Question
I am very eager to put a houseplant or two in my new apartment, but I have realized that I have no direct sunlight through any of my windows.  Are there any houseplants that would be suitable for this kind of environment? If not, is there any sort of artificial lighting situation I can set up?

Answer
Hi Bryan,

There are about a half-dozen plants that will work in what is considered low light, but you have to understand what low light is.

Low light is bright enough that you can read newsprint comfortably in it throughout the daylight hours. So take something to read to the location you have in mind and make sure you can read it comfortably at any time during the day. If you cannot, then that location does not have adequate light even for a low light plant. In general, low light is what you have within 3-4 feet of an uncovered north window, 5-6 feet from an east window and 8-10 feet from a south window.

Assuming you have adequate light for low light plants, the ones I recommend are Pothos, Chinese evergreen, ZZ Plant, Dracaena 'Janet Craig,' Dracaena massangeana and Peace Lily.

These low light plants would do well under overhead fluorescent lights. Halogen and standard incandescent light bulbs do not provide the right spectral light for plants. Incandescent plant grow lights are very expensive to operate because they use so much electricity and must be kept on for 8 hours per day. Fluorescent grow lights work fine, but they are more expensive to purchase than standard fluorescent bulbs. For best results, keep the fluorescent bulbs as close as possible to the tops of the plants. Lighting from below and the side is not as helpful.

I have written articles on evaluating indoor light and on low light plants and that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to PlantCareExperts.com