Hello,

I'm a beginner in the Bonsai's world, and I have started to grow an Oak Tree Bonsai last September. I have mixed by myself following the instructions on www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/cultivation/from-seeds. The Bonsai started to grow very quickly (I was impressed), big and green leaves. I'm growing the Bonsai indoor, in my office as is the place where unluckily I spend most of my life and as I'm living in London and temperature outside can be cold in winter time. A combination of the fact I was away for 7 days and heating in the office was very high, all the leaves became dry but still green.

As a consequence of that, I've potted these leaves. (pics attached)

1) How can I avoid this situation and what shall I do?
2) I'm bit concerned about watering, what shall I do in the case I'm going to be away for 7-15 days?

Any suggestion/help will be appreciate

Thanks
Daniele

Perseus wrote:

A combination of the fact I was away for 7 days and heating in the office was very high, all the leaves became dry but still green.

You say you were away for 7 days? No watering? Heating on? Dry leaves?
I see.

Perseus wrote:

As a consequence of that, I've potted these leaves. (pics attached)

Danielle, you have stuck dry leaves in the soil, inside you office, in the winter, in London.
You are certainly the MOST optimistic person I have ever heard of!

Tell us what happened to the whole set in the future?
I particularly do not think they will survive.

Perseus wrote:

I'm a beginner in the Bonsai's world, and I have started to grow an Oak Tree Bonsai last September.

And you've even named it. It's not a puppy, it is a tree. Oaks do not belong indoors.

Also, it doesn't belong in that pot. Bonsai are not grown by keeping seedlings small.

Ok first of all thanks to comment also if I was expecting some constructive feedback instead to be told off in that way!

Just to be precise I haven’t pot the leaves, but I’ve cut those dry leaves - it was a misspelling mistake - definitely I’m not an idiot, otherwise I would pot money waiting to see more!

Said that If I was an expert I wasn’t here asking suggestions, and just to be fair I was doing great with my bonsai, unluckily I had the bad idea to ask watering advices to the gardener of my office and he told me I should water it every 7-10 days. It was bit weird for me, but as weird was don’t trust a gardener

My office has 3 floors and and heating system is centralised and I wasn’t thinking they were turning on that week, and also with a equatioral temperature..

Perseus wrote:

I was doing great with my bonsai

It's a seedling, not a bonsai. It takes many years to grow a tree that's suitable for bonsai - say some 15 years to grow a pre-bonsai.
It is fun to grow trees from seed, but growing bonsai this way is not done often as it takes far too long (I am repeating myself... the same answers have been given recently, I think yesterday, and are given very regularly). For beginners, it practically never works out.

I had the bad idea to ask watering advices to the gardener of my office and he told me I should water it every 7-10 days

Not a good advice indeed, but also keeping it in an office - a bad climate for plants, very bad for outdoor trees, and a terrible climate for seedlings.

My office has 3 floors and and heating system is centralised and I wasn’t thinking they were turning on that week, and also with a equatioral temperature..

If you really want to grow an oak bonsai, get more mature material. Sure you can grow from seed as well, but grow it outdoors, where it belongs. And have lots of patience.

Hi and thanks

This gives me a better idea!

So what shall I do with current seedling? Put in the bin or can I recycle the compost for another seedling in a better location?

Thanks
Daniele

Daniele,

You have to start somewhere , right? So, don’t give up on these seedlings just yet. Submerge the pot in a bowl of water and leave it there for a day. Some of them may indeed survive. As mentioned above, oak should not be left to stay inside for any amount of time. There are a number of reasons, but primarily because they need dormancy in the winter and indoors are far too dry an environment. Oak should do fine out of doors in your part of the world with minimal protection. If you are needing some green in the office to keep you sane, look for a tropical tree. There are many suitable for bonsai and they are a great trading ground for people learning the ropes.

Do not submerge the plants for a day. Just water them normally.

Do not try to grow bonsai in an office. It is not going to work.