# Bonsai trees?



## hedwigdan (Sep 3, 2011)

Hi folks sorta of a weird question here...
Could I keep a live bonsai tree in with a T? I think it would make an interesting set up.


----------



## peterock44 (Sep 3, 2011)

that would depend on the particular tree you choose. as with all plants there are some that require alot of sun, some that require medium amounts of sun and some that dont really like the sun at all.  personally if you try this i would go with a low light tree.  your t aint gonna like being in the sun all day long.  the average person that thinks of a bonsai tree is thinking of a juniper tree.  that would not work very well for a tarantula tank as they require a very high amount of direct sunlight. i personally have a couple ficus' and a shefflera by a window (they dont get much light as the gf never open the curtains because then the sun shines right on her computer, :laugh so you might try researching up on those as a start.


----------



## Hendersoniana (Sep 4, 2011)

Bonsai may have sap too, i know mine has. At least i think mine is a bonsai... But anyway, if they do have sap, becareful as feeders like cricket or something may go and chew on it and poison themselves and if ingested by the t, they may die, i dont know if this would or could happen, but i would definitely would keep an eye out if it does. I had cricket feeders eating my plants in my scorp tank before. Also, as peterock44 mentioned, they need sunlight, so u gotta provide a light source, which is good, as it gives a night day cycle .


----------



## H. laoticus (Sep 4, 2011)

It wouldn't be a very pretty bonsai in the end I would think with all the webbing and substrate over it

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Mojo Jojo (Sep 4, 2011)

If you really fancy the idea of having a bonsai tree in with your tarantula, I'd personally recommend a fake one.


----------



## jebbewocky (Sep 24, 2011)

My understanding, after talking about the same thing with some friends, is that bonsai need to be outside to do really well, both in terms of light and air quality, so inside a spider tank would be a bad idea.


----------



## Hornets inverts (Oct 20, 2011)

i've been thinking about this aswell, of course plant selection is going to be very important, something like ficus would be best, they grow in vivs as non bonsai so cant see why a bonsai wouldnt do well. You would need to remove it periodically to repotting, root pruning, pruning. Would be best if you had a few and rotated them though the viv, giving them a few months outdoors. Figs will take quite heavy shade right through to full sun so as long as you have some artificial lighting on the viv or near a window i say go for it. They are very sappy but completely harmless


----------



## Louise E. Rothstein (Nov 1, 2011)

Houseplant "bonsais" that mimic small trees might be better for your tarantulas because they could get along without time outdoors.
And a pair or trio could be rotated in order to secure accumulations of webbing which would produce exotic silk if support upon a houseplant "bonsai" could offer it in reasonably clean condition and in sufficient quantity to create more than the single short thread of tarantula silk that is all that I was ever able to obtain.

Possible houseplant "bonsais" might include dwarf draceanas or pruned,large-leaved pothos.

They do look like small trees.


----------



## GartenSpinnen (Dec 22, 2011)

A conventional bonsai may be a bit tricky, but you could possibly pull it off with a pepper plant. Just pick any species that fits your fancy, but I would recommend using Thai, Birds Eye, Habanero, or Bhut Jolokia. Some of these species are easier to grow indoors than others. You may make the decision upon which type of pepper plant you use based upon what type of environment it is going to be in. Is this going to be growing inside a humid loving species enclosure, or a more arid enclosure? How large is the enclosure going to be vs. plant size?

The best way to go about this is to grow whatever pepper you are planning on growing outdoor for an entire season. Grow it organically and make sure you really give it everything it wants to thrive well. Compost would be a good thing to get into because it would help create a healthier plant that will be more resistant to pests and diseases. Remember your feeding the soil not the plant. The reason I would say to grow organically is because when you put the plant in the tarantulas enclosure you don't want to be spraying pesticides and synthetic fertilizers (at least I wouldn't), and also by growing organically upkeep will be minimal if you go about things correctly. An occasion organic tea supplement for the plant would keep it going. And being indoors organic is nice because it helps build up resistance to problems that would only be worsened by growing it indoors in a terrarium type of setup. 

Make sure while you are growing that you use extra large pots, which allow plenty of expansion of the root system. Each time you repot the plant into a bigger pot, make sure you leave the root system about 1" above the new soil. This will promote the roots to show through the type of the soil and create a cool 'bonsai' root effect. The base of the plant will also grow thicker if you combine plants, and there is other ways to make it interesting that I will let you google if your interested . 

