Suggest an indoor evergreen or conifer to stay under lights

[Paradox]

@ShadyStump -- just a thought (without experience to back it) -- if/when light is the only issue to manage, could you rotate several trees, so that they all stay healthy while you still get to enjoy each on the shelf for a couple of days?

This is the best idea imo if you want to have a permanent display inside.
Rotate trees in and out for a few days at a time and only allow each tree to be inside up to 5-6 days per month but only 3-4 days at a time.
Would need a few trees to do that though.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@ShadyStump - you have gotten some good ideas from others. It is possible. Ignore nay sayers.
Actually @Paradox has the best suggestion, rotate trees through this display space.

About 365 days under lights. The person who they were thinking of was Jack Wilke, of Michigan (west suburbs of Detroit). He grew juniper procumbens in a LOW TECH set up.. Fancy grow lights had not been invented, yet when the article appeared in ABS magazine. He used 40 watt fluorescent shop lights, the then $12 fixture. 48 inch tubes, 2 fixtures, so 4 tubes hanging over his shelf. He hung the tubes to be within an inch or so of the foliage of the junipers. His set up was in a basement. I attached the pdf of Jack Wilke's original article.

 

[HorseloverFat]

@ShadyStump - you have gotten some good ideas from others. It is possible. Ignore nay sayers.
Actually @Paradox has the best suggestion, rotate trees through this display space.

About 365 days under lights. The person who they were thinking of was Jack Wilke, of Michigan (west suburbs of Detroit). He grew juniper procumbens in a LOW TECH set up.. Fancy grow lights had not been invented, yet when the article appeared in ABS magazine. He used 40 watt fluorescent shop lights, the then $12 fixture. 48 inch tubes, 2 fixtures, so 4 tubes hanging over his shelf. He hung the tubes to be within an inch or so of the foliage of the junipers. His set up was in a basement. I attached the pdf of Jack Wilke's original article.

That is an AWESOME article!!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@ShadyStump

Just wanted to say, Juniper procumbens is a definitel possibility. Also look at Nashia inaguensis - the Bahama tea berry, or the "I dry, I die" plant. Mary Madison gave it that nick name. Its in the Verbena family, wonderfully fragrant foliage, but intolerant of drying out.

For pines, rotating stock through the display area is your best bet.

Remember any tree that is wintering outdoors, in below freezing, when brought in for display, as little as 24 hours at 70 F will undo its winter hardiness adaptations. Returning a hardy tree back outdoors after a warm spell indoors can leave it susceptible to freeze damage. If you have an area that stays barely above freezing, like a attached garage, or in my case I use a well house. Trees can come from unprotected outdoors, into your display are for a few days to few weeks, then to the slightly above freezing storage area until safe to go out in spring. Example, Milwaukee Bonsai Society has a winter silhouette show, in February. All trees displayed are then stored in an above freezing greenhouse until safe to go outside.

Another example, from the blueberry farm I used to own in Michigan. Highbush blueberries are normally hardy to -23 F for vegetative buds and -18 F for flower buds. We had a January warm spell, one day hit +60 F for a few hours. About 48 hours later it was down to +0 F, cold but well inside "official hardiness limits", across the state, that spring many of the Michigan farms had near total crop loss, as 70% to 90% of the flower buds had been killed. Reason was the few hours of 60 F destroyed the winter hardiness of the buds.

So keep this effect in mind when rotating stock through your display area.

If you were to try and limp through a winter a pine, the JBP has a better chance of surviving than most, because it is a sub-tropical pine, and is not as dependent on a cold winter to get growing again in spring.

Citrus, in particular kumquat and other more "bonsai friendly" varieties might be a good change up from Ficus.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[ShadyStump]

All great thoughts, folks!
I'm not hard fast to an actual conifer, though it would be nice. Something that resembles one enough will suffice. Someone else mentioned rosemary, too. Might look into it more.

The little juniper I got over the weekend, I have no clue what it is, but if it is a procumbens that'd be cool. It's all juvenile foliage, so I'm having issues identifying it. It is a crappy mass produced for bonsai noobs import, probably from China. Impulse buy that I totally should've saved the money for something more important. The crappy pot I got cost less than the tree.

