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Caring for Your New Indoor Bonsai It’s very frustrating to buy an “easy care” bonsai – or any plant for that matter, only to watch it rapidly deteriorate when you bring it home. It seems that “easy care” is not all it’s cracked up to is, and admittedly it is a relative term.
But easy care plants can thrive in a reasonable indoor environment provided they are indoor bonsai plants . I've seen many nurseries and sites list plants like Juniper as an indoor tree and it isn't. You also need to meet a few simple but critical needs. Every one talks about water and light, but there is one need that must first be met and that is acclimatization. Your new bonsai – up until now- has been living in a greenhouse- Bonsai Heaven. It has grown in consistently high levels of very bright, filtered light and thrived in jungle- like humidity. So, unless you’re moving it into your own greenhouse, chances are things are about to change and not for the better. What can you expect? During the transition period it won’t be unusual to have a few leaves yellow and drop. Some trees more so than others, for example the ficus benjamina, also known as the weeping fig and a very popular houseplant is known to drop eaves at the slightest change in its environment. Don’t panic, just be patient, continue to care for the tree and they’ll grow back. The first few weeks will be the most challenging as the tree makes a transition from the greenhouse to your home. The biggest changes will be the lighting and the humidity levels and anything you can do to smooth out the transition will help. Unpack it immediately and inspect for any damage to the plant or pot that might have occurred during shipping. (Couriers seem to have a particular dislike for ceramic pots, which are far more likely to be damaged than your tree.) It’s understood that no one buys a bonsai to hide it away. You will want to display it. But the right spot for the tree might not be the ideal display spot. In other words, if you purchased a bonsai as “something for the coffee table” you might be disappointed. Be prepared to be flexible. Place you bonsai in the best light you can give it BUT not where it will get hours of direct afternoon sun magnified though a window. If you’re not certain how much light is too much, err slightly on the side of caution. Even a sheer curtain will make all the difference between bright, filtered light and scorching sun. You’ll probably need to move the tree closer the light in the winter and farther from the light in the summer. Watch for signs of leaf burn and respond immediately by moving the tree into less direct lighting. Again different trees have different requirements, but know that there is a real difference in the quality of direct light from an east or southeast window versus a west window. North windows will often not provide adequate light. Place you bonsai away from heating and air conditioning vents and away from cold drafts in the winter. Be aware that the ledges of poorly insulated windows that might scorch you plant in the summer can just as easily kill it with cold in the winter. Winter tolerance can b a much bigger issue in the cooler places - like Canada and some trees are more tolerant than others Provide your tree with a pebble tray and in the beginning you should go with something over sized to help with the transition. Consider at least temporarily donating a tray about the size of rimmed baking sheet to the cause. Cover it with a layer of pebbles (you can get aquarium gravel from a fish store in many different colors and this works well). Keep water in the tray- but not so much that the base of the tree is sitting in it. The goal is to increase the local humidity level as much as possible. You’re not going to achieve the same level as the greenhouse your bonsai just left. But you will ease the transition. As your tree toughens up a bit you can reduce the size of the tray to the width of your tree and select a tray/pebble combination that delivers the functionality, but in a more attractive way. Something like a “coffee table platter” and small smooth river stones or marbles – whatever works with your décor. If you’re bringing the tree into a particularly dry environment, you can also drape a very light weight sheet of plastic over it (like a dry cleaner’s bag) for a few hours a day at first, but leave an opening for air circulation. Gradually cut back as the tree adapts to a lower humidity level. But keep this “portable emergency greenhouse” concept in your back pocket as help for an ailing tree. Mist your tree, with a sprayer filled with room temperature water that has been sitting at least 24 hours to disperse the chlorine. Do it everyday at first and gradually cut back to a few times a week. When you mist the tree, be aware of any water that is dripping down to the soil. It’s actually a good idea to drape a small piece of plastic – (Saran Wrap will work) over the soil when you mist. This will ensure that your misting doesn’t interfere with your watering. It’s a concern because if you mist your plant heavily every day, a fair amount of moisture will drop onto the soil, but not enough to penetrate deeply. It will give an appearance of moist soil when it could actually be bone dry underneath. And the flip side is that the top layer of soil will always be wet and that will interfere with the air circulation to the roots and promote rot. Don’t worry about pruning, pinching or wiring your new bonsai and do not fertilize it during the transition period. Inspect your bonsai daily for dryness, to remove any dead leaves from the tree or soil, check for dirt or dust collection on the leaves. Look carefully at the leaves, particularly the underside of the leaves- and stems for any signs of pests – usually first noticed as strange hard bumps on the stems (Scale) , sticky residue on the stems or leaves(aphids) fine webs on the stems or the leaf axis(spider mites) , or little cottony bumps on the stems and leaves (mealy bugs). Watering Even the experts who disagree on how to water a bonsai will all agree that the number one bonsai killer is improper watering. Different trees have different requirements and you’ll need to understand what’s best for your tree, but a few simple rules will help:
This might sound like of very long list of do’s and don’ts for an easy care tree, but if you consider the how much different the average home is from the average greenhouse, you’ll appreciate that it’s important to help your Bonsai acclimate to your home. Winter Shipping In EffectDepending on the weather, your location and how long the tree will be in transit, we are not able to satisfy all orders at this time, due to the cold. If we cannot ship your tree safely, we will be in touch with you. Full and immediate refunds will be offered if we cannot meet your order.
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