Office Bonsai - Safest/Healthiest way to go?

[martinszos]

Hi friends,

First off, let me start by saying that this community has helped me learn so much about my existing trees, and I figured it was about time to start contributing rather than lurking. Anyway.... onto the ugly question. I have recently relocated and am in a new office which is central in the office and thus has no natural lighting/windows. At my former office, I had a couple of tropical plants growing on my window sill which are now stuck in the house, however I'd love to bring some living green into the new office. Generally speaking, it's frowned upon to have Bonsai growing strictly under artificial light, but I'm curious if there's a SAFE and HEALTHY way of growing. I'd imagine I'll need something in the juniper family as it's more resilient to temperature changes overnight due to climate control being turned off, and I would be able to bring the tree(s) home over the weekend to ensure they are able to get at least some sort of natural light (I was planning on letting them sit outside on the patio when home, but I'm worried with my climate it might mess with it's dormancy?)

Thank you all in advance for any suggestions.

<3 M

 

[TN_Jim]

juniper must be outside

there are many places on the web and elsewhere that promote “indoor bonsai”...you should be very weary of where you are getting your information as many such places don’t care if your plant lives or dies...only that you buy it

that’s not to say it’s impossible, but make sure you have good source material..
check this out:
http://bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_Indoor.html

 

[Cajunrider]

I'm growing a few things in my office right now under grow light. They got 9 hrs of normal office light while I work and 10 hours of grow lights and 5 hours of darkness when I'm not there. I'm in an office without any windows. These plants are my escape.

 

[martinszos]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your reply, I'm asking here as I trust this communities opinions a bit more than random google searches, I read around on this forum for some tips and tricks as well and have gotten a wealth of information so I do apologize for the redundant post.

Thank for as well for the resource, I've got some reading to do. I was leaning more towards a Jade or a Ficus as their temperament would match my environment a bit better for a strictly indoor plant, I just wanted to throw the Juniper example in there to show that I'm willing to put in the work of bringing it home when it needs some love. If this is something that can remain strictly indoor with a grow light, I will have to build a raspberry pi to ensure temperature and watering remains consistent over weekends/business trips.

Regards,

-M

 

[martinszos]

I'm growing a few things in my office right now under grow light. They got 9 hrs of normal office light while I work and 10 hours of grow lights and 5 hours of darkness when I'm not there. I'm in an office without any windows. These plants are my escape.

If you don't mind my asking, what species are you growing? And are you able to post some pictures as well as a timeline for how long you've had them under these conditions? I'm working with regular office lighting (those atrocious basket lights) and I'm not able to tell their spectrum so I'm hesitant to rely on those for the trees.

Thank you,

-M

 

[Cajunrider]

If you don't mind my asking, what species are you growing? And are you able to post some pictures as well as a timeline for how long you've had them under these conditions? I'm working with regular office lighting (those atrocious basket lights) and I'm not able to tell their spectrum so I'm hesitant to rely on those for the trees.

Thank you,

-M

I've got a Ficus retusa for a while now. I'm testing out an desert rose and a tiny bald cypress forest. I know the last two may be tough to do. I may need better grow light and increasing the number of hours of light. By the way I will not have grow lights on during the time I'm in my office. My grow light is a cheap Red & Blue LED grow light bought from Amazon. It has served me well with my ficus.

 

[BrianBay9]

Ficus and Schefflera are your best bets. Give them as much light as you can. They won't do as well as they would outside, but they can do OK with window light. They can do better than OK with some significant supplemental lighting.

 

[martinszos]

Ficus and Schefflera are your best bets. Give them as much light as you can. They won't do as well as they would outside, but they can do OK with window light. They can do better than OK with some significant supplemental lighting.

As I mentioned in the original post, unfortunately in the office environment the plants will never receive natural light, but be strictly relying on a grow lamp

Thank you!

-M

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

How about this?

 

[martinszos]

How about this?

Maybe if the moss was wire too

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Agree with ficus and scheff.

 

[substratum]

Decades ago, I worked in a government office, under fluorescent lights, and no natural light. The lights were generally on from about 7 AM until 10 or 11 PM, when the janitorial crew signed off. Several of us had plants in the office. I had dish gardens, with mostly tropicals, others had pots of Wandering Jew and succulents suspended from the ceiling, and others had ficus, Easter lily, cactus, etc. The plants did OK in that light, and grew slowly. I had to repot my dish gardens every couple of years, and the hanging pots were really only trimmed when leaves browned. I didn't pay much attention to the ficus trees and other plants because they were not in offices I frequented.

At one point, the deputy secretary of the agency, who was a bit of a health nut - including environmental health, obtained a truckload of full-spectrum fluorescent tubes, because he read about the health benefits (upon humans) of using these lights - and overnight they were installed. The effect upon the plants was amazing. The hanging plants quickly became lush and started growing a couple of feet per month, and my dish gardens got lush and doubled in size in just a few months. The change in light was discernible to us for the first few days, but once we got used to it, it looked essentially the same. Obviously, the type of light makes worlds of difference.

 

[TN_Jim]

If I were going to do this it would likely be with ficus and quality lamp as @Cajunrider (I am fascinated with bald cypress forest??). Im curious too about other mentioned species.

Regarding taking home on weekends etc...I’d be weary of this.
My experience is that plants don’t like to be moved around that often.

An alternative perhaps could be to get two or three and alternate them annually, allowing one or two to grow outside through warmer months....this would mix it up, help insure the health of your trees as they develop, and allow you to troubleshoot any potential problems over time (like having an experimental control).

