Archive for the ‘light’ tag
The biggest killer of house plants is a lack of light
With out sufficient light plants your plants will slowly die of starvation. With out enough light the soil stays sopping wet after waterings and allows bacteria to grow and attack your plant.
In the winter we have far less sunny days and even when the days are sunny, the sun is lower in the sky and not out as long as needed by many plants.
In the winter supply your plants with extra light. A table lamp with a fluorescent bulb works wonders and costs next to nothing to run. Set one up on your desk or a table and rotate your plants under it if there are too many to fit. It doesn’t take much to save those plants from starvation.
If the windows are not too cold for your plants move them closer. If possible, move them to brighter windows for the winter. Plants that sit in in west and east windows can be moved to southern exposures during the winter. Those normally in north facing windows can be placed in east or west facing windows. If you can move back a curtain with out exposing your plant to too much cold, that helps too.
Don’t starve your plants this winter, supplement their diet with extra light.
Plants for east and bright north facing windows
These plants don’t need as much light as some other favorite house plants and will do well in not so sunny windows.
Chinese evergreen
Heartleaf philodendron
Maidenhair fern
Parlor palm
Snake plant
Lucky bamboo
African violets
Phalaenopsis orchids
House plants for bright south facing windows
These plants need bright sunlight and can withstand bright sunlight. Put them in your brightest south and west facing windows.
Asparagus Meyeri and Sprengeri
Burro’s Tail
Coleus
Dumb Cane
Devil’s Ivy
Jade Plant
Ponytail Palm
Rubber Plant
Schefflera
Snake Plant aka Mother-in-Law’s tongue
Swedish Ivy
Velvet Plant
Wandering Jews
Bamboo
The new fluorescent lights and houseplants
You have heard that fluorescent lights do wonders for your electric bill. Mine dropped by a third. Not only do they use less electricity than incandescent lights but they don’t throw the heat that incandescent lights do.
They also are wonderful for your house plants. We’ve noticed that house plants that are not doing so well will thrive when placed under a fluorescent table lamp. The lamps also do not heat up so they can be placed closer to plants that need a good dose of light.
I’ve found many low light plants will do just fine on a desktop with a bright fluorescent bulb.
A good rule of thumb is to use 20 watts of fluorescent light per square foot of plants.
