Hi, the problem is not going to be how cool it is inside (tho' AC is not good for plants in general), but what to do with it otherwise. It belongs outside for life, including long frozen winters, etc., and won't survive indoors for long anywhere. However, yours hasn't even sprouted yet (early spring would have been a better time so that it would have 'hardened' off by the fall), and if it sprouts, will not be ready for winter (outside) either. Unless it sprouts (and develops fast) almost right away (which might allow you to plant it in the ground in a mulched and wind-protected place), you might want to consider starting off next spring with an established 3-4 yr old nursery tree in a 1-gal. pot that you can work on and learn how to take care of, and that will have a much better chance at survival, though pines are not the best trees for beginners. Seeds are not always the best way to start learning about bonsai because they take years to get woody trunks or anything like the size you can work on... bonsai 'experts' usually let small ones grow in the ground for years to get fat trunks before working on them at all - and I'd suggest growing tropicals for keeping indoors, but a dorm is no place for anything but house plants at best. Sorry!

If it is possible, you might want to see if someone can care for your tree when you go away to school. Once there you can try to find a commuter student with a place nearby that you can use to have your tree outside. I'm going to ESU in PA in the fall if that happens to be your school.

Another option, which may or may not work, is to treat your plant as an indoor for the first year of its life. As the poster above said, it probably wouldn't make it through winter anyway. Trees deprived of their domancy period will die eventually, but since this one was started so late you might be able to get by. If you do this however, you MUST put it outside in the spring. It'll grow so much better outside and it'll harden up in the fall so it'll have no problem surviving winters outside. The hardiness zone for jack pine is 2-6 so they can take temps down to -50°F once established.

Leave it in the ground for the entire duration of your university studies. Once it's all done, you'll have material with a decent trunk to work with.

-Audric

you will not have a bonsai, even ifthe seed does sprout. You will have a seedling that needs about a decade of growth before it can be made into anything. It will not survive inside, no way, no how. Conifers are outdoor cold hardy plants that die when kept inside. That's the cold hard bottom line. I would abandon the idea of trying to germinate the seed.

If you're interested in indoor bonsai, appropriate starting material is of tropical plant orgin. Ficus, schefflera and other readily available inexpensive tropical plants would work wonderfully as bonsai starter material in a dorm room.

I have been growing my jack pine indoors from seed since last july and have had no problems yet. Should I move it outside? I would like to have an indoor bonsai, but from what I've read - it seems not too likely. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Where do you live?