Where To Place Your Bonsai Tree At Home

When you get your first bonsai and you get it home, the first thing you will want to know is where you should put it.

This isn’t as simple as placing it in the best position so you can look at it and enjoy it. A bonsai tree needs certain conditions to thrive, so we need to make sure it is put in a good location so that it can have the perfect conditions to grow and be healthy.

Should You Put Your Bonsai Inside Or Outside?

The first thing you need to do is work out if your new bonsai needs to be inside or outside.

The majority of trees that are used for bonsai are going be best suited for outdoors. However, some tropical trees may benefit from being inside.

You just need to do some research on the species of bonsai you have. You can easily find out what the natural environment of your tree is from a quick search online.

You can then compare this information to your own climate and then work out where it is going to be best suited.

Working Out If A Bonsai Tree Should Be Inside Or Outside

Now you have found out what environment that your species of bonsai should be be growing in, you can compare it you your own climate. If we look at two examples of my own trees it will make more sense.

I have an English Yew. Its natural environment is England…no surprise there. I don’t live in England, but I do live close. Our environments pretty much the same, so my English Yew is going to be totally fine outside where I live. It is very suited to this climate.

I also own a Ficus Benjamina. It’s native to Asia and grows in countries like Thailand. I think it’s safe to say that my climate is very different to Thailand.

This means this ficus tree will struggle outside where I live, especially in winter when there is frost, which is uncommon in the tropical climate of Thailand.

This means my ficus is going to have to live inside to ensure it gets the conditions its needs. Leaving it outside could kill it, especially over winter.

Its pretty easy to work out if a bonsai tree should be inside or out if you just use this simple logic.

Where To Place Your Bonsai Tree

I obviously have no idea what your house or garden is like, so I can not say exactly where you should place your bonsai, but I can tell you how to evaluate your inside and outside areas.

This will allow you to work out where is going to be most suitable place for your bonsai tree to keep it healthy.

Where Is The Best Place For Your Bonsai – Outside

If your bonsai is going outside you need to look at your garden and analyse where exactly is going to give the tree the best growing conditions.

While I am sure you will want to place it somewhere that looks best for you to view it, you should actually place it somewhere that is going to give it the best conditions to remain healthy, which I will go through below.

Your Bonsai trees health is always more important than what you think is aesthetically pleasing.

Make Sure Your Bonsai Can Get Sun Light

Your bonsai tree will need plenty of light. You will have to study your garden and watch where the sun lands throughout the day so you can place it somewhere that it gets plenty of light.

You will find that this can change throughout the year. You might not realise this if you have never really paid attention to it. This is why gardeners say that when you move into a new house you should wait a year before planting anything. This way you get a good idea of where the sun and shade lie throughout the year.

Luckily our bonsai trees are in pots and are also small, so we can move them about if needed, so maybe for the first year you might need some minor adjustments before settling on a permanent place. If you want to build a bonsai bench, I would wait a while, just until you are happy with how the sun moves across your garden.

It is also important to understand that the amount of sunlight your tree needs will depend on the species. Some trees love to be in full sun all day and can take direct sunlight, while others can’t handle it and can burn at times; they might need a bit of shade, especially during the hottest parts of the day.

You shouldn’t be moving your trees daily to just put them in shade/give them more sun, that’s just crazy and not sustainable. Just try and find a position that works best for them and leave them there.

This is also climate specific. Where I live, the full sun is fairly feeble, even on the hottest days. Especially if you compare it to the full sun in hotter places, like Australia. I personally do not need any shade shelter, but there are many countries where having some shade cloth above your trees can be very beneficial and maybe essential.    

As a general rule of thumb, if the tree is native to your country, it should be able to handle the full sun. Obviously pot size will affect this slightly, but in general this rule is a good guide. 

Is There Any Shelter For Your Bonsai?

While bonsai are generally fine outside, they can be a little more fragile than trees growing in the ground and sometimes a little shelter from extreme elements is needed.

This issue is probably garden specific, but I guess it could be climate specific too. You will just have to try things out and if you feel your tree is getting troubled by something, you will have to try and see if you can place them in a more sheltered spot.

It is also important to remember that your may only need to shelter the trees at certain times, such as during winter, or even for shorter periods, like during a storm.

Sheltering a bonsai tree can be as simple as having them near a wall of a fence.