After an entire season of growing the plant, cut the plant down to about 8" tall, and cut off the branches at the nodes. Pull the plant up out of the soil, and cut the outside of the root system, trimming it up so it is not as large, leaving the main root ball intact. Then repot into a small bonsai style pot in the same organic mix that you used throughout the season. After repotting the plant make sure you water it well and add fish emulsion as directed, followed by a decent watering. 

Place the plant under a light suitable for flowering (warm light). You do not have to go fancy with this, a 60 watt CFL light placed 2" over the plant will do the trick, but the better the light source the better the plant will grow. Make sure you use a decent reflector at least if you do this, like try using the conventional metal reptile heat bulb type reflector, it works pretty well. Or better yet get a power compact light  setup like used for planted aquariums ;-). Stay away from the high wattage grow bulbs, they will emit too much heat in a confined area such as a tarantula enclosure. Flourescents are your friend in this scenario...

After a matter of a couple days you will start to see budding new growth develop. After a matter of a week you will have a surprising amount of growth going. After a couple weeks you should have a nice little pepper bonsai started. After a month or so you will probably start to see flowers develop on your plant. At this stage vegetation will be thick and you may have to go through and trim it up a bit. You do not want your plant to go crazy, the more vegetation it develops the more resources it will need to stay alive and healthy and that includes light. By keeping the plant small and compact you create a plant that can stay healthy under a smaller light source and will be happier in this type of environment. 

Whenever you water your plant you must absolutely make sure you do not use tap water. Buy bottled water for watering, or get a R/O setup to remove the chlorine, chloramine, and flouride or you will find yourself with constant issues from it, it is the devil to organic grows, you have been warned! A drop of tap on organic soil will kill off your beneficial microbial life that develops within the soil and helps regulate such things as nutrient intake of your plant, it will be like nuking the soil of everything beneficial! :-O

Hope that helps. I might post some photos on how to do it a bit later.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Robotponys (Dec 28, 2011)

Thanks that was...enlightening. I will attempt this. But can you put it in a tarantula vivarium? Do they survive heavy webbing, burrowing, low light, etc? I will google some stuff and come back a smarter person. Lol 

Should work. If it can survive heavy pruning, it will survive webbing. But I think a ficus bonsai/pothos/viney stuff would be safer. Who knows the effects of hot chilies on t's.  But great, noW I have to grow bonchis (chili bonsais)! Lol


----------



## Anonymity82 (Dec 28, 2011)

Don't you have to prune them often? Make sure you get a T that doesn't mind frequent visitors.


----------



## GartenSpinnen (Dec 30, 2011)

The pepper production of the plant will be determined by how much light you use. If you use a cooler temp of light you will get more leafy growth without flower or pepper production, but this will result in almost constant pruning. With a warm temp of light it will promote flowering growth, you will get flowers but under weak intensity light you will only get flowers and they will not generally develop into peppers. If you get a more powerful light system than you will notice pepper production, increasing with the amount of light and useable spectrum. Like if you put a 60 w CFL over it you are only going to get some flowers and fairly slow to moderate vegetative production. If you put a 100 w CFL, or go up to a HID light or something of that nature you might start seeing pepper production. Generally these plants will mimic any other perennial house plant upon being taken indoors over winter. Mine so far has had to be pruned once since bringing it in, and has thrown off about 20-30 flowers of which all have fallen off the plant without any pepper production. 

I would say if done correctly you will prune about once a month or so. If you use a better light source you may find yourself pruning more often, same would be said for any lights to promote vegetative production over flower production. Also species of pepper plant used will have an impact. I am using a bhut jolokia plant that was about 4' high and 3' wide before I cut it down, with the low wattage light the plant flowered with only about 5-6" new growth. 

A pepper species that is smaller would work better. Also you can grow moss and lichen around the base of the plant and manipulate the root system and branches similar to a bonsai. I just trimmed mine but could get around to taking pics... I am just a bit lazy I suppose


----------



## Louise E. Rothstein (Jan 17, 2012)

Peppers like a LOT of light.
Most tarantulas prefer a lot less.
However,the RATHER STRONG LIGHTING that you will need to flower your peppers might not bother a tarantula that spends its days in a burrow (or in a silken "sock") provided that the lights go off at night so that the tarantula can come out in comfort.


----------

