Most of my plants are still outside somewhere and my windows are bare.

tj

Well you could also do some searching about hanging plants, but lets see what pix I've got. I too have many plants & few windows, so I know the issue.

Those silver baskets are produce bins bought at the hardware store. The bar across the window is a tension curtain rod from which I hang plants, but they are LIGHT WEIGHT pots or the bar would pull down.

This pot is hanging off another pot, here too a light pot matters.

Some of the Hoyas, these shelves are perpendicular to the west window.

Not all succulents require window sill seating, some of my Sans are a great example. These are on top of a tall dresser which doesn't show in the pic. It's about 6 ft in front of a west window.

Oops, sideways CD pic of the late, great Leon Russell whose music I've loved for many years.

Some of my accommodations to too many plants & too few windows.

Next ..... <;)

Karen, you rock! I love the produce bins, that's a great idea and it looks really good.

I have been google searching and Pinterest searching it and I got a bunch of super cute ideas. The thing is it seems like if it is really cool looking it was made by an interior de

*I accidentally hit cancel instead of post after typing a novel and got too frustrated to redo it until now*

...designer and the plants wouldn't actually live. Or it was made by a plant person and doesn't look too great but the plants would do well. I guess I just want the best of both worlds!

I think I'm gonna have to put a few baking racks in front of the window with the best light to fit in as many plants as I can. I have one south facing window and it's over the kitchen sink so I can hang something that likes humidity there as long as it doesn't drop a lot of leaves. And the biggest window faces north and is over the couch so I can hang a couple there if they don't need too much light

Open shelving like bakers racks or wire shelving units are really ideal, since they let the light come in. Folding bookcases are good too, especially if there's enough room between the shelves for good light flow. And you can always add supplemental light. I've got 5000K, 1550 lumen LEDs in clamp lights, so the plants that really love light can soak up all they can. Clamp lights come in a range from cheap shop lights to fancy designer ones; the key is angling them away from people's eyes. And if you're allowed to mount them in your apartment, swing arm wall lamps could be a prettier way to do it.

It all depends on the needs of the plants. I have a 20" peace lily that turns yellow when placed anywhere but the darkest corner of a room with a southeast window, while my zz plant has started growing like a weed since I put it in the brightest spot in the room. Amazing what a difference a few feet can make.

I bought a piece of wood at a discount at lowes because it had a bow in it, but figured it didn't matter for my purpose since nothing heavy was going on it.

I made this hanging shelf to optimize my southern facing window (it gets light from there and from the western facing slider). This room is the most humid in my home since the fish tanks are there, and it's just off of the kitchen. Plus all the plants are grouped together.

It's a very dark and stormy day here today, we are having thunder showers. But typically it's a very bright room.

This is my western window in the dining room (we also started decorating for Halloween this morning). This room also has a southern window on one side with my fiddle leaf in front of it hogging that space.

this is my northern facing window (protected by Megazord) I also have some hanging plants in these windows but they are down being watered.

I have plants on about every surface of the home, but certain plants I keep right in the windows. You'll figure it out. I like Karen's produce basket idea!

Sage, can you post a picture of your clamp lights. I have been looking at them myself. I want to add some supplemental light for my succulents and cacti.

*laugh* Okay, so, these are the cheapest I could find, and you get what you pay for. They're fine on a horizontal strut, but they need bracing with something when you clamp them to something vertical, like the side of a bookcase. If you want much better advice, have a look at the Growing Under Lights forum. Also, caveat, I use my 5000K bulbs in the windows that already get quite a lot of sun but are either partly screened by trees/buildings for part of the day or else are ones where I don't keep the downstairs blinds all the way open because of people on the sidewalk looking in. Also, specifically re succulents, my aloe got tip burn from too much light when it was where the ficus benjamina is in the first pic. I moved it to a southwest window, where it is far hotter and brighter, but I guess the sun is far enough away that it's fine? I'm sure the GUL people have info on correct light placement.

(Excuse the witch and pumpkins hanging in the window.)

I'd like to upgrade to swing arm lamps at some point, but functional is the priority atm. I'll budget for decorative later. ;)

Sage

I am surprised that aloe got burn- that light seems to be quite far? I use many CFL bulbs, all are 6500k and plants do not burn. Succulents are much closer to light too, many as close as 3". I acclimatize them if I feel they need it, but usually they are put under lights as soon as they are brought indoors so may be used to stronger light.

Your set-up looks quite good...speaking of "looks", mine will not win any prize! I keep CFL bulbs in 'vanity strips' that hold anywhere from 4 up to 12 lightbulbs. They are suspended from hooks, so do not look very decorative, haha...and I have some in home-made strips that are just pieces of wood with plastic sockets screwed to them. But they work, and that's what I am after.

Thank you Sage. This is exactly what I'm planning to use over the winter. The back of my house faces South, so I do get lots of light but sometimes trees get in the way for a bit, and it gets so gray and overcast for days on end here. I want this mainly for my Jade and Cactus.

Rina, would you mind posting a picture of your setup?

I scored this flourecent light today at a thrift store!

Yes, Rina, exactly. It was weird. As soon as I moved it further away from the lamp, the browning stopped. Then I moved it to a SW window because the leaves were such a dark green, and now the central leaves are shooting up like it's a race. I'll move it again next spring before highs get much above 90 -- those windowsills get hot enough to roast peppermint plants in their skins -- but it's fine where it is until May.

I think there are different quality CFLs, because I burned leaves on one of my ficuses with one of my CFLs but had no problems with the other. OTOH the leaves were practically touching the bulb, and I think my CFLs were quite old and probably not as good as newer ones.

East window

This is an East window

This is in my south bow window....have to get rid of a few.

