Can You Grow Plants In Windowless Rooms?

While green plants cannot substitute for a window, they do add a soothing touch of nature…

…to a windowless office, providing benefits that go well beyond their aesthetic appeal.

An article published by Washington State University’s Department of Horticulture suggests…

…that plants can improve workers’ health and productivity by reducing stress and fatigue.

The majority of plants need enough sunlight for a few hours every day…

…but some hardy plants can survive without as much light.

Light is an essential resource for photosynthesis and plant survival, and so plays a major role in their survival.

A few low light friendly species of succulents can be grown under windowless conditions even with some basic care.

In other words, can succulents grow in a windowless room?

Certain low-light-tolerant succulents can thrive under conditions of windowless conditions…

…if they are exposed to artificial grow lights instead of natural light.

In addition to drainage conditions and irrigation practices, drainage and watering practices…

…also factor into their survival. If you don’t have windows, you won’t be able to grow plants…

…that require 4 to 7 hours of sunlight.

Plants that are more colorful generally need more sunlight than plants that are more green.

Selecting the right plant is crucial, so choosing the right kind of succulent and following…

…some basic care procedures can let you grow succulents in windowless rooms and offices.

Here is the story from Carl, about his experience growing snake plant with minimum light

Let us hear Carl’s story

I was always a lover of houseplants. I especially love snake plants because they’re easy to maintain…

...and don’t need much lighting or water.

It’s great for people like me who live in apartments with no windows, especially since my landlord is stingy…

...about giving out window space.

When one of the other residents’ windows finally became available, I put it on reserve so that nobody else…

…could get their hands on it first.

My apartment doesn’t have any natural light either, but I managed to find a spot…

…where I can leave my plant near the window without blocking too much sunlight from getting through.

It’s really not as difficult as you’d think). Luckily, having snake plant is one of the thing that I love…

...because this plant can live with minimum of light!

But I know minimum light can help this plant grow properly, so I decide to create artificial light for my plant.

After I build that things up, my snake plant can grow properly!

If you work in an office space or lack a window in your room at home, chances are your only lights are the overhead fluorescent bulbs or incandescent lighting.

Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist

Here’s the main things that you should know!

Can You Grow Plants In Windowless Rooms?

Certain plants can thrive under very low light conditions.

Windowless rooms can be successfully used to grow some of these plants…

…provided you have properly lit up the room and plant them in drainage friendly soil.

Choosing the right type of plants to grow under such conditions becomes very important.

When you choose plants that prefer moderate to high levels of sunlight for these rooms…

…they will frequently go into a dormant stage or grow leggy, stunted, or malnourished.

These considerations are also pertinent when selecting succulents.

These plants are commonly susceptible to mildew if not provided with adequate sunlight.

Although many succulents can survive in low sunlight, only a few of them can survive in the absence of light.

Artificial light is the easiest way to achieve a soothing green touch in these rooms. It gives them a helping hand for survival.

Here’s the thing….

4 Plants Surviving in Windowless Rooms

Zebra Plant

These are one of the most striking succulents I’ve ever seen, and perhaps my favorite too!

The white stripes on the long green leaf surfaces look amazing.

A few have the smoother inner leaves of Haworthia fasciata, which is rarer than Haworthia attenuata.

Apart from that, the two are relatively similar in appearance and habit.

Zebra Plant Care

White and pink flowers will bloom in the area, but this is not likely to occur within the walls of an indoor house.

The plants thrive on neglect, can adapt easily to sunshine conditions, and are extremely easy to care for.

While they prefer partial shade, they are also able to grow under full sunlight and under extremely low light conditions.

They can survive in dim lighting conditions, but prefer moderate to bright lighting.

With grow lights, you can easily grow these succulents, as they likely will adapt well to them.

Zebra plants produce many offsets around their base, making them easy to propagate.

You can easily plant one of them in a new pot after it has callused and you can use this process for giving them as gifts.

If you want to grow cactus, make sure to use a cactus mix, and water them only when the soil feels dry.

Snake Plant

Known for its spiky, sturdy leaves, snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata), also called mother-in-law’s tongue…

…grows well in normal lighting and temperature levels. A snake plant can grow up to 4 feet tall with deep green leaves…

…bordered in bands of white or yellow. The plant is drought-tolerant and needs little water, especially during winter.

How to care for Snake Plants

The snake plant is one of the easiest plants to care for! You just need to provide them with a suitable soil mix…

…and water when the soil is extremely dry, perhaps every 10 days in summer, and they’ll do just fine all on their own.

Succulents have various nutrient requirements and light requirements…

…but snake plants need less sunlight than other succulents.

Having such qualities makes them advantageous for windowless offices.

As long as your room is adequately lit up, it’s not essential to use a grow light, but using one will definitely help.

The light should not be placed directly below the leaves of the succulent as the leaves of the succulent can grow….

…quite long and might otherwise come into direct contact with the light…

…which would result in the leaves being burned. In addition to being super easy to propagate…

…Snake plants can also be planted from healthy leaves, you just need to let them callus over…

…under the shade for a few days and they will be planted in a new pot.

