I lived at flat I successfully grew Ficuses, Portulacaria, Crassulla, Gardenia and Murraya. But I always moved them to the balcony in summer what was big booster for them. Safe is probably only Portulacaria as mentioned above. In fact I tried to eat cutted leaves and am still alive . Now I have garden so I am focused at outdoor species.

 

[GSCarlson]

Have you considered a grow tent? This one is 2’x2’x4’. You can fit a lot in it. My cat sleeps on top of it, it’s the warmest place in our apartment.

 

[Themilkyway]

I second a portulacaria afra. It is very beginner friendly, very hardy, very forgiving if you miss a few watering and very straight forward with shaping/pruning patterns. It will also do very well indoors.

Practice with this while you learn and read up on more bonsai basics so that when you eventually get a backyard, you can be more ready to dive into bonsai then.

It is also very easy to propagate them which can be a fun/rewarding side hobby for later. They can grow relatively fast under the right conditions. I like to propagate them and give them away to people/friends who are interested in getting into bonsai.

Welcome to the hobby. Hope you enjoy

 

[_#1_]

Hmm ports are edible. The entire plant is soft including the trunk. If a cat, or dog decides to take a nibble, the whole plant might disappear lol

Just a thought

 

[ShadyStump]

I'll chime in with ficus again.

Ficus macrocarpa is very commonly used for bonsai, and can adapt to indoor conditions, though definitely prefer outdoors whenever possible.

Focus benjamina is the more common houseplant species of ficus, and adapts very well (relatively speaking) to life indoors. As far as bonsai subjects, they certainly have their shortcomings, but can be loads of fun for hobbyists and beginners.
I have one that has lived mostly indoors from the time I bought it as a little seedling, at one point on my desk at work with nothing but a cheap grow bulb in a desk lamp for light. They really are surprisingly adaptable trees, and have my full recommendation for a beginner tree and an indoor tree where it's needed.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Another option: just grow catnip elsewhere in the apartment... the cat will never come anywhere near undesireable plants.

 

[Paradox]

Dont think you need a grow tent but I do think you'll need supplemental lighting.

Invest in a good LED plant light setup for indoor bonsai, perhaps a decorative shelving unit with lights. A few people here have them for tropicals in the winter

Stick to tropical species
Ficus is probably your best bet
Imo, willow leaf are a good variety

 

[ConfusedWoodElf]

Hmm ports are edible. The entire plant is soft including the trunk. If a cat, or dog decides to take a nibble, the whole plant might disappear lol

Just a thought

Yeah this thought occurred to me too, actually. Plants develop toxins for a reason, after all... Might be best for everyone if I get something mildly toxic as a natural deterrent, strangely.

Do your cats nibble and eat other plants? I have two cats and dont worry much about them biting or trying to eat my plants because theyve never gone after the plants to begin with. Ficus or shefflera are always good inside tree options.

I've only had these two cats for about a year now, and just due to paranoia from experiences with past cats, I haven't risked keeping plants with them yet. So I honestly don't know, beyond an incident with the older one involving a nibbled orchid.

You could try a Portulacaria Afra. Safe to eat for humans and pets. Won't mind the dry air inside either. My favourite is the Lilliput variety, as it has even smaller leaves and grows very good for me indoors. I have most of mine outside during the warmer months, but have kept some indoors year round just for fun. They grow very good under a cheap Sansi grow light, in a bright window. Growing some plants indoors for bonsai can be done, they would just grow better outdoors. Check out TexasDwarfJade on Instagram for inspiration, he grows his indoors year round as I understand it.

Good luck!

I saw P. afra mentioned in my research but I'm honestly not suuuper crazy about the large-leaved succulent look. However, I didn't know about the Lilliput variety!

I'll chime in with ficus again.

Ficus macrocarpa is very commonly used for bonsai, and can adapt to indoor conditions, though definitely prefer outdoors whenever possible.

Focus benjamina is the more common houseplant species of ficus, and adapts very well (relatively speaking) to life indoors. As far as bonsai subjects, they certainly have their shortcomings, but can be loads of fun for hobbyists and beginners.
I have one that has lived mostly indoors from the time I bought it as a little seedling, at one point on my desk at work with nothing but a cheap grow bulb in a desk lamp for light. They really are surprisingly adaptable trees, and have my full recommendation for a beginner tree and an indoor tree where it's needed.

That's good to hear some Ficus will at least tolerate indoor conditions, lol. I'll dive back into research on them.

vietnamese blue bells are probably gonna require more light than can be provided via a window. while a sunny day through a window can look very bright to human eyes, but the window glass itself blocks a majority of the outdoor light from getting in

Noted! I do really love how they look but perhaps it's best if I wait on getting one in that case.

Thank you to everyone who responded, even those I didn't reply to directly! I think what I'll do is get a P. afra Lilliput and a Ficus of some kind. Again I'm obviously going to keep the trees somewhere out of reach, but in the worst case scenario no one except the P. afra is going to be in serious danger. Like I said at the start, plants develop toxins and things to make them taste bad for a reason, and perhaps it's best if I take advantage of that (within reason).

 

[Orion_metalhead]

P afra leaves are absolutely tiny...the larger leaves are the crassula ovata.

 

[ConfusedWoodElf]

On a related note, considering my location (Minnesota) and the time of year, when would it be smartest for me to order a tree? Or, rather, how high should the nighttime temps get before I consider ordering anything? Heat packs only do so much, and even with the "heat wave" we're getting next week, the high is only going to be 41 F/5 C and the warmest low will be 25 F/-4 C.

Should I be waiting until late February? March? Even into April?

 

[Carol 83]

P afra leaves are absolutely tiny...the larger leaves are the crassula ovata.

True but Lilliput are even smaller.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Window planter boxes may be an option.

 

[19Mateo83]

P afra leaves are absolutely tiny...the larger leaves are the crassula ovata.

And crassula ovata is absolutely toxic to pets.

 

[Themilkyway]

On a related note, considering my location (Minnesota) and the time of year, when would it be smartest for me to order a tree? Or, rather, how high should the nighttime temps get before I consider ordering anything? Heat packs only do so much, and even with the "heat wave" we're getting next week, the high is only going to be 41 F/5 C and the warmest low will be 25 F/-4 C.

Should I be waiting until late February? March? Even into April?

I would just check your local nursery for any first.

But if you want to order it, I wouldnt worry about it unless you wont be at home to receive it immediately. Like I said, they are very hardy and a few days in a box shouldn't be too bad.

 

[Oddly_Aude]

Everyone here has given great advice and I'd just like to second the suggestion of a growlight. Mine has worked wonders on my indoor tropical bonsais.

I would recommend researching them first if you do decide to go supplemental lighting route. Not all are created equal, and Amazon is flooded with a bunch of barely functioning ones!

 

[rockm]

I had a chance

On a related note, considering my location (Minnesota) and the time of year, when would it be smartest for me to order a tree? Or, rather, how high should the nighttime temps get before I consider ordering anything? Heat packs only do so much, and even with the "heat wave" we're getting next week, the high is only going to be 41 F/5 C and the warmest low will be 25 F/-4 C.

Should I be waiting until late February? March? Even into April?

If you want a live plant, I'd wait until April. A "cold snap" now is 8 F here in N. Va for three nights in a row. Supposed to "warm" up to mid teens to low 20's, still enough to kill a tropical in a box in a truck for a day or more or waiting on a front porch for a few hours. Minnesota cold is exponentially colder than here.