As the title says. I want to get my first Bonsai, but I cannot decide which one. What can you recommend for indoor placement? What do I need to keep in mind?
I’m not an expert, but the first thing I learned is that bonsais are all outdoors. It does not matter what the nursery tells you, none will develop well inside a house. Any tree will eventually die due lack of light or if surviving it won’t be healthy and will definitely make the leaves bigger to get more light.
That being said if you are still fixated to ignore my advice above and try to get a tree anyway, probably a ficus is the best option as they are one of the hardiest species and it won’t die if placed in interior
Anyone into bonsái will say the same, Bonsái are trees and should be outdoors.
Soo, if you still want to give a try, go for tropical species. Think about plants people usually have indoors, and check if they could be converted into bonsái.
I am actually growing with succes for a pair of years Azalea, Ficus and a Chinese Elm. I would strongly recommend Ficus as your first option.
I agree with the ficus recommendations. The biggest challenges you have are light, humidity, and air flow. All of these can be solved, but your trees probably won’t thrive inside.
I’m here for the answers. Based on the readings/research I’ve found, I still have yet to get a good feel of how to get the main trunk small thick. My fiancé has a starter set of three I’ll be excited to start on!
From what i’ve read, bonsai usually need to be outdoor and get some direct sunlight.
I do believe ficus is a good beginner bonsai and will be more forgiving, however!
Fukien Tea (Carmona microphylla) is a good one to start with imo. It is relatively cheap to get and easy to care for in my experience as it is quite visible when it’s not happy but bounces back quickly if you adjust the care. It needs a sunny place next to a window and maybe some misting in the winter months, depending on your humidity.
Another option for a permanently indoor bonsai is the very popular ficus. I’m not a huge fan of it’s looks, but it is very easy and cheap to get and relatively hardy for a bonsai.
Bonsai like maple or elm can be kept indoors, but it’s quite tricky, so I wouldn’t recommend them as a pure indoor plant for beginners.
Edit: Portulacaria afra is very easy to care for if you can find it as a bonsai and like the look of it.
