Plants in low light?

My office has one window that faces North. I have one AV in the window and it is blooming all the time. I want to put more plants around my office but not sure what will do good in this type of light. I have florescent lights and the window. It is bright in here but I know that what I think is biright is not what is needed. Any suggestions? Thanks, all

If you AV is blooming constantly, then you've got some good light...probably the equivalent of a good eastern exposure, which is where most of my plants at home grow best, and all of the plants in my office reside.

So, the possibilities are almost endless.....with the exception of Cacti and most succulents.

Thanks, I won't be able to put everything in the window. I have a wall with nothing on it (ideal to put some plants) but it is not the window wall. I guess i'll have to "try" things and if they start to fail, I'll have to take them home. :)
Dawn

The best low light plants for me have been non-variegated Sansevierias, Fatsia Japonica and the ZZ Plant....they'll all do well for a long period of time with low light, but will eventually need some additional light to grow and thrive.

You could try 'rotating' some plants, as most will 'survive' for a few months in a low lit location.....then move them to brighter light and replace them with other plants.

Dawn,

I suggest oak leaf ivy. I have a plant in my office that is about 3 feet from the overhead florescent lights, and is so large and gorgeous that several people have thought it had to be "silk", about 3.5 feet in diameter. The one I have at home gets east light, and it does not look as well as the one in the office. I keep it quite damp.

Susan in Minneapolis

Thank you SM. I will have to look that one up.

pdoyle,

How about Pothos for your office? Should do very well. Attractive, not messy, easy to find and easy to grow.



Pothos - Golden, Marble Queen, Jade
Pothos and more correctly Epipremnum aureum is known from its yellow-marbled heart-shaped leaves. If it isn’t the #1 indoor plant in North America is certainly is one of the top ones.

Pothos also goes by a few other names – devil’s ivy, pothos ivy and has a few cultivars. The most common variety “Golden Pothos” gets the most use in the interior business. Two other varieties are “marble queen” with a streaky white on green and “jade” which is green.

You find Pothos used as a ground cover, planted in hanging baskets, or as a desk accent.

One of the primary reasons Pothos continues in popularity is that it can tolerate lower light, lower humidity and cooler temperatures than many other plants.

Pothos does not like wet feet and the soil should not stay too moist. Every so often a Pothos could use a good pruning – but prune selectively. This will also promote new growth.

Thank for the info. I see them everywhere. I will have to get some.

Fittonias are great low light plants. That is what it says on all of their tags. And there are more than one kind of fittonia. I have 3 different ones right now. As long as they get some humidity, such as a spritz or two every day, they do fine. I have 3 right now that are doing great.

Jesse

hmmm, I'll have to check them out too. Thanks yall!

I have two pothos; one is on my desk (directly under a fluorescent lamp) and one in the window.

Many others in my office building have them; my mother also grows a nice big one on her patio.

Plantcrazi, Is there another name for fittonias? I didn't see it in the plant files.

nevermind, I googled and found it.

my friend bought a fittonia and put it in a bathroom with no windows. this plant LOVED it. we call it the "drama queen" plant because it collapses over when it is dry, but perks right back up when you water it. we joke all the time about her black-thumb, but she's managed to keep this plant alive for two years now.

Oh how funny. Mine have done that so many times. So I just made a terrarium and put 3 different kinds of fittonias in it and they are doing great. They love low light and high humidity. Keeping it in the bathroom is a great idea since they love humidity.

Jesse

LOL!!!! Drama queen!! It's perfect! I love it!! ; )

I wonder how some begonias would do?

I agree, They are great at being a drama queen.

Jesse

I have three Pothos, Philodendrons, Prayer Plant, Dracaenas, Fittonias, Pileas, Pepperomias, and a Spider Plant, all in my bedroom which has an east window. There is a sheer purple curtain on the window. In my living room, I have a collection of Sansevierias that are in a low-light area.

Here are some pics of some of my plants in low light. This is my largest Pothos. She needs a haircut! LOL

Pothos #2

Pothos #3

Prayer Plant

Spider Plant (sorry for the fuzzy pic)

Pepperomia. All of these plants have grown a lot this summer!

Great pics Candace. There is hope yet!

Thanks pdoyle!

I forgot to add, at work I have a small bowl of water on my desk with some plant cuttings inside. I took cuttings from one of my pothos, a philodendron, wandering jew, pilea, and nerve plant. All are doing great. They look healthy, happy, and are growing lots of roots!

You should know though - my office has NO windows, just artificial lighting. My plants at work get light for 8 hours a day, then sit in the dark, and are in the dark on weekends, and they still look great. I just brought another pothos pot with me today to put on my desk. Since the other cutting have done so well, I'm hoping the small pothos pot will too. I may even bring a small snake plant with me one of these days because they do well in low light too.

This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 9:10 AM

maybe I have more light than I think. I should break down and by one of those light meters.