How are NY gardeners finding room for more and more plants?

17 years ago

I was hoping to get some advice here. I am a terrible compulsive plant buyer and I love love love ALL of my plants. However, I live in an apartment with very small windows. So far Ive got 5 plants on my bedroom windowsill, 5 on the livingroom windowsill, one hanging, one on the TV, about 12 crowded about the bathroom window and one hanging near my skylight. Ive been thinking about getting lights so that I can grow more in my light-less household. Anybody have any suggestions??? Any cool low-light plants?

Thanks!

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nyc_plant
17 years ago
Hi there,

I definitely hear you and really believe that in the grand scheme of compulsive shopping that plant buying is pretty darn harmless. It obviously makes you (and me!) happy to have a jungle of plants.

What I've done about small apartments and low light:
- moved. Really. I left a 300 sq ft apt 10 minutes from work for a 1000 sq ft in Brooklyn 10 miles from work mainly because of my plants. I'm not saying that's the best idea but my plants are really happy here!
- Built window structures. In a couple apts, I've put up shelves in the window to have multi-tiers all close to the window. When making, take into account the height of your current plants and also how tight your window is against cold window drafts. I don't have any pictures, but here is a visual: http://www.ee0r.com/proj/plantshelves.html. Mine were *definitely* not this nice. I have done shelves inside the frame but I do like the way this looks outside the frame.
- Buy a plant stand. While I have a lot of space, my light is low during the winter so I recently invested in a multitiered plant stand with see-through shelves. Here are some examples: http://smithandhawken.resultspage.com/search?p=KK&srid=S7%2d2&lbc=smithandhawken&ts=v2&pw=plant%20stand&uid=57468309&&isort=score&w=indoor%20plant%20stands&rk=1. You can get cheaper ones around (I got mine at my local hardware store) that will work. A friend uses a kitchen-like stand that she got on the Bowery.
- Lights. Think no more about it and go out and buy them. If you like plants and have low light, just go with it. You can buy cheap fixtures and plant lights. Here is some idea of why and how to set up: http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/hort/g06515.htm.
Don't worry too much about getting the best looking fixtures or spending lots of money. I have both a tiered lighting system for seeds and multiple single and double reflective clip-on fixtures (the ones you'll see at the hardware store around the corner).
- Hang more. You know the rule in NYC - if it doesn't fit hang it from the ceiling! I find that the best examples I've seen on multileveled hanging plants are from decades-old magazines that I've picked up at garage, library sales. So, I can't find any pictures online. By placing multiple hooks in the ceiling, plants can be hung at various levels. You can buy (or make) some interest hanging structures that can crowd together to look really great (and jungl-y!)
- Low light plants. Many plants don't need to be directly by the window in order to thrive. Some of mine that have bright light but no direct are: ferns, ZZ, dracena, corn plant, peace lily, pothos. When I move the plants inside in the fall, the cacti and succulents get the first good window spots. Everything else gets a place that could work and then I just watch it to see how it grows. From a couple years in the this apt, I find that I know the winter light well enough to know where the plants should go. But,...
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How are NY gardeners finding room for more and more plants?

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nyc_plant

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