 

[rockm]

Stick with ficus or schefflera. Most reliable and least disappointing--although there is a sliding scale of disappointment with indoor bonsai. All "indoor" species are, ultimately, disappointing as bonsai in the long run if all they get is weak indoor lighting and no direct sun or heat. Some are just less disappointing than others.

 

[Cajunrider]

If I were going to do this it would likely be with ficus and quality lamp as @Cajunrider (I am fascinated with bald cypress forest??). Im curious too about other mentioned species.

Regarding taking home on weekends etc...I’d be weary of this.
My experience is that plants don’t like to be moved around that often.

An alternative perhaps could be to get two or three and alternate them annually, allowing one or two to grow outside through warmer months....this would mix it up, help insure the health of your trees as they develop, and allow you to troubleshoot any potential problems over time (like having an experimental control).

I may not take them home on weekend. The desert rose and the ficus can tolerate a weekend without water and the BC forest tolerate wet feet so I can just fill the pot with water like I do with my outdoor BCs.

My BCs are very tolerant of my travel. I can fill my pots with water and be gone for two weeks without issues.

 

[martinszos]

If I were going to do this it would likely be with ficus and quality lamp as @Cajunrider (I am fascinated with bald cypress forest??). Im curious too about other mentioned species.

Regarding taking home on weekends etc...I’d be weary of this.
My experience is that plants don’t like to be moved around that often.

An alternative perhaps could be to get two or three and alternate them annually, allowing one or two to grow outside through warmer months....this would mix it up, help insure the health of your trees as they develop, and allow you to troubleshoot any potential problems over time (like having an experimental control).

Thank you! In terms of a quality lamp (i'm a complete noob to indoor growing of anything besides vegetables) would LED suffice? Or should I look more towards the CFL/HPS route? I'm not exactly opposed to controlling the climate myself if necessary, but I would need some recommendations on what equipment you would suggest for this.

Stick with ficus or schefflera. Most reliable and least disappointing--although there is a sliding scale of disappointment with indoor bonsai. All "indoor" species are, ultimately, disappointing as bonsai in the long run if all they get is weak indoor lighting and no direct sun or heat. Some are just less disappointing than others.

Would it be possible to mimic a "perfect" environment with humidity/heat control as well as a full spectrum grow light?


Edit: Alternatively, I could even go so far as to build a desktop greenhouse to help it get through its necessary life cycles as it would outside. Not even sure if such a thing exists?

 

[TN_Jim]

Terrarium!!? Now you’ve gone mad!!! <~definitely going to need follow up pics on that one

amazon led and ficus is a good start....the rabbit hole¡!...you’re gonna end up with frogs in there!!!

 

[Cajunrider]

Terrarium!!? Now you’ve gone mad!!! <~definitely going to need follow up pics on that one

amazon led and ficus is a good start....the rabbit hole¡!...you’re gonna end up with frogs in there!!!

I love doing Hòn non bộ. Did one in the past with a fake mountain and a pond on one side with plants, fish, and all. Definitely doable with grow lights.

But.... whatever you do, don't do frogs. They are terrible. They bred too much and you have tad poles everywhere. Massive population that wreak havoc on the delicate balance of the ecology of a terrarium. If you keep an adult frog, you have to feed it so often it's no fun.

 

[martinszos]

Terrarium!!? Now you’ve gone mad!!! <~definitely going to need follow up pics on that one

amazon led and ficus is a good start....the rabbit hole¡!...you’re gonna end up with frogs in there!!!

I do have a couple terrariums at the house, I always thought it'd be awesome to have a completely self sustaining ecosystem with a bonsai thrown in the mix.... definitely way out of my level of experience, but I may have to roll with a sacrificial tree and see if it's possible

I love doing Hòn non bộ. Did one in the past with a fake mountain and a pond on one side with plants, fish, and all. Definitely doable with grow lights.

But.... whatever you do, don't do frogs. They are terrible. They bred too much and you have tad poles everywhere. Massive population that wreak havoc on the delicate balance of the ecology of a terrarium. If you keep an adult frog, you have to feed it so often it's no fun.

Definitely no frogs. I have a terrarium that has a fish tank underneath it (very small, only 1 Betta fish in there). Do you have any photos of your attempt? I'd love to get some inspiration.

 

[rockm]

Thank you! In terms of a quality lamp (i'm a complete noob to indoor growing of anything besides vegetables) would LED suffice? Or should I look more towards the CFL/HPS route? I'm not exactly opposed to controlling the climate myself if necessary, but I would need some recommendations on what equipment you would suggest for this.



Would it be possible to mimic a "perfect" environment with humidity/heat control as well as a full spectrum grow light?


Edit: Alternatively, I could even go so far as to build a desktop greenhouse to help it get through its necessary life cycles as it would outside. Not even sure if such a thing exists?

You could spend a fortune doing all that and still come up with a mediocre or worse bonsai. Unless you plunk down the considerable cash for high-end lighting systems (no a single lamp probably isn't enough) you're not going to come anywhere near the high-intensity sunlight that "indoor" tropical species have in their native ranges. Consider what you're going to be paying to make a "perfect" environment for a $15-$40 tree...

There are plenty of people that can make pretty decent bonsai indoors, but they tend to be experienced bonsai people who understand the intricacies of what their trees require. Indoor bonsai is a very technical undertaking if you want decent trees.

As you might be able to tell, I am not an indoor bonsai person. I was when I began, but it took me about ten years to realize "outdoor" trees are easier, less finicky and more satisfying (and less expensive) than "indoor" bonsai.

It's worth noting that there are no "indoor" plants. Only plants that can tolerate being kept inside houses for any length of time. Bonsai in its countries of origins have never been kept inside...