How to Choose an Indoor Bonsai Tree

People that are not yet entirely familiar with the art and horticulture of bonsai believe that bonsai trees and plants must be grown indoors. In fact, any tree that can grow outdoors in the wild can also grow and thrive outdoors as a bonsai, despite its small stature.

Unfortunately this incorrect premise or belief about the indoor bonsai tree can be calamitous for the novice bonsai gardener, and frequently results in killing his first bonsai tree. If you have decided that you would rather grow an indoor bonsai tree than an outdoor bonsai tree, be sure that you do your research and choose a plant or tree that is suitable for an indoor environment, and this will forestall an inadvertent death of your bonsai.

What Characterizes an Indoor Bonsai Tree

You will regularly find that plants that will thrive when being grown as indoor bonsai plants have come from parts of the globe that have warmer and more humid tropical or subtropical climates. Indoor bonsai will typically call for special environmental conditions in order to thrive, which include a warmer and more humid environment, especially throughout winter months. Maintaining the higher levels of humidity should be the never-ending concern of the indoor bonsai gardener, but there are simple ways to achieve this. In the absence of a highly humid environment you have to mist your indoor bonsai plants frequently.

The Life Cycle of an Indoor Bonsai Tree

Indoor bonsai trees do not have the same growth patterns as bonsai trees that are grown outdoors because they are not subjected to the same seasonal light and temperature changes. While indoor bonsai trees may see a growth spurt in the spring and summer, they do not follow the pattern of hardy outdoor trees which have new growth in the spring and summer, lose their leaves and go dormant during fall and winter. Because they are generally native to topical and subtropical regions which don’t experience dramatic seasonal changes, indoor bonsai trees are usually “evergreen”, meaning that they are green all year. Some “outdoor” bonsai trees that are tolerant of, and adaptable to indoor conditions, may stay green year-round under the right conditions, and would then be considered “evergreen”.

Pruning an Indoor Bonsai Tree

The methods of pruning and training indoor bonsai is much the same as with outdoor bonsai, with the exception being the timing of the training and pruning. Pruning, cutting, grafting and other training methods are usually only done during periods of growth and dormancy on outdoor bonsai plants. Spring and summer months usually see the most growth activity for indoor bonsai trees, but they continue to grow all year long.

Where to Buy an Indoor Bonsai Tree

You are better off shopping for a suitable plant to make into an indoor bonsai tree at a nursery or garden center than to purchase one at a supermarket. You can select from a huge variety of plants and trees that are rightly suited for an indoor bonsai. Many traditional houseplants can be grown as indoor bonsai.

Learn to Grow Your Own Bonsai Trees

Bonsai is fascinating, affordable, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. To get started growing your own bonsai trees right away check out the essential “how-to” bonsai book, “Beautiful Bonsai Secrets”.