If you have a constant strong wind from one direction that is always smashing into your trees, having them near a wall might just block enough of this and give them a bit of shelter.

I personally keep my trees up against a wall next to the house, which is at a 90° to the house itself. This means I have walls protecting my trees from two sides. This wasn’t my intention. I chose this spot due to the optimum sun light exposure, but the added protection and shelter from winds is an excellent bonus.  

There is also shade shelter from too much light, which I’ve talked about above.

You could also shelter your trees from rain. If you feel your climate is too wet, or you would just rather have 100% control of the water, you could place some sort of roof above your trees to help keep the rain off.

This form of shelter is rarer, most people prefer to work with the rain, rather than against it, but the option is there if you feel a specific bonsai tree could benefit from it.

Probably one of the most common forms of shelter you will see in a garden is a greenhouse or poly tunnel. These pretty much protect from everything – light, water and wind.

They are pretty much a great all rounder for when it comes to protecting your trees. They may also protect from frost. So depending on your climate and the needs of your species of trees, a greenhouse/poly tunnel may be the best option for you to provide that little bit of shelter they need to thrive.

Place Your Bonsai Somewhere That It Can Get Water?

Placing your bonsai tree somewhere where it can get water is going to be vital for its survival. Of course if it is outside it will get rained on, but you still need to make sure you can get water to your tree.

This aspect is often overlooked when finding a place for your tree, but it is important as it is something that will inconvenience you more, than your tree.

You just need to consider how easy is it to get water to your tree. Will your hose reach to where your bonsai are? Are your rain barrels nearby? Are you going to have to carry water a distance to your trees? Are the trees actually in a position where they will get watered by the rain?

This all sounds silly, but when I lived in London, it was a real issue for me. I had a handful of trees in the communal garden and it was a nightmare for watering.

In the height of the dry summer I had to fill a load of 3 litre water bottles in my kitchen. I then had to carry them in a plastic bag (that was about to fall apart from the weight) down 3 flights of stairs and around the building to the garden which was about 20m away. I then had to pour these water bottles into my little watering can and get to work.

Ridiculous, right? But that is the way I had water my bonsai for a few years.

Luckily the rain saved me from having to do this all year round, but it is worth considering how easy it will be to water your trees in your garden and you should look into ways to make it easier, because honestly, it used to drive me crazy having to carry water to them.

Should You Place Your Bonsai On The Ground?

You should try and place your bonsai trees off the ground. This is why everyone eventually builds some sort of bonsai bench/shelves.

There are many arguments for why the ground is not the best place for your bonsai trees and pots. I’ll be honest. I don’t fully agree with them. I get the theory, but in practice I have had many pots on the ground and I haven’t seen any negative effects.

Perhaps I am just skating on thin ice and am on the verge of a disaster. Anyway, let’s go through some of the reasons why keeping your bonsai trees on the ground is something you should avoid.  

Placing A Bonsai Off The Ground Gives You Easier Access

Having you bonsai trees higher firstly just makes them easier to access, no need to wreck your back from all that bending over.

They can also be viewed and enjoyed from a much more pleasing angle when they are not on the ground.

Placing A Bonsai Off The Ground Is Better For Drainage

Having your bonsai tree raised up, allows for better drainage. Water can pool under the pot if it is sat on the ground.

This is actually true. But most bonsai pots have little legs so it’s not too bad. This is only an issue if you are using flower pots and anything with a flat bottom.

As someone who lives in a very rainy climate I do worry about this. I have just put some little planks of wood under some of my pots, just to raise them up. I’m only talking 5cm or something, but that extra space should be plenty to allow access water to not pool.  

Placing A Bonsai Off The Ground Stops Insects

Having your bonsai tree raised up will stop insects crawling into your pots through the drainage holes.

Although, I’m not fully convinced on this one. I think if an insect wants in to get into your pot, it’s getting in there. Most of these creatures can crawl and fly and can get onto a table with no problem.

Also the whole top of the pot is still wide open for any insects to enter, so I don’t think it really makes any difference.

When I have left trees on the ground, I usually find slugs hiding underneath. These are harmless, but that doesn’t mean more harmful things couldn’t find their way under there too.

I sadly think pesticides are going to be more effective for stopping insects than just having your tree off the ground.

