If you drain the cache pot each time you water, it will be fine. Bonsai will require more attention to watering due to the shallow bowl.

I used to do this with orchids all the time until I got tired of draining the cache pots.

Here is my newest (mini) orchid still in a cache pot but I will eventually change that out too.

Amazing thats good to know, thanks very much for the reply!! Your orchid looks lovely 😊

Claire, start reading up on bonsai. That looks like a chinese elm and is not suitable as a houseplant. Once some serious bonsai pruning is accomplished, it will look pretty nice!

I would very much like to see you get an appropriate clay or ceramic bonsai container and the correct type of planting mix.

Thanks very much for your reply! Ive been looking into chinese elms, lots of mixed opinions online - contradicting advice on having them inside - many say its fine!

at the minimum you'll need a cold porch for winter with good light for them.

Would you recommend pruning now or waiting a while for it to settle?

If your bonsai is a tree or any other plant that normally grown outside, then it will not grow well or successfully indoors. You just cannot duplicate outdoor growing conditions inside a house. They should be outside during the growing season and only brought into winter protection once they become dormant.

Ok thankyou, I noticed today that quite a few of the leaves are crispy (still green) - soil was dry when iI beough it home. I sat it in water for 10 minutes, as I'm presuming it had dried up. Anything else I can do? And should I still keep it outside?