I think the primary consideration for bonsai soils is particle size and second what those particles are made of. The reason I say that is, we cannot afford to have any significant amount of perched water in bonsai soils because of the fact that our containers are very shallow. If you build a bonsai soil from sand that is too fine, water will pass through it quickly, but a portion of the water will perch in the container and not drain. The reason that commercially prepared potting soils are inappropriate for bonsai is because they hold significant amounts of perched water - some support upwards of 4" of perched water. This means that if you used this soil in a 4" deep container or shallower, that the soil would remain 100% saturated after a thorough watering. Adding perlite or other large gritty material will not reduce the height of the perched water table until the volume of what you add approaches 65% of the o/a volume of the soil. Water retention in soils is directly related to soil particle size. The smaller the particle size, the greater the water retention. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases until at a particle size of a little over 1/10", the PWT disappears entirely. From this, we can see the benefit in trying to keep a fairly uniform particle size in that 1/10-1/8" size range. THEN, we can start to concern ourselves with the intricacies of building an appropriate soil. I'm assuming this isn't torpedo or builders sand - like is used for mortar - right? It's a mixture of sand and mixed sizes of small gravel? If you simply screen the all-purpose sand to an appropriate size and try to use it as a soil, it would work if you were willing to stand over it and water every 15 minutes. IOW -0 there is not enough water retention. So you need to add compatible size materials that will add water retention. I use 1/8-1/4" fir bark and Turface (clay that is fired at very high temperatures so it is ceramic-like). Instead of the gravel you might use, I use crushed and pre-screened granite chips. Most of my soils are equal portions by volume of 1/8-1/4" screened fir bark screened Turface crushed granite in grower size or #2 cherrystone. It looks like this: You're looking at the nebari of a recently lifted Styrax japonica (Japanese snowbell) I grew in a nursery bed from a cutting, btw. What's nice about this soil is it's made from only 3 components. Because the grit holds little water and the Turface holds lots of water, the soil is easily adjustable for water retention by varying the amounts of Turface and granite in the mix while limiting the bark component to no more than 1/3 of the whole. It holds good amounts of water in the internal pores of the Turface and bark, yet holds no perched water. A closer look: If you simply added peat moss to gravel you screened to an appropriate size, the moss would simply fill in the spaces between the gravel. This reduces aeration and increases water retention. Appropriate size bark would be better, but even bark breaks down, which is why I like to keep it to 1/3 or less of the total volume with the rest of the soil being stable mineral products. Everyone has their own ideas about bonsai soils, but all ideas are not given the same amount of consideration. Simply offering "it works for me", which is commonly done, is no testimony to the comparative worth of a bonsai growing medium. Al Here is a link that might be useful: In greater depth - if you're interested.

Hi, welcome to the forum. Greenman's being too modest here, but he's right about what he said. The only bonsai that can be grown inside are basically tropicals - basically because under certain conditions there are a couple of subtropical species that can be tried if you know what you're doing, but conditions must be ideal. Maples won't grow indoors anywhere, anytime, so they're definitely out, as would be anything cold hardy. You're best to start with something like Ficus as there are many different ones available all over and care is fairly straightforward, though not without problems as even experienced growers find with any species in given situations. Remember that the majority of trees are not grown 'up' to be little bonsai and then magically switched off to stay that size, but are cut back from larger trees (not as "cuttings", but as 'chops') allowing smaller new branches to grow (how and when matter for each type) on the fattest trunk achievable - except in the case of a couple of styles - which give the illusion of age by their proportion to each other. "Growing out" trees in the ground is the fastest way to get those trunks, but not practical for tropicals anywhere but in tropical climates, so large containers of various kinds ('training pots or boxes') are used vs little designer pots that keep trees from doing anything more than minimum growth, and which require roots and branches to be pruned to fit pots (which should really only be used once trees are developed and styled over time). Look at www.bonsaihunk.us/cultural.html for lots of great advice on indoor growing (and particularly Ficus), plus www.bonsai4me.com, plus try to find a local club, which is usually a great way to learn as you can watch how things are done on the spot. Whatever you do, never go by attached tags on plants for care, as they are usually so general (and often actually wrong) as to be meaningless for individual plants and take no account of particular environments. Do be prepared to spend on basics up front, like 4' fluorescent, 2 bulb fixtures with full spectrum lights. Don't waste time misting things as it... wastes time, but do use humidity trays, ones that span the width of trees' growth, holding stones and water, as long as you keep the water below the stones so pots don't wick it up and rot roots. Learn first, spend later and enjoy the ride :0)!

