Can You Grow A Juniper Bonsai Tree Indoors?

Growing bonsai trees inside can seem like a good idea, and there are some trees you probably should grow inside. These are usually tropical varieties that might not be able to handle the outside climate that your area has to offer.

Junipers on the other hand are extremely hardy and really need to be outside. Growing them inside may seem like you are giving them the best environment to grow in, but over time you will kill your bonsai tree.

Just don’t do it.

Is It Possible To Grow a Juniper Bosnai inside?

Of course it’s possible, anything is possible, but that doesn’t mean you should do it.

If you do want to grow a juniper bonsai inside it will not be easy. You really need to control everything and this can be very difficult to get right.

If you just bring a juniper bonsai inside and treat it like any other house plant it will probably be okay for a while, maybe even a few years, but in the long run you will kill the tree.

Unless you can control everything, perfectly, you should not be even trying to grow a tree inside, especially a juniper. 

Why Is Indoors Bad For Juniper bonsai?

There are a number of environmental factors that you need to consider when growing a tree inside, and most people don’t even realise, which will of course lead to trouble as the conditions are not idea for the tree.

No Cold

Your house is going to be warm all year round, which is perfect for you, but terrible for a tree like a juniper.

Junipers can handle a lot of cold which is why they will be fine outside, but more importantly they need that cold. In nature the temperature changes throughout the year and trees will go dormant when the temperatures drop.

This is part of their natural rhythm and they need this rest period. When you keep a tree at a constant temperature all year round (like it will be inside your house) then the tree never gets a chance to rest and recover and can start to get weak and die if it does not get this.

It’s basically the same as keeping some one wake for days on end. Eventually they will collapse with exhaustion and they can actually die. 

Humidity

Inside your house is often drier than outside. This is usually caused by radiators heating up the house and this can cause a tree like a juniper huge problems.

Their foliage can dry out and die which is really not ideal. The foliage of a juniper is its solar panels and how it gets all its energy. If this dries out and gets damaged, then the tree cannot get the energy it needs and will become weak and die.

If the tree is allowed to live outside then it will not face this problem.     

Light Levels

The light levels inside are never as good as outside. Of course you can place your tree in a good window or even buy a grow light. This will fix the problem of not enough light, but then you are still going to have temperature and humidity problems. 

Most radiators are near the windows and grow lights can get quite warm too, so while you may have good lighting, it usually affects the tree in other ways.

If you leave your tree outside the natural sunlight will be more than enough for it.  

(You may find you juniper turns yellow inside, you can read more about this in – Why Is My Juniper Bonsai Turning Yellow?)

Why Do They Sell Juniper Bonsai As Indoor Trees?

I know a lot of you reading this are going to be asking why do they sell juniper bonsai as indoor trees if it is so bad for them?

Honestly, I’ve no idea. It makes no sense to me.

I can only guess that they either have no idea how to care for junipers properly, or they just don’t care.

These bonsai trees are usually sold to beginners and maybe they assume you will just blame yourself when it dies, rather than realise the indoor conditions where not right.

I’m not sure what they get from telling you this false information. they should just tell people to keep them outside. People will still buy them, and actually get to enjoy them properly.

Should You Bring A Juniper Bonsai Inside Over Winter?

No matter where you live, bringing a juniper inside for winter is not a good idea. Your house is going to be warm and you are not going to allow the tree to go dormant and rest.

For the large majority of us, junipers are going to be hardy enough to survive our winters. For some of you, your winters may be too extreme and you will need to protect the tree. (You can read more about What Are Cold Hardy Bonsai Trees?).

If your winters are extremely bad and you need to protect your bonsai tree, this means you just need to keep it somewhere that isn’t as cold as outside, but still needs to be cold. This would be an unheated shed or garage. Basically it just needs to be somewhere that will take the extreme edge off the cold. 

Your house is not taking the edge off the cold, your house is warm. It’s like the extreme opposite, so don’t bring your juniper bonsai inside for winter.

What Should You Do With Your Indoor Juniper Bonsai?

If you currently have a juniper bonsai inside, well, it needs to go outside.

You need to let nature do its thing. Junipers are really strong and they should be fine in pretty much all weather.

If you are a little worried, then you should try and ease its transition. Bring it out slowly or place it somewhere protected first, like an unheated greenhouse to give it a little protection while you transition it to outside.

I would only do to this if it’s the middle of the winter. If it’s any other time of the year, it should be fine to just take it outside and let it acclimatise.

Should You Just Keep Your Juniper Bonsai Inside?

If for some reason you really want to keep it inside, you can, but it is going to need some extra care and conditions, which will be mostly a cold period.

Trying to get an area of your house cold enough to keep a juniper bonsai happy is going to be difficult and you may find you need to take your tree outside during the cold weather and then bring it back inside.

However, if I’m honest, it’s a lot of work and you are much better off just keeping it outside all year round.

Conclusion

Juniper bonsai should be outside, it’s as simple as that. Don’t be scared, it’s going to be able to handle it.

Growing cold hardy trees like a juniper inside is always going to end in disaster. It is too difficult to give it the conditions it needs to be healthy, and it is much easier to just leave it outside and let nature do its thing.

If you keep your juniper inside it will eventually die, so even if the shop tells you it’s an inside tree, they are wrong.  keep them outside and you will both be happy.