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There
is no such thing as an indoor bonsai or an indoor tree. All bonsai
are naturally outdoor trees and as such are better cultivated
outside. The only exceptions are tropical species that can not
tolerate lower temperatures at certain times of the year and without
an artificial source of warmth would perish.
It is a relatively common sight to see indoor displays of Bonsai
in books and magazines but it should be understood that these
are only temporary. In Japan, Bonsai are commonly brought inside
for 1 or 2 days at a time and are shown as a part of a tokoname
display before being returned outside where they can recover.
There are two main reasons that temperate climate bonsai are not
kept inside for any length of time. Firstly, all deciduous and
coniferous trees need a period of dormancy which is only triggered
by cooler temperatures. Without this dormancy, trees can continue
to grow for anything up to 2 years before going dormant whatever
the season or temperature; this enforced dormancy can often be
fatal.
Secondly, it is difficult to provide adequate growing conditions
for trees indoors. Inside, light levels are lower, humidity levels
are very poor and trees suffer from lack of air circulation. For
species that are hardy to frosts, it is far better to cultivate
them outside all year round where conditions are conducive to
their health and vigour.
Tropical species of bonsai on the other hand require temperatures
above around 10-15°C (depending on individual species). In cool
temperate areas of America and Europe this can mean that many
tropical bonsai can only be kept outside for 2 or 3 months of
the summer, the rest of the year adequate care must be provided
inside.
LIGHT
Indoors, light levels are very poor. Though imperceptible to the
human eye, light levels drop rapidly the further you are from
a natural source of light. It is said that light levels halve
every 50cm further from a window you are. This means that for
most tree species light levels are too low, even when stood on
a bright window-sill. It needs to be understood that glass filters
out many of the UV rays that plants require for the process of
photosynthesis; many trees species can fail to receive enough
light on a south-facing window-sill even though the heat of the
sunlight is burning their leaves.
Trees that do not receive enough light will fail to grow strongly
if at all. Any growth that is produced will tend to have long
internodes and become 'leggy'. Leaves will be over-sized in an
effort to catch maximum light.
Some tropical species however are used to growing on the forest
floor (ficus/ Serissa/ sageretia amongst others) in their natural
habitat where there is naturally little light and these will cope
with lower light levels indoors.
Trees grown indoors should be placed on sunny window-sills and/or
provided with overhead fluorescent lamps. This should be sufficient
for many tropical species but will probably still be too dark
for ordinary woody temperate species.
Ordinary fluorescent lamps or aquarium lights kept about 6 inches
above the tree for 12-16 hours a day can be used to supplement
light levels.
Do not place trees on window-sills that are closed behind curtains
at night, the temperature in between the window and curtain can
rapidly drop below room temperature during the night.