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What plants can survive with 100% fluorescent office lighting? I tried a succulent but the soil was covered in mold in a few weeks.
"Mother in Law's Tongue" does well indoors, and is also supposedly good at improving indoor air quality.
From experience they do grow, though slowly, indoors with low natural light coming in, so if you were near a window they would be a good choice.
What plants can survive with 100% fluorescent office lighting? I tried a succulent but the soil was covered in mold in a few weeks.
A mild dish soap works, personally I get one with no dyes, fragrances or anti-bacterial stuff in it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> What plants can survive with 100% fluorescent office lighting? Marijuana. In the prohibition era just ending, many people discovered this in surreptitious basement experiments. > I tried a succulent but the soil was covered in mold in a few weeks. From an evolutionary perspective, that would indicate success, but for the mold, not the plant.
Marijuana. In the prohibition era just ending, many people discovered this in surreptitious basement experiments. You do realize that those are grow lights, which are at a different color temp and higher wattage than normal office lights.. right?
I have this[1] closed ecosystem on my desk that I share with a coworker. Best decision ever. 1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IZOB5M/
What you got are Sea Monkeys http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sea+monkeys&qpvt=sea+mon...
What plants can survive with 100% fluorescent office lighting? I tried a succulent but the soil was covered in mold in a few weeks.
For these reasons, the best office plants tend to be species that were historically found in the understory of cloud forests or rainforests. Some popular options are Dieffenbachia sp. (mother-in-law's tongue), Philodendron sp., Monstera edulis (it can grow really large, but it also produces an edible fruit that tastes like a pineapple), Ficus benjamina (weeping fig), many orchids and ferns will also work if you can supplement their lighting by placing them on a windowsill. If you are someone is who is not good about remembering to water, you might want to consider a bromeliad such as Tillandsia.
Succulents are not a good choice. Succulence in plants is usually an adaptation for an outdoor environment with too much light -- the exact opposite of what is found in an office. Mold on the soil is also a clear indication that you are over-watering.
Let me tell you what I have in my office (disclaimer: I like plants): Monstera deliciosa, Adiantum aleuticum (five-fingered fern), Vanilla aphyla (leafless vanilla orchid), Vanilla planifolia (Tahitian vanilla orchid), another orchid (can't ID it until it flowers), and Coffea arabica (yes, coffee actually does pretty well in an office, if you have the room).
What plants can survive with 100% fluorescent office lighting? I tried a succulent but the soil was covered in mold in a few weeks.
FYI, a spray bottle with some soapy water, will handle the mold on the soil. Just spray it on every so often. You have to do that with houseplants in low-light conditions from time to time. A mild dish soap works, personally I get one with no dyes, fragrances or anti-bacterial stuff in it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Mother in Law's Tongue" does well indoors, and is also supposedly good at improving indoor air quality.
It does well indoors, but does it do well with 100% florescent light? My guess would be no. From experience they do grow, though slowly, indoors with low natural light coming in, so if you were near a window they would be a good choice.
I have this[1] closed ecosystem on my desk that I share with a coworker. Best decision ever. 1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IZOB5M/
Now we have a problem where where to put it all. I make a huge bowl of pesto every week and force feed basil to all my coworkers whenever I get a chance but I just can't get rid of all of it. I can't even make a dent in the huge bush we have.
We also grew some salad with mixed success but it's not a reliable enough source to be worth the effort.
Anyway, it's rather enjoyable. I recommend getting a small hydro garden to anyone who has any space and a little natural light in their office. Hydros need less regular maintenance (but need a bigger maintenance every now and then).
If anyone has any (preferably edible) plants that are suited for a hydroculture, please do suggest.
Funny enough, when the plants show up, in my experience it's a bad sign. I have no proof this conversation happened at the last two places I worked... but I'm pretty sure it did happen. Upper-level manager #1: "The results of the employee morale survey are back. Morale is at an all time low. The employees feel that upper-level management is clueless, they are increasingly unable to do their jobs efficiently because o…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> What plants can survive with 100% fluorescent office lighting? Marijuana. In the prohibition era just ending, many people discovered this in surreptitious basement experiments. > I tried a succulent but the soil was covered in mold in a few weeks. From an evolutionary perspective, that would indicate success, but for the mold, not the plant.
Marijuana. In the prohibition era just ending, many people discovered this in surreptitious basement experiments. You do realize that those are grow lights, which are at a different color temp and higher wattage than normal office lights.. right?
Can't cite a source on this one, you're just going to have to take my word for it. Seen it work in practice :)