Cannabis bonsai trees (or cannabonsai) are the latest Instagram craze. These glorious house plants can be incredibly soothing and relaxing to maintain. Many opt to use these sensations for clone clippings in their cannabis garden.
Because each strain of cannabis has different genetics, some are far better suited to bonsai-ing. Bushy Indicas and hybrid strains often do better at staying compact and taking on beautiful shapes when pruned. If you want to get started with this fun and therapeutic trend, here are the top 10 strains for bonsai.
Why you should grow a bonsai weed strain
The word 'bonsai' just means “planted in a container” in Japanese, making small cannabis strains the perfect plants to adapt to this fun practice of growing your own miniature tree. Combine the therapeutic art of bonsai trimming with the ultimate end-product: a resiny, THC-laced bud.
Just like traditional bonsai trees, cannabis can be trained to take on delightful, artistic forms. That’s what makes bonsai cannabis so fun. It’s a practical, aesthetic indoor statement.
Bonsai trimming starts early after planting your seeds in a small pot. As soon as it reaches just 10 cm (4 inches), you can begin trimming and training your new project. No more vertical Christmas tree-like plants; the bonsai cannabis plant is an intriguing conversation starter that’s fun to shape and experiment with. It's not a plant you leave alone on a window sill - it requires care, time, and plenty of imagination.
Top 10 Best Bonsai Tree Strains to grow
These are the best strains to grow cannabonsai for sale in our catalog:
- White Widow
- Somango XXL
- Gelato
- Bubba Kush
- Chemdawg
- Big Bud
- Grape Ape
- Northern Lights
- Pineapple Express
- Purple Urkle
1. White Widow
White Widow is a legendary hybrid cannabis strain that's beloved by growers for her great taste and high yields. Boasting potent euphoric and energetic effects, she strikes a perfectly balanced high. White Widow feminized seeds are also the base for many other noted cultivars, certifying her status as a truly iconic weed.
Growing
White Widow’s hybrid genetics and easy-grow profile make it an ideal bonsai strain. You can keep things incredibly compact by topping and pruning. She's perfect for beginners and experienced hands alike thanks to her high mold and pest resistance. She's also highly adaptable to different training methods so you can achieve those perfect bonsai shapes.
Smell, taste, and effect
White Widow has a very distinctive sweet and sour aroma with big earthy undertones. Flavor wise, you can expect a mouth-watering blend of sweet pine and deep forest flavours. The effects are equally powerful thanks to her hybrid genetics and high THC profile. Expect a full bodily high that will keep you creative and talkative. She's a particular favourite with those treating fatigue and anxiety.
2. Somango XXL
Somango XXL is an Indica-dominant strain that's widely acclaimed for her ease of growth and fruity, mango flavors. With origins in classics like Jack Herer and Super Skunk, this strain is particularly popular with indoor gardens where she can be trimmed and trained into spectacular bonsai shapes.
Growing
Somango XXL feminized seeds are easy to grow with medium fungal resistance. Her hardy growing profile makes her extremely forgiving and adaptable to different climates. Indoors, it grows fairly compact, rarely topping 100 cm (3′ 3″) in height. You can train her well in a bonsai pot, promoting lateral leaf and branch growth for aesthetics.
Smell, taste, and effect
Somango XXL is a luscious-smelling strain with rich tropical fruits and juicy mango notes. The flavor is just as satisfying with citrus, mango, and fruity flavors balanced by an earthy, sour skunk. The high veers more towards the Indica, with sedative properties and soothing effects that are best sought at the end of the day.
Still, her euphoria is functional, allowing bursts of clear and focused creativity. This makes it an ideal medicinal option when treating stresses and anxiety.
3. Gelato
Gelato is a true connoisseur's strain boasting a creamy and sweet gelato-like flavor profile. Renowned for her exceptional yield potential, Gelato is a true west coast original. This Indica-dominant hybrid packs a serious punch, with THC levels regularly topping 25%.
