First time poster - I have had an indoor bonsai setup for over a year now and I keep compulsively adding on to it. I have 6x 4ft 54W T5 HO fluorescent 6500k lights, 4x 4ft 50W LED 6500k lights, and 2x 2ft 20W LED 6500k lights. The lux reading on my cheap meter is saying 250k to 300+k all around the bonsai table (250k around the table surface, about 320k around the taller tree tops). I hadn't previously taken measurements before now, so I decided to google some expectations. I read that noon sunlight is 100-120k lux. So am I overdoing it? The plants seem fine, despite humidity issues with indoor winter conditions. I recently started running a humidifier that seems to be helping. Temperature doesn't go above 80 around the trees, so they're not burning... but do I need to cut back the lights? I have a lot of money in this setup so I'm secretly hoping somebody says it isn't necessary, or conversely says my light meter is wrong. Please advise - thanks in advance.

Here's a picture of the setup. The gate picture at the top swings down and locks during the day and the measurements were taken with the gate down.

Are you overdoing it? Yeah. I think you are. Personally I do not understand why people are so determined to grow bonsai indoors. But well. Each to their own I suppose.

THe light intensity is not a problem I suppose; Plants have a maximum uptake. Just make sure you give it proper day/night cycles.

Oh, and 80 degrees is way to hot We use the climate chambers at 70 degrees to dry samples. For most plants I would limit the temperature to about 25 degrees.

I assume you mean 80 degrees fahrenheit? You setup looks like it might work, if you were growing topical/sub-tropical plants. Any tree that needs seasons will probably not make it long term.

I have a 300W compact fluorescent light. Half of it does 6400K and the other half gives out a 2100K light. I have it on my ficus for 8 hours a day during winter time. Other than that the ficus is outside. It does well, but I haven't used anything else and I don't have much experience in indoor setups

Yes, apologies -- 80 F (~26.6 C). I grow them indoors because I'd read you can't grow bonsais indoors effectively. It's more of a hobby/challenge than a set of beliefs - I just wanted to see what can be done in terms of replicating tropical and subtropical conditions, especially with advances in LED technology. I'm debating replacing the fluorescents with LEDs entirely, were it not for the heat the fluorescents provide. I will say the most interesting thing I've discovered is despite my efforts, the trees recognize it's not their growing season. I suspect the sustained dry period from winter central heating tipped them off, thus the humidifier. That, and I left them on their own for a couple weeks over the holidays. But to be perfectly honest, were it just a case of put them outside and return in the spring, I'd lose much of what I enjoy about the hobby

You can of course grow trees indoors if you are willing to throw enough money at it. I mean, this tropical forest in the Netherlands is fully indoors: www.google.com.au/search?q=burgers+bush&...source=lnms&tbm=isch

I suppose one could say you are not so much into growing bonsai, as you are into setting up a climatic chamber.

In an experiment we are running now, we are growing ryegrass in a climatron 520 climatic chamber with 6 * 24W fluorescends.That delivers about 250 micromoll per square meter per second, converting to roughly 12500 lux, which seems sufficient for growing the grass out.

I am not sure though whether the conversions are all based on full light spectra intensities, or whether they focus on specific wavelengths (Plants only use red and blue really for photosynthesis; The rest not)

Just googled the climatron, that's incredible. Wish I had one, but I bet that energy bill is insane. And that indoor rainforest is amazing - new goal for the laundry room haha.

I removed 4 of the fluorescents and dropped the lux to 80 at table height and 120 at tree tops. So is there any detriment to the plant if the lux is above 100, if heat isn't an issue?

Hi...i am a new user here. As per my knowledge i will say the most interesting thing I've discovered is despite my efforts, the trees recognize it's not their growing season. I suspect the sustained dry period from winter central heating tipped them off, thus the humidifier. That, and I left them on their own for a couple weeks over the holidays.