just like some people have allergies that range from mild to severe, and some people aren't really affected at all, some plants are more tolerant of certain stimuli and some are not. in general, the more common houseplants are about as tolerant of anything you may choose to expose them to as anything. Some of the palms should also present little problem. I know from experience that ficus roots that grow into a 2% hydrogen peroxide bleach (little strange to see white roots an inch or so thick) but otherwise the plant shows no effect, at up to 15 years exposure. depending on the chemicals used and concentration in atmosphere, in addition to plant selection, there may be a difference in performance over the long term. Do you by any chance know how much light we're talking about? I've seen indoor pools almost as light as a greenhouse, and I've seen pools that have almost no light. Any choice re: plant selection has to factor in available light or use of full spectrum lighting. it's almost a little odd, but I actually don't (or can't find relatively easily) a culture list that would be for a pool area.

Hi all, I am new to this forum, I have read this thread, but would like to double check my information to make certain my little lemon tree is doing okay. Briefly: I purchased the tree in the spring of 2011. I live north of Chicago. The tree spent the spring, summer and autumn on my side deck with a southern exposure;I have many mature trees (50+ years), and this area gets the most sunlight. The tree seemed to do fine while outside, I brought it inside before the frost. My house has floor-to-ceiling windows, so I placed the tree in the same exposure, except indoors. It probably receives strong sunlight probably 8 hours per day on sunny days. Today is 21 January, and recently just about all of the tree's leaves began to shrivel. They did not turn yellow, but they did die (become crunchy) and began to fall off. I was very alarmed, but after reading this thread, I believe the issue may be that the soil/roots were cold. I do not presently have a thermometer (it is after 1 am and we just had 9' of snow!) but the container does feel quite cool. The tree has never had any fruit, just one marble sized green lemon that I have not removed and some white buds, which I have also not removed. Here are my questions: 1) It appears the tree will lose all of its leaves, but that does not mean the tree is in danger of dying, correct? 2) If I am to understand the problem with the contrast of sunny leaves/cooler soil/roots, this problem can be rectified by either keeping the tree in the sunlight and warming the soil (with xmas lights, for example), or by moving the tree out of the bright sunlight so it can "wait" until going back outside in the spring. So, I can move the tree to a less sunny location and it will be fine until the spring, given all other things remain the same? I should add that I take pains not to overwater, and the room where the tree is located is quite dry with little humidity. I have used good soil and, as a bonus, since I have pigeons, I have also used some of the pigeon droppings into the soil. I have done this with great success with my other plants and in my garden, and with this tree during the warmer months when it was outside. Thanks in advance for answering my questions, I really appreciate it. I just want the tree to be happy and to be able to overwinter indoors with as little stress as possible. Thanks again, Bill B.

For tried and true advice, check out this link. Barb Here is a link that might be useful: Queen of th Tropics, up North

I'm not sure if my experience will help, but I'll try. I have dwarf cavendish outdoors in a shaded location and they can stand shade in lieu of full sun, but they grow slower, and pup less frequently. I know you read that bananas feed a lot, and they do, but not as much as you plan. When I moved in they were neglected for a year (bank foreclosure) and were fruiting so they were neglected on watering and food. Now that they get irrigated at least weekly whether by rain or hose and are fed more regularly they are still slower to pup and fruit than other cultivars I have that get the same attention but more sunlight. So my advice would be to mulch them, don't let them dry out, feed "regularly" but vary the food source. Bananas also like clean wood ash, but don't use ash from paper or cardboard. As far as pups go, once the korm grows and spreads I think you'll have to find bigger buckets too. I also think you'll do better with multiple pots of bananas rather than one. I find that on occasion my pups will outperform the parent in fruit growth and pup production just by being in a different location. I hace some 8 or 9 different bananas and find very different growth habits based mostly on light.