Is bonsai something you are just getting started with? Do not fear, you can grow bonsai plants easily.
There are a lot of new bonsai parents who are intimidated by bonsai’s care and maintenance. This is why I recommend you start with indoor bonsai. This is due to the fact that indoor bonsai can be grown under controlled conditions.
Additionally, indoor bonsai plants are available in several varieties. To help you get started with bonsai, I will share the top 4 best bonsai trees for indoor that need no maintenance so that you can easily grow them.
Let’s see our best indoor bonsai trees
If you’re looking for a unique and beautiful addition to your home or office, indoor bonsai trees for sale are a great option. With a wide variety of species and sizes available, there’s a bonsai tree to suit any taste and space. Bonsai trees also offer many benefits, such as improving air quality and reducing stress. Shop around to find the perfect indoor bonsai tree for you.
Best Bonsai Tree For Indoors That Requires No Maintenance
1. Grafted Ficus Bonsai Plant
It is our top pick for beginners because it is by far the best indoor bonsai tree. As India’s climate is tropical, this plant thrives naturally. Hence, it is easier to maintain and grow grafted ficus bonsai trees.
Unlike most indoor bonsai, it can tolerate low humidity and less light due to its hard evergreen nature.
The leaves are oval-shaped and fresh green. It’s easy to keep their leaves in good shape and health. Moreover, the leaves form a canopy.
Also, a grafted ficus bonsai tree achieves a charming appearance with its root-over-rock structure. Therefore, it is highly valued as a decorative houseplant. You will love this grafted Ficus bonsai tree on your desk.
2. Carmona Bonsai Plant
Not only does the Carmona bonsai grow indoors, but it can also bloom year-round and produce red fruit, making it the best indoor bonsai tree.
It flourishes well in Indian tropical climates. Moreover, it does well indoors with strong light, but it also does well outdoors in spring and summer.
You can bring luck, prosperity, and happiness home with this Bonsai Tree. And it is a great natural air purifier that treats harmful chemicals like toluene.
No matter where you place them in your home – living room, or study table, Carmona Bonsai Plants look great.
3. Pachira Bonsai Plant
Bonsai enthusiasts often grow Pachira indoor bonsai because they have braided trunks, making them perfect bonsai candidates.
As a novice gardener, you will be able to grow a Pachira bonsai even without much experience. All you need is a warm place with bright, indirect light to keep pachira bonsai thriving. And water when the top inch of the soil is dry.
This low-maintenance bonsai is good for artificially lit areas.
4. Ficus Benjamina (S shape Ficus) Bonsai Plant
Last but not least Ficus Benjamina Bonsai. They don’t even have tremendous growing instructions! That’s why it is a perfect match for your home.
The Ficus Benjamina bonsai presents a beautiful structure due to its S shape, umbrella-like canopy, and thin branches.
Moreover, its key characteristic is its ability to adapt more quickly to changing climatic conditions. Thus, you can grow them anywhere in the world.
Additionally, Ficus Benjamina likes to grow in shadow. Therefore, it is ideal to grow them indoors.
Another advantage of Ficus Benjamina bonsai plants is that they grow faster than other bonsai plants. As a result, they are easy to train in a variety of bonsai styles.
Vastu and Feng Shui recommend the Ficus Benjamina bonsai tree for well-being and success. Additionally, it is believed that ficus plants produce more oxygen.
5. Chinese Elm Bonsai
Its miniature leaves, delicate branches, and aged-looking bark make the Chinese Elm bonsai one of the most eye-catching bonsai trees indoors. In addition to having small, dark green leaves, Chinese Elm bonsai have deep ridges and fissures on their bark.
There is no need for frequent maintenance when it comes to Chinese Elm bonsai. Only it needs bright, indirect sunlight and consistently moist, well-draining soil. Indoors or outside, it can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and humidity levels.
Choosing a windowsill where it can receive bright, indirect sunlight would be an excellent place for displaying a Chinese Elm bonsai.
6. Jade Bonsai
A jade bonsai, also called Crassula Ovata, is famous for its thick, fleshy leaves. They are one of the best succulent bonsai to grow indoors.
It can survive with minimal watering and can withstand a wide range of temperatures and humidity levels, making it an ideal bonsai tree for indoors.
In a dining room or living room, a Jade bonsai makes a beautiful centrepiece o table.