Very clever set up. How about using a humidity tray? I grow my orchids on a boot tray with grids that is about four feet by 15 inches. I don't enclose them because they need good air circulation too. If you could rig up a small fan at one end with a small vent at the other, you might get the right balance of ventilation, humidity and heat.

Club M...I have this to offer, but first I want to respond to plastic gardens question. Not necessarily plastic garden. Sometimes people hit "mid life crisis" where they start to feel stifled by their life, including their careers, when they feel that "is this all there is" feeling plaguing them. They feel that there is nothing to get excited about, and are tired of their life, their job, etc. They start looking around them and feeling dissatisfied with everyone and everything around them. Anyway, look at what you can do, before you end up with another woman in the midst of your marriage, offering excitement, and fresh new experiences. And they can make some drastic decisions (and mistakes) to change things, only finding that the new relationship can bring problems into his life that he never even dreamed of. New wife that shoves aside his children (adult children too) because she is threatened by them, or they do not fit neatly into her picture of her new family. Or his kids can reject the new wife, and lots of hard feelings and damaged relationships can occur. plastic garden, you are looking at it as though it is "her". Perhaps it is "him". A man whose children are grown and are now vibrant young men, with vibrant young wives, just beginning their life. And he may be feeling jealous, (competition of sorts with his now adult men sons). Or just restless, and stale and in need of changes in his life. I know nothing of clubm marriage, or her life, or of who she is, as a woman, and a wife. But I would advise her to shake things up a bit, and make life a bit more interesting. To take a good, hard look at her marriage, and think about what she can do differently to improve it. To actually "listen" and hear what is bothering him, and look at what she can do to bring some happy surprises back into her marriage. Start by getting into shape if you are not. A new "look", from hair, makeup, clothes, etc. Look around the house. What can you change that would make the atmosphere fresh, and happy in the way your home looks and feels. Especially changing out the bedroom colors and spread. After you start making some changes, a trip might help. But look for changes you can make. If you are a type A control freak, let him take control, and you step back and do it his way, with a smile and encouragement. If he is the Type A control freak (and tired of always having to be the responsible one) you take charge, and let him be taken care of, without having to worry about anything. We get into tiresome roles in long marriages, that become tiresome habits. You sometimes hear about a man married to a very competent, accomplished woman, falling for a very needy airhead, because he needs to be needed. Or a man married to a needy airhead, falling for the competent professional woman, because he is tired of having to do everything, and always being the responsible one. He needs someone to take care of him at times. Sometimes, people just get sick of "the same old"...and long for something different, that makes us "feel" different. We can grow tired of ourselves and everything around us. Talk to him about his job. Is there something he has always dreamed of doing (and you too) that would be something to "get excited about"? Even if he can't actually quit his job, can he add something that he loves to what he is doing? Can you? You mentioned that he said some awful and mean things to you the other night. Without being defensive, can you step back and look at it as a therapist might, and consider each thing he said, and search if there is "any" truth in what he said? Can you "push the hurt aside" and simply "hear" what he had to say? Sometimes people say some really painful things because they are hurting, or depressed, but sometimes they say hurtful things because they need to speak the "truth" and sometimes the truth can hurt. But if there was truth in his words, can you actually "hear the truth" and ask yourself if there are areas you need to address and change in? We grow through some of the painful experiences in our life. I imagine that he is restless, and bored, and dissatisfied with everything right now. I have known people with long marriages that found themselves where you are. They shook things up and bought his and her Harley's and joined a group that cycled together. They were the last people in the world I would have thought would do this. Another took up ballroom dancing. Others sold the house and have traveled the world together. Others have bought a historic house and completely renovated it complete with much researched period furnishings, etc. Others get into antique cars and going from place to place as a group and showing the cars. Others have joined a drama group, and act in local plays. Others bought a camper and move with a new group of friends that like to camp and socialize together, and meet at various campgrounds around the state. Another couple started taking gourmet cooking classes together and travel to some of them. Anyhow, without knowing either of you, I would start by shaking things up a bit, and adding fun to your marriage. And shake up old stale roles and habits, and make your home and marriage something fresh...something to look forward to.