Sharara..Which directions do your windows face? Are they obstructed by neighboring buildings, trees, curtains or blinds? Don't judge your thumb or light by a Mini Rose. They are very very difficult, if not impossible thriving indoors. Most who buy them either, 1. toss after flowering or 2. plant in their garden, if hardy. So, you're looking for a plant that has color? Other than green? Are you searching for tropicals or will succulents do? Or does it not matter? There are several ways to increase humidity..First and best choice is to buy a humidifer. They're helpful to plants, people and pets. There are several types of humidifers on the market..Consoles and smaller, 2-3 gallon filter-less types. Walgreens and Walmart sell humidifers, and now that winter is over most are on sale. Costs begin at 14.99 up to 200.00 depending on the type. Or if you're into name brands. I'm not into brand names, my concern is whether or not it does the job. Misting and showering plants increase humidity. For those with a large number of plants, grouping together. Humidity trays work fine, especially with plants growing in containers under 10" diameters. You don't have to buy anything special other than a bag of stones/pebbles for these trays. I bought a bag of pebbles at Home Depot..40 or 50 lbs for 2.50. Since you won't be needing that much, HD sells smaller bags of stones, including decorative, different colors. Heck some dollar stores sell them. 1 bag is enough for one tray. I save all types of containers, from frozen dinners to cake pans. As long as they're strong and don't crack, they work. I even have family members and friends save usable trays..lol I prefer brighter colors like silver, but any color works. Of course boiling water will humidify a house, but I doubt you'll want to boil water 8 hours per day. lol. What type of heat do you have? If you have space heaters or radiators, placing a pan of water on top works somewhat, but depending on the plant if it required a lot of humidity, a pan on the heater won't be enough. If you answer some of these questions we can narrow down plants that would work..Toni

I have never used this type of light but I would say not to put it too close to your plants. Halide lights give off heat as well as light and putting it close to your plants might fry them. Fluorescent lights should be within an inch of your plants. They don't give off much heat and plants thrive under them. I'd say if the plants in the greenhouse are benefiting now from the extra heat and light, I'd leave them where they are.

Your experiment has me wondering... Since inside low light is typically a limited spectrum light or indirect window light, and then outdoor direct light provides full rays of sun, giving red and blue light rays that provide more energy to the plant... wouldn't the plant regressing to be expected? What I am getting at is I have always had my own thoughts that the plant simply gets a "metabolism" overcharge, so to speak. If they aren't receiving the reds and blues, or more typically just blue or just red under indoor lighting, and then become exposed to the rays full blast... the plant just burns itself up in a super dose of energy. I must admit I haven't pondered on why plants go through what is loosely coined as transplant shock in years. I am no scientist or botanical expert but still find it worth thinking about, all the same. Good topic! I will stay tuned!

That could be why it's just dirt - nothing will grow, but this is an inner city school in a district with major budget issues, and until a few years ago, was pretty neglected over all, so it's also possible there's been no one to care for it properly. I'm just now getting involved. We have an outdoor education program funded mainly by donation and PTA help and sales (herb sales, plant sales), so funds are indeed sparse although we can get man/kidpower and I'm working hard on donations of materials. We do have a few large planters for veg/herbs and another raised bed on one end . We'll be working on that over the next couple of weeks. hmmm, crushed granite. That may be an option. I'll need to see if there's any reason why not. I know some parents have complained about it at another non-school location. Finishing off the edges is definitely a good idea. I'd like to fill it in a bit so it's not so ugly/muddy/dirty, but it also needs to be usable space. I have shadowturf (I think it's the same as turffalo) at my house, just around the corner, and it is AMAZING in heavy shade. but, it's super expensive and spreads far too slowly - if we waited til school's out to plant, it's too hot/dry, but if we plant in March, the plugs would be a mess with school in. And even if we took plugs from my yard to save money, it'd take years to fill in. :( I'm afraid to ask too many questions of the admin in advance, for fear they'll just put me off saying "no, not possible" to general ideas. So I want to plan it out with estimated costs/funding sources and longer term expenses (like watering, altho there is a sprinkler running once per week, no idea why since it's dirt!) before I even bring it up. My short experience has already taught me that "ideas" get shot down immediately, "plans" get consideration. Ideally I'll let the kids do some research into various options, but I'll have to steer them in the right direction ;)