My only issue with rotating trees is that they would have to be shohin in order to fit that spot, and I just can't keep up on many of those right now. One that's right in front of my face while doing dishes every night, though, no problem. Therapeutic even.

 

[Flowerhouse]

Why not a 19" digital photo frame with a slide show of favorite bonsai/penjing images? Then you could put your horticultural efforts and $$ elsewhere.

 

[rockm]

I have, apparently, the only kitchen sink in the western world without a window to look out while doing dishes. In stead there is a plain gray painted wall.
I find this unacceptable.

I want to install a small shelf and keep a little shohin there. Maybe a landscape painting behind it. There is a 4 bulb light fixture on that wall, like is often found above the sinks in bathrooms. I was thinking of replacing 1 or 2 bulbs with grow bulbs.
Here's what it is.
View attachment 407175

Here's the tough part.
I'd like something resembling the native flora here in southern Colorado, but that's going to be tough. It's a semi-arid climate, dominated by piñon juniper woodlands. Sunburns on lightly overcast days are not unheard of here. A juniper of some sort seems nice, but I'm not sure it'll work. I've pretty much nixed pines of any sort.

I have lots of ficus already, but I don't want that for this project. I bought a little mass produced juniper over the weekend, but it's already unhappy it looks, so I'm not sure I can make it work with anything less than the brightest lights burning 20 hours a day.
Doesn't have to be a conifer, that just feels right.

Any suggestions on trees or other problem solvers welcomed.
Thanks!

Edit: And dear God, don't tell me it's not possible! If I wanted to give up before even trying, would I have posted this? I like trying stupid, impossible things on occasion.

This is a very tall order. FWIW, I've tried what you're trying to do, waay back when I first started. Gave up on it as it was too expensive and plants kept dying. The most success I had was with a shohin boxwood. Lasted a year or so-but the final couple of months it was pretty pathetic looking.

 

[River's Edge]

I have kept Kingsville Boxwood indoors successfully with little extra lighting. Evergreen. But it is happier outside! The first year I had it, I was concerned about the winter in a new location and so moved it indoors without extra lighting. It did fine. On that basis I would give it a try if you feel like experimenting. Small size, bright green color, small leaves will not outgrow the location

 

[ShadyStump]

I have kept Kingsville Boxwood indoors successfully with little extra lighting. Evergreen. But it is happier outside! The first year I had it, I was concerned about the winter in a new location and so moved it indoors without extra lighting. It did fine. On that basis I would give it a try if you feel like experimenting. Small size, bright green color, small leaves will not outgrow the location

I'll look it up. Thanks!

This is a very tall order. FWIW, I've tried what you're trying to do, waay back when I first started. Gave up on it as it was too expensive and plants kept dying. The most success I had was with a shohin boxwood. Lasted a year or so-but the final couple of months it was pretty pathetic looking.

Not going to argue.
But how cool would it be if I found a way to succeed?
I figure if I've managed the loss of as many trees as I already have, I can manage the messiness of a more planned and potentially productive experiment.

BTW, here's the tree I got on Sunday. Any idea exactly what species?

I fully accept this may not be the tree.
Been keeping it outside with my other trees during the day and bringing it in at night to prevent it going dormant before it's recovered from it's bone dry soil I found it in, and in case it could be the one.

 

[ShadyStump]

Why not a 19" digital photo frame with a slide show of favorite bonsai/penjing images? Then you could put your horticultural efforts and $$ elsewhere.

Um, no.
To quote Bruce Lee, Don't fear failure. Not failure but low aim is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.

Or one from Catch 22. He had determined to live forever or die in the attempt.
However that applies.

I do appreciate the concern behind the suggestion, though.

 

[Underdog]

Looks like Procumbens you got

 

[ShadyStump]

Looks like Procumbens you got

It'd be super convenient.
LeafSnap app gives me chinensis as the top choice, but then a whole bunch of, "no, that's not it at all," for the rest of the possibilities. It's confused by the juvenile foliage just like I am I think.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

Any idea exactly what species?

I'm pretty sure that's a Juniperus Procumbens Nana.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

My vote also is for Juniper procumbens.

