Bonsai Growbox 2.0

For those of you have read my previous posts you will be aware of my recent acquisition of a Fukien Bonsai Tree.  You will have also read how that one Bonsai Tree turned into multiple pots of cuttings and seeds of a wider range of trees, all housed in the new Grow Box I purchased.  As you can see below, the grow box is quite simple. Made of wood and hard plastic for the windows it opens up by lifting the top half backwards. 

Original Grow Box With Open Lid

As you can see, it is nothing special.  I brought the grow box for my Bonsai originally so I can keep the temperature warmer and humidity high.  This never happened.  I monitored the   temperature for the first few days and nights and it was as cold as normal room temperature dropping below 15 degrees centigrade often. This was a huge concern as well as the fact that during winter in the UK the plant would not be getting enough light.

I found an old desk lamp and directed into the grow box (this is the wrong type of light to use but I will get to that).  The good thing was that the temperature around 20 degrees centigrade when the light was on.  Humidity was still an issue and so was the temperature over night.  Then I had a thought.  Now this is not conventional for Bonsai or for grow boxes and a lot of people will probably disagree but it started me on a project to continually improve the conditions for my Bonsai, cuttings and seeds. 

So what was my vision? I needed to make the grow box, warmer, more humid and set up the right lighting.  For those of you who know much about Bonsai, sometimes when they are being presented they have  layer of moss on the soil to add to the art.  All of my pots are in humidity trays and were sat on paper inside the box. My idea was to replace this paper with moss.  I believe this would increase the temperature and humidity.

The next day, I emptied the grow box and and set about my vision for the bottom of the grow box.  I layed down a plastic sheet to cover the entire bottom of the box. I then cut up 4 pieces of wood not much higher or wider than 1cm. Then lay another sheet of plastic down and overlapping onto the wood blocks,  The plastic sheeting was so now water damaged the wood at the bottom of the box. The wood blocks gave me a bowl where I could the moss and eventually stand the pots on. I put a thin layer of soil down and watered it so it was damp.

Now for the moss.  I was never going to be able to find a piece of Moss instantly to cover the whole bottom of the box. So I went outside found some moss and placed it in a small pot. I watered it heavily and covered it with clingfilm to raise the humidity.  This is now growing new bits of moss and eventually will cover the whole of the bottom of the grow box. For now the pots sit in their humidity trays on the soil. This has already increased the humidity and temperature a lot and mist and moisture now sit on the windows,

The other issue I knew I had was lighting.  This is a real pain. The UK winter consists of very few hours of sunlight meaning I was looking into artificial light for the trees.  Now this is one confusing large area with lighting systems costing up to and above £1000. Considering I purchased the Grow Box for £7.5 there was no way I was going to or could afford a lighting system for that much.  After much confusion, buying two wrong bulbs for £12 and then being unable to find a holder for it I have now ordered and am awaiting delivery on my two new lights.  These will be positioned behind the grow box with one light for each side. 

So what Bonsai light d I go for? I am thinking of doing a whole section on this so I will keep it short. I purchased two 24W Cool Daylight 6400K Phillips CFL lights.  This will be held in place by two holders for their E27 fit (hopefully).  So why these lights? Between those available a smaller compact CFL light was most practical. I had looked at LED lights and seen favourable reviews but was unable to find the holder I would need for this. Anyone researching the same will know that indoor plants and trees generally need a colour light of either cool white or cool daylight with a temperature above 5000K - NOTE: This will vary from plant to pant and tree to tree - Make sure you research what is best for yours before purchasing anything. The lighting system should be with me within a couple of days so I am yet to see how this will work, effect humidity and temperature but it is something to look forward to.

I made one other adjustment to the grow box which is looking more and more like a terrarium everyday - which technically I guess a grow box is anyway. Again this is something many will say is wrong but at this time it is what I can get my hands on and afford.  I have fashioned two 4 bits of cardboard covered in two layer of kitchen foil and slotted these into the side window panels.  The idea behind this is to reflect any escaping light back in, onto the plants. I am hoping it also reinforces the side windows and lets less heat escape.

The results so far are very promising. The Bonsai is looking very green and super healthy.  The temperature does not drop below 18 degrees centigrade and lights bounces around the grow box.  I am not done though.  The new lighting system is still to be added and I also have purchased a temperature/humidity gauge to control these better.  Hopefully things stay well and when I have updates and the lights are added I will write a new post.

Here are some photos of Grow Box 2.0.

Bonsai Grow Box showing the normal desk lamp and humidity with soil base.

The right hand side of the grow box with the temperature gauge.

Bonsai Grow Box with light reflectors on the side.