Placing Your Bonsai On Different Surfaces

The surface that you place your bonsai could also affect how it grows so it is something to also consider when placing your trees.

Some people say that if you are going to put your pots on the ground, be careful about what type of surface you put your pots on.

Concrete can get to hot in the sun and then heat up your tree too much. I don’t actually believe this as I have done this and when I lift a pot up, the ground underneath is usually damp, cold and you can find slugs there.

So maybe for my climate this is not an issue, but maybe if you live somewhere super hot, this could be a real problem. When I think about it, I have been on holiday to places where the ground has become too hot to stand on bare footed. So, maybe consider this is you live somewhere that’s very hot.

The opposite for this is also true. If it is very wet in your area, placing your pots on soil/grass/dirt can be bad for the tree. This type of ground can block water draining from the pot properly and water can pool under the pot and keep your soil too wet.

These are both something you should just consider and keep an eye on if you do place your tree on this type of surface.   

Placing Your Bonsai Somewhere To Avoid Theft

The fact I am writing having to write this section is just terrible, but it’s a sad reality.  

You want to put your bonsai tree where people won’t see it. Which kind of goes against the entire point of having a bonsai, since normally you would want to display it.

Just be careful who you are displaying it to. Leaving your tree somewhere like your front garden is just asking for it to wonder off in the night.

People steal plants all the time; I’ve been a victim myself. Having a very aesthetically pleasing plant such as a bonsai is going to only make this risk higher.

Just keep your trees around the back of your house, out of view from the street and they should be fine. Just remember they are valuable, so treat them as such and try not to give an opportunist the chance to take them.

(You can read my article where I go into more detail about how to Prevent Theft of Bonsai)

Where Is The Best Place For Your Bonsai – Inside

If you have a tropical tree, or any sort of tree that isn’t going to so survive outside in your climate, inside is going to be the best option, but you will still need to assess where it is going to be best placed.

Growing a bonsai inside can require a bit more work to care for it properly, and its location is going to be more a large part of that. You will need to make sure that its needs are met, rather than placing it somewhere you think looks best.

Access To Water

Water doesn’t really need to discussed with an indoor bonsai; I am hoping it is fairly obvious that you will have 100% control of when and how much water your tree gets.

This means that is is actually something you do not need consider when placing your tree inside. You will always be bringing the water to the tree.

Giving Light To A Bonsai Inside Is Very Important

A big bright window is going to be the best location for an indoor bonsai to make sure it gets enough light.

You will have to look at your house and see what area gets the most light throughout the day.

Most indoor bonsai suffer as they can not get enough light and this is why it is always easier to grow trees that can live outside, as this will never be an issue.

The better option is to get a grow light. If your bonsai tree is tropical, it’s probably going to need a lot of light, much more than your climate may be able to provide.

Grow lights allows you to fully control exactly how much light your tree gets and the best part is, it is 365 days a year of pure, perfect light. There is never any cloudy days or shadows half way through the day. You can provide 100% optimal light for your tree.

(I own two LED lights, one from Plant Photonics and one from Mars Hydro)

Indoor Temperatures Can Be A Problem For Bonsai

When you hear people say you shouldn’t grow bonsai trees indoors, Temperature is the main reason why.

Growing Cold Hardy Bonsai Trees Inside Is A Bad Idea

If you try and grow a native tree indoors, the temperature of your house is going to mess it up and it will end up dying. Native trees need to be outside to feel the warmth of summer and colds of winter.

Sitting in your 23°C /73°F house for 365 days a year is not what it needs. If you are going to be mad enough to do this ( I have done it) you need to get your house cold enough to send trees into dormancy over winter, which is not easy to do.

Trees need temperatures between about 3°C and 10°C (37-50°F) to achieve dormancy In winter. No one wants to live in a house that cold all winter.

However, if like me, you have a spare room, just keep the heating off in there. it’s kind of radical, but its works. I managed to get bonsai trees, like an apple tree, to drop its leaves and go dormant over winter while inside.

Where I live now, this isn’t possible to do. My trees are basically in my bedroom and I can’t spend all winter with the temperature at 5°C/ 41°F. The average temperate inside a house is like 20°C/68°F all year. So you can see how this difference can be a problem.

