Indoor Bonsai
There are many different kinds of bonsai trees, and the indoor bonsai is the one with the most mystery surrounding it. This is because the name itself is deceiving; there is actually no such thing as an indoor bonsai, as all bonsai are naturally outdoor trees and therefore are better off and most often cultivated outside. Indoor bonsai trees can actually not survive if left indoors, which explains the confusion.
Why Can’t an Indoor Bonsai Survive Indoors?
There are two primary reasons why indoor bonsai trees cannot survive if left indoors, even with plenty of sunlight: First, because all deciduous and coniferous trees absolutely require a period of dormancy, which is only triggered by cooler temperatures. Second, it can be extremely difficult to provide adequate growing conditions for trees such as the indoor bonsai, for several reasons, but mainly because of the fact that light levels are obviously lower inside than compared to outdoors, and humidity levels are also poor and thus the trees suffer from lack of air circulation.
Why Light Is Essential
Light is an absolutely essential element in the growing of any plant, and that includes the indoor bonsai tree. Trees that do not receive enough light will either fail to grow strongly, or not grow at all. Furthermore, any growth that the tree does produce will tend to have long internodes and become ‘leggy’. If you must place the tree indoors for a short amount of time, you should place them on a sunny windowsill and also provide it with glow lighting.
Air Circulation and Humidity
Air circulation and humidity are both essential elements to the health of an indoor bonsai, and are crucial and critical to its healthy growth. All bonsai require good humidity levels to grow well indoors as well as outdoors. Bonsai trees can be misted with water to create higher humidity levels, and this also at the same time cleans the leaves of dust and dirt that would otherwise collect on the tree.
You can also use a gravel tray to create humidity; a gravel tray is a flat tray that holds water into which small stones or pebbles are placed. You then place the bonsai on top of the stones so that none of the pot is touching the water, and as the water evaporates over the course of roughly one or two days it will provide a continually humid atmosphere around the bonsai tree.