7. Desert Rose
An Adenium obesum, or Desert Rose, is a succulent plant that grows bright, colourful flowers and thick trunk, and fleshy leaves. Flowers are typically large and showy, and they come in pink, red, white, and yellow colours.
This bonsai tree has low maintenance requirements. However, improper watering is the only way to kill this bonsai tree. You only need to water your desert rose when the soil gets dry. It means you need to water the plant twice a week, especially in winter. Also, don’t let the temperature below 60 degrees drop where you keep succulents. This allows plants to bloom more vibrantly and healthily in spring.
As Desert Roses love the sun, a sunny windowsill or sunny location is ideal for them. To display its beautiful flowers, you can use a Desert Rose as a centrepiece on your coffee or dining room table.
8. Banyan Bonsai
Banyan Bonsai trees are known for their thick, gnarled trunks and aerial roots that eventually become secondary trunks. The leaves of this plant are glossy, large, and rich green.
As it is highly adaptable to different light conditions, tolerates a wide range of temperatures and humidity levels, and doesn’t require heavy pruning, wiring or fertilization, it is an excellent bonsai tree for indoors.
Ideally, Banyan bonsais should be placed in a sunny, semi-shaded area, like a windowsill, where it can receive indirect bright sunlight.
9. Ficus Bonsai
A popular fig species among bonsai enthusiasts is Ficus Bonsai. It’s known for its thick trunks and shiny leaves.
Ficus bonsai trees tolerate low light levels quite well. It prefers soft water at room temperature and can tolerate occasional overwatering. However, they should still be placed in a bright area. The leaves of the tree should receive some sunlight through a window. A window facing south is best.
Adding a ficus bonsai to a room can draw the eye and give it a touch of nature. It can be placed on the tabletop, on the coffee table, or on the windowsill.
10. Schefflera Bonsai Plant
Umbrella Tree, or Schefflera Bonsai, has glossy leaves and thick, woody stems, making it an attractive bonsai tree for indoors.
Its wide temperature and humidity tolerance make Schefflera Bonsai the best bonsai tree for indoors. Additionally, it does well in indirect, bright sunlight. Dwarf Schefflera looks good on a table or near a windowsill.
11. Ficus Ginseng
It’s easy to care for this ficus and they don’t require a lot of attention. These Ficus “Ginseng” varieties have fat trunks and exposed roots, which give the tree an exotic tropical feel. With grafted branches and glossy, oval leaves, Gensing Grafted Ficus trees display strength.
Ficus Ginseng prefers moist soil but doesn’t like wet feet. The plant can survive drought light conditions because it stores and absorbs water through its roots – so it is better to underwater than overwater it. Ginseng ficus bonsai trees need bright, indirect light to thrive.
A ginseng ficus can become a focal point of any living room, dining room, or office space due to its unique look.
12) Pine bonsai tree:
Because of its popularity, the pine bonsai tree is often considered the most common kind of bonsai species. They are evergreen and have two to five bundles of needles, with cone-like fruits. Pine is popular as a bonsai mainly because it can adapt to various shapes and styles. You can experiment with it without any worry.
Pine trees love sunlight and have plenty of it happily. They also love water as well, you can even the foliage for extra benefits. But as they need water, they tend to get waterlogged as well, so the soil should have a draining substance. In winter you shouldn’t feed the tree or it can get fertilizer burns.
13) Serissa Mame Bonsai Plant:
Also known as Snowrose Tree of Thousand Stars or Japanese Boxthorn. Serissa bonsai is one of the most favored miniature bonsai (tabletop) for many bonsai enthusiasts. Due to its low-maintenance qualities, you can keep growing it as per your wish.
Don’t keep it in a completely shady room. A well-lit space or the patio etc will allow the plant to grow well. Watering is where most people go wrong. Water the tree then wait for the soil to go completely dry and then water again. This is the process you should follow. In Summer, every day, and in winter, every other day or in three days you should provide water, but don’t go for a strict routine. Never fertilize Serissa with hard chemical fertilizer. Use soft vermicompost.
Care of Indoor Bonsai Trees
Bonsai need different care than regular potted houseplants. It’s because Bonsai trees are planted in small pots, so they have limited storage for nutrients and water. Here’s a detailed guide to caring for a bonsai tree indoors.
Position:
Placement should be the first thing you should consider when growing a bonsai indoors. If you have a position in mind, you should evaluate the light and temperature of that specific area.