Gasteria

Its common name is Ox Tongue and it is native to Africa.

This succulent’s genus is considered to be one of the rarest genera of succulents.

In their natural habitats, the plants grow in shady areas, hence they are able to thrive under low light conditions….

…quite well when compared to other succulents. Quite slow to grow and highly light-sensitive…

….it’s often grown indoors. It also requires low light levels. In general, their leaf structure, color…

…and texture differ slightly from species to species, but they are generally long and rough-textured…

…with leaves of an array of many colors.

Caring Tips for Gasteria

If the lighting in the room is adequate, they can do well, but if not exposed to enough light they can show signs…

…of underdevelopment. If you are dealing with such circumstances, it is a good idea to consider a grow light…

…however in most cases the plants will manage fairly well by themselves.

When watering, avoid the leaves, as they have low water requirements.

Also, a deep watering is sufficient for a number of days.

Do not perform well in humid environments, so place in an area with good ventilation.

You should check the dryness of the soil every time you water a plant if the air is too moist.

Aloe Vera

There are numerous succulent varieties that will grow anywhere.

Aloe is one of the remarkable succulents that has outstanding adaptive properties.

Their leaves contain a thick and fleshy gel whose soothing properties have made it popular in many fields…

…including skincare and hair care. Because aloe thrives in low light conditions, it is probably the most commonly grown…

..indoor succulent out there, and its beauty properties make it a perfect indoor plant. As long as they are given…

…the basic care that they need, there is little need to attend to them.

This succulent is quite forgiving in comparison to other succulents and thrives even when neglected..

…which is the opposite of what is ideal. Green touches bring a soothing addition to your room…

…and it’s also low maintenance. This plant can provide you with more than you might expect!

Caring Tips on Aloe vera

If you have any fleshy leaves, you can easily propagate it by callingus them over and planting them in a new mixture.

A grow light will definitely be helpful. This plant loves moderate sunlight, but can thrive in low light as well.

Make sure your leaves never get wet as that can lead to fungus infections.

New facts for you!

5 More Plants to Consider

Rhipsalis

In nature, rapsalis live on absorbing moisture and nutrients from their environment which is why…

…they do well as epiphytes. Their natural habitat is in rainforests, which means they normally grow…

…in shady forests where sunlight is scarce. As a result, the plant do well in low light conditions.

So the presence of an ample supply of sunlight is beneficial for them as well.

These flowers are beautiful in hanging baskets and are sure to catch everyone’s attention.

Peace Lily

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) is a fully adapted tropical plant whose sword-like leaves have a deep green hue…

…and reach a maximum height of 2 feet. Blooms are occasionally visible throughout the year, even in low-light…

… conditions. The flowers, which last six weeks when they emerge, are white when they emerge…

…but then turn pale green. Having evenly moist soil and moderate room temperatures are ideal for peace lilies…

…which require little maintenance.

Dracaena

Adaptable and tough, the Dracaena species quickly grows a trunk and tree-like structure, reaching heights….

…pproaching 8 feet. A variety of Dracaena plants include corn plants (Dracaena fragrans)…

…named for their corn-like leaves.

Dragon trees (Dracaena marginata), with narrow leaves striped maroon, are also found.

The gold dust dracaena (Dracaena godseffiana) has rounded leaves speckled with white and gold…

…and the striped dracaena (Dracaena deremensis) has shiny leaves dusted in white and gray.

This plant is better off in well-draining soil and at normal room temperatures.

Cast-Iron Plant

Cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) is a low-light plant with a robust, resilient root system.

It grows between 18 to 24 inches tall at maturity. Even neglect, damp foliage, and dust are no match for the plant.

The potting mix should be evenly moistened without becoming soggy so that cast-iron plants do not begin to rot.

Cast-iron plant thrives when temperatures remain around 70 degrees Fahrenheit…

…during the day and 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

Chinese Evergreen

Adaptable to low-light conditions, Chinese evergreens (Aglaonema) are showy, low-maintenance plants.

The Chinese evergreen leaves range in color from light green to dark green, with grayish or silver streaks..

…depending on the variety. A Chinese evergreen may grow from 1 to 3 feet in size.

The plant prefers a constant temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

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See having Snake plant is good choice for you to have! It’s cool, its famous, it’s easy to have and care!

What else do you need? In this pandemic time like this, is a good choice for you to have an new activity…

…and having snake plant is a good choice for you to have!

Last thing for sure. This plant need to be care carefully, remember plant need the “love” too.

Alright that’s all for today! Do you have any questions about all of this?

Or do you want to add some more plant like snake plant that can grown in windowless enviroment?

Let me know your recommendation from the comment below.

There are still many recent and interesting articles about Snake Plants as well as other unique information…

…from All Things Gardener. For further information and other inquiries you can contact us here

I hope you can now take care your snake carefully and grow it big!

Thanks for reading this article! Bye!