Another one to consider, the "florist's azalea" these are hybrids (Belgium or other similar) where they have the more tropical Rhododendron simsii in the background, The "tropical" parent was to make forcing blooms very easy with minimal temperature change. For 10 years or more I had one that I would grow outdoors in summer, and grow under lights with my orchids in winter. Also the suggestion of boxwood I second as a good one. Serissa foetida tends to lack visual impact, but it might be another one for the windowsill.

Try one, or try them all.

 

[ShadyStump]

If the consensus is I have a procumbens, and @Leo in N E Illinois' posted article (I've come across it before, hence I'm not afraid to try) is evidence that they can be grown indoors under lights, I'll start shopping around for the needed implements.

As for now, the tree will be two stepped in and out as long as the weather stays moderate during the day. I'll still be researching the other suggestions. Plan A rarely works the way you want it to, and I get bored sometimes anyway.

Need to eat some big meals. I think #10 aluminum cans will make halfway decent reflectors to place around the bulbs, maybe could go smaller. Those might be a little big for the space.
A 6" deep curio shelf will do in the space as long as it'll hit the studs behind the wood paneling.

 

[Iowa newbie]

This is a rough avenue, friend...

Like the one person that claims “Jailhouse Acid” or “Bananadine” works..

I switched my Rooms downstairs this year, separating my living, from growing “quarters”... Now I have ONLY lamps in my rooms.. and the difficulties where numerous.. things like ventilation AROUND pots, and side/under light all became VERY relevant once I took that natural light/heat transfer out of the equation. Things have balanced NOW.. I purchased MORE lamps, more fans.. arranged the supplementary lights to provide MOST angles.. yadda-yadda-yadda...

My rooms would kill a Juniper, QUICK.. just saying.

I kept a nice cedar seedling in last winter not knowing better, grew great all year, had the movement and branching. Then come spring she ran out of energy and died off, it was that moment I realized they need winter

 

[ShadyStump]

I kept a nice cedar seedling in last winter not knowing better, grew great all year, had the movement and branching. Then come spring she ran out of energy and died off, it was that moment I realized they need winter

Many species, I know, can't survive without a dormancy period, and some do better with it but will survive, while others don't need it or aren't even capable of it.

I imagine that over the next year or so as my skills grow I'll be able to take on more shohin, and then it would be a seasonal rotation, allowing each tree time to build strength for itself.

I just know I'm not currently capable of keeping up on many shohin, so I'm focusing on, "the one," for now.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Procumbens comes from a more sub-tropical climate than most junipers. So they don't need a sharp dormancy. Though the northern edge of it's range is pretty far north in Japan. They can survive a zone 6 winter.

 

[ShadyStump]

Procumbens comes from a more sub-tropical climate than most junipers. So they don't need a sharp dormancy. Though the northern edge of it's range is pretty far north in Japan. They can survive a zone 6 winter.

I was just getting to reading into that. It will be an option if it's not doing well inside, or I decide to change it out.

BTW, I'm taking some larger aluminum cans and building reflectors to go over the lights, but there's that brownish yellow coating on the inside. Any thoughts on how to remove that to get the straight reflective metal surface?
Seems like I could burn it off, but that would likely ruin the reflective surface.
Acetone maybe?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Quite honestly for lights I would use a T-5 fluorescent fixture roughly the length of the alcove. Mount it on the ceiling of the alcove. A wood (painted or stained) piece of moulding could work like a curtain to hide the fixture from view out in the room. T5 fixtures come in 12 in, 24, in, 36 inch and 48 inch widths, one of which will be right for your space. They also come in 2,4, 6, and 8 lamp configurations depending on the depth of the alcove.

In the T5 fixture I would use 6500K bulbs, for fairly natural blue white light. 5000K is a warmer color, works well enough. I grow high light requirement orchids under T5, 5000K bulbs with good results, they throw enough lumens.

Seriously, for a grow shelf in a living area, I like the T5, better than LED with their mix of red & blue.

If you can find "white" LED 5000 to 6700 K range, available as a strip lite, like a fluorescent tube, that could work.

Home made can reflectors just won't have accurate focus to reflect light down to the plants.