Growing
Gelato feminized seeds are relatively easy to cultivate and are suited for both indoor and outdoor growth. When pursuing bonsai with this strain, Gelato is perfect due to the large spaces which develop between branches. Keep pruning and shaping to allow light to reach the stems. While beginners should have no issue with Gelato, she can produce a strong aroma during the flowering stage. Good ventilation is required if you’re keeping things discreet.
Smell, taste, and effect
Gelato is a one-of-a-kind strain with deliciously sweet, floral, and minty aromas. The flavors are just as alluring, with bold ice cream notes and hints of mint cookies. The high is balanced but strong, so watch your dosage if you're less tolerant to THC. Gelato produces a euphoric high that's accompanied by mind and body relaxation that comes on quickly.
4. Bubba Kush
Renowned for her potent, calming effects, Bubba Kush is a true classic. This powerful strain emerged in the 1990s and quickly became among the most popular option in hip hop circles. It's said to be related to the legendary Northern Lights. Just like Northern Lights, Bubba Kush is a go-to Indica strain that produces rich and rewarding harvests.
Growing
Bubba Kush feminized seeds’ easy-grow profile and Indica genetics make it ideal for bonsai growth. She’s a bushy, stocky, and easily trained strain, rarely pushing over 100 cm (4 inches) indoors. She is perfect for beginners and experienced growers alike and can adapt to both indoor and outdoor environments.
For bonsai growth, you'll want to train her well within the vegetative stage to produce unique spacing. You'll be left with one of the prettiest bonsai trees out there, thanks to her kaleidoscope of purple, green, and blue leaves.
Smell, taste, and effect
Bubba Kush boasts bold petrol and earthy aroma that's indicative of her potent THC levels. To taste, you'll find big citrus and coffee-like flavors alongside spice and earth notes. The effects are just as delightful, producing long-lasting, relaxing highs that are perfect for house-bound evenings. As such, Bubba Kush is particularly adept at treating symptoms of stress, inflammation, and chronic pain.
5. Chemdawg
The illustrious source of classics like OG Kush and Sour Diesel, Chemdawg is a potent hybrid strain that's a true original. This versatile strain lives up to her name with a pungent aroma that's recognizable a mile away.
Growing
Chemdawg feminized seeds are one for experienced hands. She has a low fungal resistance and needs care and attention to thrive. This makes her perfect as a bonsai plant. Chemdawg thrives indoors and in greenhouses, and responds particularly well to training methods like SCROG. Make use of her satellite branches as she grows to produce well-patterned bonsai shapes.
Humidity is key to growing success, as too much can promote mold on your weed plants. Good air circulation and protection from moisture indoors can result in healthy yields of 500 grams per m².
Smell, taste, and effect
Chemdawg is renowned for her distinct diesel notes. This diesel smell is combined with notes of fruit, pine, and spice to make a truly sharp and captivating aroma. Chemdawg also tends to be strong, with potent THC levels pushing 20%.
The result is a powerful yet rounded high that's euphoric and soothing in equal measure. Chemdawg is particularly useful as a mood enhancer and can help with stress relief while motivating and boosting creativity.
6. Big Bud
Big Bud is an Indica strain with roots in classics like Skunk #1 and Northern Lights. Renowned for her intensely relaxing high, she has a long history spanning continents. First grown in the USA, it migrated to the Netherlands in the 1980s where it was stabilized into the strain we love today.
Growing
Big Bud feminized seeds are very easy to grow and perfect for beginners. Suitable for indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse growing, she has a high resistance to mold and pests and can adapt her size to small environments.
As a bonsai plant, she produces big and luscious resiny buds with sparse leaves for a unique aesthetic. Big Bud responds particularly well to training and trimming techniques like SCROG and super cropping, making her ideal for bonsai. Just ensure that those big buds don’t overwhelm the branches.
Smell, taste, and effect
Big Bud's aromas are sweet and sticky with peppery, spicy undertones. These lingering syrupy smells follow through in the flavor, which is sweet, earthy, and skunky. The effects are classic, delivering a huge bodily relaxation that will leave you glued to the couch. This is one for the end of the day and can be used to de-stress, soothe muscle pain or simply unwind.
7. Grape Ape
Grape Ape feminized seeds are a must-try Indica strain that's beloved for her bodily high. So named for her distinct grape flavor profile, in some cases, she can sport stunning purple and indigo colors with buds that glisten and sparkle in the light.
