A Simple Home-Made Bonsai Growing Stand

by Tom Davis, OSA



Introduction

I have my trees indoors on a home-made light bench I made from some plastic shelving scraps and some PVC pipe and three 4' fluorescent light fixtures I got on sale at Home Depot (love that place). Total cost with bulbs and timer: about $ 79.00. 

I keep the area at about 70 degrees during the day and about 62 degrees at night.

As for pictures of my light bench, I'm attaching them with this email. The three 4' T8 fluorescent fixtures put out a good amount of light, so much so that the new leaves on my figs are red (as you can see by the pictures). I am also getting nice new growth on my Yatsubusa Elms right now. So far so good.

Because I'm a friar, I don't have alot of room anywhere in the friary to set-up anything more substantial, but I'm quite happy that this bench will support 10 Shohin bonsais.

Four foot commercial fluroescent lights suspended above the bonsai


Side view of the stand, shelves and lights above


Detail of the support for the fluorescent light


Red new leaves on recently chopped Ficus salicaria show excellent light intensity


All photos © Tom Davis

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