Hi I'm new to theses forums My name is Alex,

I have all my houseplants in a bedroom , alongg the wall of a south facing window, trouble is a house next door blocks the sunlight and so i use 3 artifical lights( Argosun dayspot 60 watt bulbs) in winter time. my questions are/is this suitable lighting for the following houseplants.

I have the following

A dumb cane dwarf

a dwarf papryis

A coffee plant

A orange bird of paradise- this is positioned right under the light.

a golden pothos

a chinease evergreen

a money tree

a dragon tree

a bay tree

a zz plant

a couple of philodentron hybrids.

a heartleaf philodentron

so what do you guys think, more ligting or just enough/ i plan on moving alot outdoors for the summer but its mn so i cant until june.

Most of those are good houseplants, Alex. They'll do fine with the window light and extra light you're supplying, I think. Keep the humidity up as best you can through the winter - I hang wet towels around my plants when they are in the house (as inconspicuously as possible). More humidity is healthy for you as well as your plants, of course . .

The orange Bird probably will never bloom unless you can find it more light. They are full sun plants outdoors here. They also love to be root-bound and crowded so don't repot it unless it absolutely breaks out of the pot it's in.

The coffee plant again probably needs sun to bloom. It will make a nice foliage plant for you, though.

I plan on putting the orange bird outside in the full sun... when weather permits. which is in june late may at the earliest Right now its directly under 2, 60 watt grow lights... any good lighting you reccomend?? I really want flowers one day from it.

basically what I want to know is is dayspot argosun a good/crap brand to go by.

Does coffee do well outside in summer too. its directly by the light too.


I think hanging towels may not go over well with my house but I think i got it covered.

No idea on the lights, Alex, sorry. Mine are all outside in the grand Florida sun (or shade) year 'round. I have no house plants at all. In winter I open the windows . . .

The only thing I use a grow light on are some seedlings once in a while because all my windows are pretty well shaded. I have one 75w Phillips reflector bulb in a lamp.

On the orange bird, I wouldn't get your hopes up too high. A greenhouse with good sun exposure all year might give that baby enough sun to put up flowers, but a couple of months of northern summer sun with cool nights, very doubtful. With tropical plants that bloom in the sun, you've got to think about where they grow and bloom outdoors, and try to simulate those conditions. We had 83deg. today, and night temps fall into the 60's or high 50's even in winter. Rarely a night in the 40's. So you see, our winter days are nearly as warm as your summer days, although a lot shorter. But the birds are dormant divas for a few months here, Dec. through Feb.

Well i do know that reguardless. It is too young to bloom. its got 8 leaves on it and its in a 1 gal pot. which is already getting tight. it seemed the most vigorous out of all of um. I do have an aquarium light i could possibly rig up with extra strong land plant grow bulbs. the only problem is i would need to attach a clear plastic shelf on the wall above the plant. and the electric cord might not be long enough to reach the power strip. Back when i had fish i would sit the light on the tank and... wa ....la .....light. I'll try to post photos of my plants. sense i dont have a cell phone i would need to talk to someone who does have one.

I do not grow Bird of Paradise but I have seen it in its normal setting. As mentioned already it needs high humidity and lots of light.
Most Bird of Paradise if I do see them grown in containers are outdoors or in a protected porch but still natural light touches the plants more than 5 hours a day. Most commonly it is directly inground planted since these plants really grow wide and big.

This article I found is very interesting: http://www.ourhouseplants.com/...
Seems the plant slows down naturally in winter so needs to be kept a bit cooler. But still paramount is light.

Of the plants you listed, I grow indoors dumb cane, pothos, zz plant, and these plants are just low light plants so your current lighting is more than enough. Even north facing window will be sufficient for these ones.

In another thread we have suggested T5 lighting..hope it is something you can set-up.

Thanks. Right now I have to wait until the hussle and bussle of the holidays end. And I have to rig up other more importent things in my room. like a blind and a mirror. If those dont get set up soon kim will tear her hair out lol.

I already have gifts lined up for people.- roses for a job coach i have- (when my biological mom Rose was alive- she died when i was 12 she loved roses). a cd player for a friend at MSS, some coffee/sweater for gabe, ect. , roomates get a buffalo wild wing gift card and a little money. my parents dont want gifts but i may give them something.

Have a wonderful holiday season

Lucky recipients Alex

By the way, you may want to consider too, is there a location indoors in your building with more natural light that you will be permitted to temporarily grow your Bird of Paradise just for this cold season, with an east/west/south facing window. Don't know if they allow that and just promise to them, you will be personally responsible for its misting/watering. That way, you do not have to rig extra strong lights in your room, which will really make it too hot and dry, I think.

Have a pleasant holiday celebration!

I found a good hanging T5 lighting system guys at hydrofarm , 4 foot, gives out 20,000 units, cooler light. frosescent, 4 bulbs. around $160

10 foot cord so no worries hanging it up fish store didnt have what i needed.

I think I have a rule most plants stay in my room, but kim did say I could move others out. we have a window but again central heat vents are everywhere in the house which makes me leery.

lady at nurshery where i got it is awesome she told me its doing well now and i told her my plans.

Glad you got your T5 lights.

I havnt brought it yet- just have to wait until later after christmas. Thanks for all the help. Now all I have to rig up is a hook on the clieing much easier then a shelf.

I agree about not getting your hopes up for blooms on the bird of paradise. I pulled some out here in the tropics because they were in maybe 4 hours of sun and never bloomed, heat and humidity not a problem. They are temperamental, they say they like humidity but the place I've seen them bloom better than anywhere is in Palm Springs, CA and that is the desert. Lots of heat and sun though, I think those are the most important factors.

I saw some very good Birds of Paradise in San Diego Thanksgiving last year, but it is near the coast, by the beach..so lots of sun, air, humidity. It was quite cool weather with some drizzle then.

Birds love heat and humidity, but as long as the plants get plenty of water (not sitting in water, you understand), they will flourish in even dry areas. They do need plenty of full sun to flower well. They don't like freezes and/or heavy frost though. They are tropical in nature.

Its winter so how often should I be watering my Bird Of Paradise? I got it last weekend and havn't waterd sense, i'm about to leave for 3 days. should i give it a drink before i go?

I heard they like the soil to dry out.

Go ahead and water just before you leave. Be sure the plant is in as much light as possible and is kept away from contact with window/door glass that will literally be as cold as the outside temperature. For me, that would be 20's! It is frigid here in Mississippi.

Agree with Ken...give them a good drink till water flows outside the container. Then repeat again next week. But do feel the soil too.

Btw how big is your plant and the container it is in?

About 24- 2 feet or so, its in a 1 galllon plastic pot, like I said still a young plant, might repot in spring/summer. I wanted it right before I left. and it seems well.