cwalke said: But I am always wondering, if the plants are under light do they truly go dormant? And if not, then should I be watering them?
This depends on the plant, the temperature, and the strength of the light. How cool is it in there (day/night temps)? Are the lights strong enough to give good growth during the warmer months?
Dormancy can be triggered by cool temps, lower light, and dry soil, especially the combination of all three. That is what allows many folks to overwinter succulents indoors. Given the first two conditions, the third naturally follows. If temperature and light are in the permissive zone, you will benefit from watering with restraint. If either (or especially both) are on the low end, hold back.
This is all theoretical to me, not something I concern myself with in practice, as I can provide mild temps and strong light year round, so I water almost all my plants (including the indoor ones) year round. That is why I paged Stush, who overwinters plants in a cool place with lights. But the core concept is whether ambient conditions are permissive to growth, at least that is what should guide your watering. Maybe some careful trial and error will tell you where you stand, when in doubt.