In general, indoors have higher temperatures, which subtropical and tropical bonsai plants can handle. But, the intensity of the sunlight is lower which can make the plant weak over time, resulting in the underdeveloped plant’s dropping of leaves. The key is to position your indoor bonsai tree in front of a windowsill that is facing south to make sure they are enriched with direct sunlight. If you don’t have access to a suitable well-lit window, you may use artificial lighting for a few hours a day, relying on the tree species. Completely opening the window during the daytime can also help provide good air circulation in the area, boosting higher humidity which helps the bonsai.
Do not put your bonsai near a heated source or under air conditioner vents, it will not only dry up the area but also these extreme conditions will affect on plant’s health.
Light
The best place to grow Bonsai indoors is near a window facing south with plenty of light. However, you can have a south-facing window, but the light intensity may still be low. At that time to help your tree grow, you can add artificial light.
Water
Never water routinely. You do not need to water your Bonsai tree every x number of days as stated on its label. Only water your tree when necessary, and monitor its soil. Below are a few methods to monitor the soil.
- Finger method: Put your finger 2 inches into the soil. If the mix feels bone-dry, give it a drink!
- Chopstick method: Put a chopstick in the middle of the pot. After 10 minutes, if it starts to brown and dirt clings to it, there is sufficient moisture in the soil. If not, then water your tree.
- Soil moisture meter: Near the root ball, insert your moisture meter. A number will appear on the scale indicating if your plant needs water.
Soil
An ideal soil is one that allows proper drainage, oxygen, water retention, and nutrient absorption. It’s essential to have these things in your bonsai tree soil, whether you buy it or make it:
- Akadama: Assists roots in absorbing water.
- Compost: Contains essential nutrients and aids in water retention.
- Red lava rock chips: It prevents fertilizer buildup and compaction of the soil.
- Pumice: Provides aeration, moisture retention, and root support.
Humidity
Indoor Bonsai trees require relatively high humidity, much higher than the conditions of your house. Adding water to a humidity tray and misting your Bonsai tree several times a day will increase the humidity around it. Also, by opening a window during the day, you can circulate air from outside.
Temperature
Bonsai tree like temperatures between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 57 to 61 degrees Fahrenheit at night. In most homes, this is the normal indoor temperature during winter.
Fertilizer
As bonsai grow in a small amount of soil, they require periodic fertilization to replenish nutrient levels. You can use any general-purpose liquid fertilizer. Using fertilizers at half their strength. It is recommended to fertilize at least once a month. You can also spray a water-soluble fertilizer every two months on your bonsai for foliar feeding.
Pruning
You should prune and trim your tree to keep it miniature. Cut the new growth back to the farthest point of safety. It is never a good idea to remove all of the new growth. In order to maintain the health of the tree, a little must be left. It is necessary to pinch and trim tropical and sub-tropical bonsai trees throughout the year. Also, each tree grows at a different rate, so you need to adjust your trimming and pinching to accommodate its growth rate.
Repotting
When a bonsai’s root system fills the pot, repotting is necessary. It is necessary to repot your tree to provide fresh soil and to encourage a more compact root system. Deciduous trees usually need repotted every two or three years, whereas evergreens only need to be repotted every four or five years. As trees grow at different rates, this schedule may not always be true, so you should examine your tree’s root system every year to determine if it is pot-bound.
Conclusion
It is ideal to grow bonsai plants like Ficus Benjamina, Pachira, Grafted ficus, and Carmona for bonsai because they do not require maintenance and look good. Since these plants do not require specific instructions to grow, they are the best indoor plants.
If you are a bonsai enthusiast but have a busy schedule, these are ideal for you. They require minimal attention from you. However, ficus bonsai indoor plants are best if you want beauty and minimal maintenance.
What are you waiting for? Pick up your bonsai and start growing it today. Our team at Abana Homes is available if you need any assistance growing indoor bonsai plants.
FAQs
Q1: Where should I place my Bonsai tree at home?
Ans. A bonsai indoors does best at a South-facing window, where there is plenty of light.
Q2: What makes a bonsai tree special?
Ans. Bonsai is special because it has been around for more than a thousand years. Growing bonsai is all about creating a miniaturized yet realistic representation of nature. Moreover, it’s possible to grow bonsai from any tree species.
Q3: Which bonsai is lucky for home?
Ans. Pachira Bonsai is lucky for the home. The trunk of this tree is generally braided or twisted, which makes it a popular Bonsai plant. According to Feng Shui belief, this plant is lucky! It’s best to place this tree in a bright, sunny area of your office or home.