I'm going to watch this thread for ideas. The only windows in my place that get any sunlight are the three in the east-facing living room, which get between two and six hours of good light from April through September. The thing is, I don't want to block too much light with a wall of plants, and I need to be able to open some of the windows so I can use fans to draw in cool things off from the morning sunlight in spring and fall and the radiators I can't completely turn off. It would be nice if I could close some of the blinds, too...

The plan is to add shelves to the two windows that open to raise the plants about a foot above the windowsill and hang two foot long grow lights just in front of the window frame. There's an A/C in the third window, which is also shaded by the porch roof, so I'll install some smaller shelves above the A/C for the shorties and use my clamp on work lights to keep them happy.

Hopefully all of that will spread the plants out enough to let more light in. I'll try to remember to post pictures when I'm done--assuming I manage to carry out my plan!

Thanks for the pics everyone! I like the idea of having the artificial light on a swing arm... Great idea.

Debra- the south facing window room is awesome! So lively and colorful. So is that a Thanksgiving cactus? What's the difference between the holiday cactuses? Same plant, different bloom time?

One has sharp points on the leaves and the other doesn't, they are more rounded...Mine blooms when it wants to...no set time really. Its a very old mixed pot.

I can hardly believe my Iron Cross survived!! There's a new leaf underneath that's coming up

Got rid of a few of my plants here, there were too many...I put them out on the edge of the lawn & now they are in a new home somewhere.

South window

This is a East window

chipped

I just noticed you asked for a photo - I do not have whole set-up and am redoing it now, but here is a photo of few bulbs. In front is a "holder" I made from just wood strips and plastic sockets, and behind one of the 'vanity strips':

2 Crown of Thorns plants growing in a southern, kitchen window. I hope they bloom all winter.

Rina- what kind of a spike do you see in the electric bill when you run the artificial light 14 hr everyday?

Debra- why are u surprised your iron cross made it? It looks great!! Thanks for the holiday cactus info. Apparently I have 3 Thanksgiving and a Christmas. The Thanksgiving are starting to get some big buds on em now! Since I just ended up with them I'm excited to see the blooms and colors.

Hi Chrissy...Well I don't have the best friendship with canes or rex begonias, so I stick to the ones that I know are rhizomatous...the others are not meant for me or my home. they're doomed. I've had many bite the dust on me. Keeping my fingers & toes crossed for my 2 Gryphons.

Haha looks like you did good this time! I'm watching my first begonia bite it right now too... Oh well, what can ya do?!? It's funny, half the internet says they're the easiest, half says they're the most difficult. I guess thats kind of the prime example of how contradictory information floods the internet on every subject!

Chrissy

I really can't tell since from first when I moved in I started using supplemental lights. So I do not have bills to compare. Obviously, I pay more as days get darker and any lights are on more often and so on, but I really do not know how much of increase I should contribute to plant lights, and did not calculate it. It will also depend very much on number of them and which lights you choose. CFL bulbs I have are equivalent to 100W incandescent but use only about 23W (I have some that are higher). So you can calculate according to how many bulbs you use/how much the cost be (you should have info of the cost for hydro on the bill). LED bulbs use little less wattage, but are bit more $ to buy.

My "secret" for saving some $ on hydro: I have too many plants...especially succulents that need lots of light. There is not enough windows upstairs to keep plants in. So I keep many in basement, where there is almost no natural light. Lights are set on timer to go on when price for hydro drops down and stay on whole night. It makes difference, since our current price during 'on-Peak' hours is 13.2cents comparing to 'off-Peak' which is 6.5cents (there is also 'mid-Peak' price for few hours that is 9.5cents) ...Obviously, few hours overlap, but most consumption is during off-peak hours...Since there is no daylight coming to the room, plants do have proper day and night - only reversed. This has been working for me for about 5 yrs now. Plants have no problem at all, they stay in same location for about 5-6mo anyway in my climate. Just guessing - this way, I think I am saving at least 30% (if not more) on hydro comparing to using it during daytime/on-Peak hours.

Obviously, this will not work in Living-dining rooms or kitchen...few plants I keep upstairs are mostly plants that do not need max light.

Hi Lily! You can come over & visit me & my cupboards & cabinets..Haha...Don't work too hard now...save some energy for your plants.

Okay this might be a dumb question... If you use artificial light should you put the plants and lights up against a window so they get all the light they can get, Or is that just a waste of window space since the artificial light gives them all the light they need?

I ran out of data early this month so I disappeared from the internet for a while there and I was just looking back through this thread realizing I missed a bunch! My apologies for the last questions and comments.

Sage- It's been so long, hopefully you still check this thread!! You mentioned a peace lily that seems to like the dim corner. Does it bloom? I've read nurseries give them hormones so they bloom and then they might never bloom again. My house burned down a couple months ago and the peace lily from Grandma's funeral was on the back porch. It survived but One half was burned off. Then my bf divided it. Both of the new plants look great now but idk if they will ever bloom again. They're so sentimental I really wish they would!

Debra- What hanging plants work in the North window? Idk if it was the n. Window but I like the hanging plants in the macrame. My bf just brought home a few of them but I haven't used them yet. Do they hold heavier pots or do you stick to plastic with them? Idk what's wrong with me but I just noticed the Thanksgiving is cactus in bloom in the pic. It's so pretty! Now I understand what u mean by mixed pot haha. I love that.. if mine end up blooming different colors I'm going to have no choice but to mix them.

Rina- You smart cookie!!! Having the lights come on automatically when the price drops... Genius.

My bf is FINALLY putting the shelving up in the good windows so hopefully I will have everything settled into a spot soon. Hopefully I'll have pics of the finished product soon!