Growing Bonsai Trees Inside For Some Of The Year Can Work

The trees I keep indoors now are more Mediterranean trees, so they only need a little bit of cold in winter, but they still need some sort of winter period.

They could actually survive all year outside, but what I do now is keep them inside for most of the year and during winter I put them in a cold shed to get their “winter”.

This is pretty over the top to be honest, but I like being able to have them under my grow light and really get some excellent growth out of them during the growing season and the shed just keeps them a little safer from frost instead of being directly outside.

Growing Tropical Bonsai Trees Inside Can Work

If you have a tropical bonsai tree, the temperature of your house is probably ideal for them.

If you look at a tropical region, it can pretty much sit at around 20°C/68°F all year round. So your heated house that sits a similar temperature is going to suit your tropical tree very well.

Keep Indoor Bonsai Trees Away From Direct Heat

The only other thing I have to say about temperature and bonsai, is to be careful not to keep a tree to close to a radiator.  

Notoriously bonsai trees are put on windowsills, because of the excellent lighting, however, there is usually a radiator under the windowsill and it can cause problems.

I think the trees can get a little too hot and also dry out a little too fast. I’m not saying it’s impossible, I would just say to be very careful about placing a tree in this position.  

Should You Place Your Bonsai On A Humidity Tray?

Humidity trays are always something that are said to be really important for indoor bonsai trees.

The idea being that water that is sat in the tray will evaporate up and around the tree, helping to keep it more humid.

I have mixed feelings on this. My houses have always been quite humid (buy a thermometer that has a humidity reading to see how humid your house is). I’ve actually had to buy a dehumidifier in the past to try and actually reduce the water in the air, so I haven’t felt the need for a humidity tray.

If you live in a very dry climate, you could probably benefit from this. Maybe this could help the radiator trouble I mentioned above? Who knows?

However, you need a humidity tray for your bonsai… You 100% need one. You don’t need to call it a humidity tray and you don’t need fill it with water, but you do need a tray under any indoor bonsai.

The amount of dirt and water that comes out of the bottom of bonsai pot over time is crazy and also disgusting.

You do not want to put a bonsai pot directly on a windowsill. You need something to collect all that mess. Trust me.

(You can read more about – Do You Need A Humidity Tray For Your Bonsai?)

An Indoor Bonsai Needs Airflow

Air flow around your bonsai tree is one of the hardest things to replicate inside.

Having no “wind” might seem ideal; there is no risk of anything getting blown over, or blown out of the pot.

However, the wind actually helps thicken your tree. When a tree is swaying back and forth in the wind it actually creates lots of little micro tears up and down the trunk. When these heal, they actually make the trunk thicker. Over time a tree grown in the wind will be thicker than one that has not.

A lack of thickness is not the only problem. Air flow around the tree can actually help move the oxygen created by the leaves away from the tree, allowing more carbon dioxide to move into its place to be used.

Imagine if you where wearing a sealed helmet. It would very quickly run out of oxygen for you to breath. If you opened the lid, and let some airflow in, fresh air would come pouring in. Plants that are growing inside sort of suffer from this …maybe not as extreme as a helmet, but hopefully you get what I’m trying to say.

Use A Fan For Indoor Bonsai Airflow

Both of these airflow problems can be solved by a fan. It will move the air about and should also move the tree around, not as much as the wind, but it will still have some effect.

I have used a fan in the past, but I find just walking past the trees can cause enough air flow. I am also pretty much picking up my trees daily to have a look at them and this movement seems to give them enough airflow. Not enough to help with trunk thickening, but enough to keep the oxygen from building up.

Basically I haven’t noticed any problems, but like many of the other things I do, perhaps I am just lucky for now.

Do People Prefer Indoor Or Outdoor Bonsai?

I’ve went through a lot of information here about indoor and outdoor trees, but what do people actually prefer, well I asked my Youtube subscribers and here are the results:

As you can see, two thirds prefer outdoor trees. I would imagine this is because these type of trees are more available and easier to care for. This doesn’t mean tropical trees inside are bad, people just prefer having their bonsai outside.

Conclusion   

Hopefully after reading this, you will be able to find the best position for your new tree, either inside or out, so that it can grow and reach optimal health.

It might take a little time to find the right spot and the right spot may not be 100% optimal across the board for the things you need to consider, but so long as you can find a happy medium, your tree will be fine.