Growing
Grape Ape is an exceptionally robust and easy-to-grow strain that can adapt to many environments. While she favors Mediterranean-like climates, this Ape thrives well in temperate areas too.
Indoors, she can grow fast in grow boxes with nutrient-rich soils or hydroponics. As she grows, she develops side shoots that are ideal for bonsai-like trimming. This is all complemented by her rich color profile.
Smell, taste, and effect
Grape Ape is a fruity, mouth-watering strain that produces wonderful summer fruit and blueberry aromas. The flavor is an exquisite blend of sweet citrus and rich woody flavors.
Grape Ape is noted for her potent THC levels and full-body buzz. These carefree and relaxing effects are long-lasting and come on quickly. This is an ideal strain for those looking to soothe chronic pain or treat symptoms of anxiety.
8. Northern Lights
Northern Lights feminized seeds are a certified classic and among the most recognizable strains in the world. Her hardy nature and glorious effects have certified her status as a top-growing Indica. Her true origins, however, are unknown, but she likely grew in Washington state before arriving in the Netherlands.
Growing
Northern Lights has achieved iconic status thanks to her ease of growth and robust nature. Northern Lights grows exceptionally well indoors where conditions can be controlled, and light is abundant.
She is also incredibly compact and dense in structure, growing luscious dark buds and easily manageable branches and leaves. This makes her ideal for bonsai planting, as you can both prune and train her to remain small while still producing appetizing trichome-laced buds.
Smell, taste, and effect
Northern Lights boasts among the most alluring flavor profiles out there. Notes of honey and musk are matched by fruity, herbal qualities that are both pungent and sweet. The high is also well-known for her euphoric effects that affect the whole body and relax the muscles.
9. Pineapple Express
It was inevitable that Seth Rogen's 2008 movie and love letter to cannabis would eventually inspire her own strain. Pineapple Express is noted for her high THC content, impressive yields, and sweet aromas.
Growing
Pineapple Express feminized seeds are a hardy strain that does need some proper care. She is, however, known for her high fungal resistance and adaptability to many climates. Still, this Pineapple weed plant grows particularly well indoors where you can control conditions like light, moisture, and soil.
What's more, growing under 100 cm (4 inches) when pruned, you can keep things compact and train them with methods like SCROG. This makes Pineapple Express an ideal suitor for experimental bonsai planting.
Smell, taste, and effect
Pineapple Express possesses a delightfully sweet and citrus aroma with notes of pine and earth. There are pineapple and grapefruit notes too, particularly when dried. As a Sativa-dominant hybrid, the effects are energetic and uplifting. This buzz is long-lasting and can be a great boon for creative inspiration or social situations.
10. Purple Urkle
Purple Urkle is among the most attractive strains out there. Her purple leaves and glistening exterior will have eyes wandering and people talking. Born and bred in California, she's an Indica-dominant strain that is exceptionally simple to grow.
Growing
Purple Urkle feminized seeds are a great option for novices, as she is part of our weed seeds for beginners collection. She grows very well indoors or outdoors where she adapts well to different climates. The key to good growth is controlling moisture. As such, she's very adept at indoor growing, where she thrives as a bonsai plant.
This is because she grows slowly compared to other strains and produces wide, bushy branches that can be shaped and styled to promote light penetration.
Smell, taste, and effect
Purple Urkle boasts a mouth-watering grape and tropical fruit flavor profile with pungent notes of earth and pine. These sweet flavors give way to strong soothing effects and a euphoric high that's perfect for relaxing the body and mind. Renowned as a sedative, nighttime weed, she's perfect for treating insomnia.
Buy seeds and grow your own Bonsai Cannabis Tree Strain!
Pick up the highest quality Marijuana seeds for sale from Weedseedsexpress and grow your next bonsai masterpiece. The above suggestions are perfect first-time options because they’re compact and easy to maintain. If you’re stuck on where to begin, don’t sweat; check our guide for tips on bonsai training. Order your seeds and follow these steps, and you'll be a cannabonsai master in no time at all.