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 Indica's 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
Bonsai just means “planted in a container” in Japanese, making small cannabis strains the perfect plants to adapt to this fun practice. 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, you can begin trimming and training your new project. No more vertical Christmas tree-like plants; the bonsai cannabis plant is an intriguing talk piece 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
- 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 its great taste and high yields. Boasting potent euphoric and energetic effects, it strikes a perfectly balanced high. It is also a base strain for many other noted cultivars, certifying its status as a truly iconic weed.
Growing
White Widow’s hybrid genetics and easy-grow profile make it ideal for bonsai trimming. You can keep things incredibly compact by topping and pruning. It's perfect for beginners and experienced hands alike thanks to its high mold and pest resistance. It'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. To taste, it's a mouth-watering blend of sweet pine and deep forest flavours. The effects are equally powerful thanks to its hybrid genetics and big THC profile. Expect a full bodily high that remains creative and talkative. It'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 its ease of growth and fruity, mango flavours. With origins in classics like Jack Herer and Super Skunk, this strain is particularly popular with indoor gardens where it can be trimmed and trained into spectacular bonsai shapes.
Growing
Somango XXL is easy to grow with medium fungal resistance. Its hardy growing profile makes it extremely forgiving and adaptable to different climates. Indoors, it grows fairly compact, rarely topping 100 cm in height. You can train it 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 flavour is just as satisfying with citrus, mango and fruity flavours balanced by an earthy, sour skunk. The high veers more towards the Indica, with super-calming and soothing effects that are best sought at the end of the day. Still, its 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 flavour profile. Renowned for its 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 is a relatively easy strain to cultivate and is 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, it 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 flavours 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 quick.
4. Bubba Kush
Renowned for its 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’s easy-grow profile and Indica genetics make it ideal for bonsai growth. It’s a bushy, stocky and easily trained strain, rarely pushing over 100 cm 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 its potent THC levels. To taste, you'll find big citrus and coffee-like flavours 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 its name with a pungent aroma that's recognisable a mile away.
Growing
Chemdawg is one for experienced hands. It has a low fungal resistance and needs care and attention to thrive. This makes it perfect as a bonsai plant. Chemdawg thrives indoors and in greenhouses, and responds particularly well to training methods like SCROG. Make use of its satellite branches as she grows to produce well-patterned bonsai shapes. Humidity is key to growing success as too much can promote mold and mildew. Good air circulation and protection from moisture indoors will see healthy yields of 500 grams per m².
Smell, taste and effect
Chemdawg is renowned for its 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 alleviate stresses 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 its intensely relaxing high, it has a long history spanning continents. First grown in the USA, it migrated to the Netherlands in the 1980s where it was stabilised into the strain we love today.
Growing
Big Bud is very easy to grow and perfect for beginners. Suitable for indoor, outdoor and greenhouse growing, it boasts a high resistance to mold and pests and can adapt its size to small environments. As a bonsai plant, it 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 flavour 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's a must-try Indica strain that's beloved for its bodily high. So named for its distinct grape flavour profile, it also boasts stunning purple and indigo colours 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 favours Mediterranean-like climates, she 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 colour profile.
Smell, taste and effect
Grape Ape is a fruity, mouth-watering strain that produced wonderful summer fruit and blueberry aromas. The flavour is an exquisite blend of sweet citrus and rich woody flavours. Grape Ape is noted for its potent THC levels and full-body buzz. These carefree and relaxing effects are long-lasting and come on quick. This is an ideal strain for those looking to soothe chronic pain or treat symptoms of anxiety.
8. Northern Lights
Northern Lights is a certified classic and among the most recognisable 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 appetising trichome-laced buds.
Smell, taste and effect
Northern Lights boasts among the most alluring flavour 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 its 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 its own strain. Pineapple Express is noted for its high THC content, impressive yields and sweet aromas.
Growing
Pineapple Express is an easy to grow strain that’s well suited for novices. It boasts a high fungal resistance and adaptability to many climates. Still, it grows particularly well indoors where you can control conditions like light, moisture and soil. What's more, growing under 100 cm when pruned, you can keep things compact and train it 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 is a great option for beginners. 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 flavour profile with pungent notes of earth and pine. These sweet flavours 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 weed seeds 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.