I'm interested to see what gets posted here. We just had 6 days of totally dark dreary damp cold and I broke out my T5 growlights to try and keep my plants I had brought indoors from dying. However the growlights encourage too much new growth for winter so I bought some of those LED 'sticks' (nonreplaceable bulbs) that go under counters, trying to match them as close as I could to the growlight color temp. They seemed really bright at first but the plants are throwing really dense shadows under the foliage on the top of the pots. I don't think it's going to be enough light. I only have one light per rack right now and am going to add another for 2 lights per rack, but hope to see more info on here.

do you have a link for the getgoing reference???

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6007600/october-garden-pics-2020#26210571 Look towards the end of the thread

Most of my plants are in garden beds.

GG - I’m looking at your post with the links to the bulbs….I think I might want to add a strip, but does it stick to a painted surface so if you remove it, the adhesion sticks or damages the paint?

Also are the strips enough light?

I’m not seeing where I have opportunity to install anything above the plants without drilling into my wallpaper, so I’d probably try to go with a standing lamp just to add a little more light in front of the window.

But you said you wish you had gotten the 3 bulb holder hanging cords. Was there something about the standing lamp that didn’t work? Where did you get that 5 bulb lamp?

Are those glass shelves you hung in front of your windows that the plants are on and did you attach strip lights to the bottom of the glass?

I bought three 15 watt growing stage LED bulbs that I installed into clamp light fixtures, and I have them focused on my lemon tree and some cacti. I'm skeptical at how much benefit they are providing, though. The lemon tree started getting reintroduced to indoor light and temps gradually in September. Seemed to be doing OK until it was inside full time, at which point it started dropping leaves daily. That's what spurred the light purchase. With the pot and stand, the lemon tree is over 6' tall, so I have the light for it mounted above it on a rod, approximately 2' above the foliage. It's been up for two weeks now and the plant is still dropping leaves. Not as many as it had been, but I've yet to have a morning without at least a leaf or two on the ground.

These are the bulbs I got.

GG - well, you do seem to have got the whole thing going just the way you need it. Even to the point of constructing your own shelf. Impressive. :-). And to try to set it up so the pots are not obstructing the glass, a very nice detail. Creative use of the glass shelf unit to make your own glass shelves.

Wow, that’s some view you have from your windows on the East side. Amazing. The Freedom Tower too? Wow.

Thanks for the link to the floor lamp, that’s a lot of bulbs.

My radiator is partly recessed but it comes right up to the window trim. The West window is in my DR/Kit area in a small house. I just don’t have a lot of room for more furniture. I’ve considered setting up a shelf unit in another room with lights and just moving the plants in and out of it on a rotation and keeping them in positions that I find more decorative. I also like to have enough plants in each room for the air cleaning ability of plants n the winter when the house is shut up.

I did try putting a shelf unit in front of that window for awhile with lights, and it was too much for me. I have 7.5ft ceilings and small double hung windows - two side by side in the DR West location. It cut down on the light and the view to a point none of us enjoyed.

So, I’ll have to think about how I can supplement the light this winter, in the least obtrusive way. Most of my plants have done fine over the winter with the lower light. I have a number of Pepperomias that are very easy. And I have a counter I the kitchen right in front of a large West window, where some of them sit.

Thanks for sharing all your very creative ways of making it work for you. I will try to post some photos when I can.

I haven't had any plants under a light in winter, but i do when i am raising some saplings.

Either ways it does not get that cold over here. Except this morning, it was 36F. Never have I felt that weather in the first week of November. So maybe.

If i do need that this is what gets my interest:

$49 for this.

Worth it.

Or Not.

Worth it.

Or Not

Which is better?

1.Pic 1

2.Pic 2

______________________________________________________________________________

Which should i "Say no to this"?

# pic 1

# pic 2

HU - I don't have any experience with any of those lights, so I'll leave it for someone who does to respond. :-)

Bananastand - I have a Goldfish plant that is always dropping leaves. I haven't had time to figure it out, but thought additional light might help. I have a tall 5ft tropical hibiscus that usually does very well over the winter if I keep it on the dry side. It doesn't seem to mind the lower light too much and doesn't drop leaves. But a lemon or a citrus - I think they really want high light, right? I haven't tried to grow one in a long time because I don't have a sunny enough window. I would love to, the blossoms are so fragrant and the leaves so pretty.

@prairiemoon2 z6b MA, yes- they love really high light. This is its second winter with me in this sunroom, and last winter it did fine. But, I bought it from someone in late October and they had already brought it indoors at that point. My hope is that it's still just in transition mode. On the bright side, I already have flower buds open!

Prairiemoon, if you just have houseplants, do they really need additional lights? I don't give my houseplants additional lights beyond whatever regular room lights I have.
The floor lamps can be two, three or five bulb options. You can use a single 25 w led/blue led grow bulb (linked earlier) in a floor lamp with an adjustable lamp if the beam can cover all your plants.
The strips have holes on both ends if you want to hang and also come with double sided foam tape. It is messy to detach and remove residue though. You can use removable 3M stickers to attach them I think.
I like the multiple bulb holder option better because they can be hung overhead at suitable hight and location whereas lamp bulbs are constrained as to the hight and angles.

@prairiemoon2 z6b MA okay.

Mars, definitely pic 1. Pic 2 lights are fancy but probably ineffective, probably useful for a succulent or two at best.

Prairiemoon, I did provide a link to the floor lamp in the previous thread. As to sufficiently of light, it depends on the plants, how long you keep them on and distance from the plant. Also, note that they may appear to be less bright than full wavelength lights but be as effective because they use selectively the wavelengths plants need.

GG - For the most part, I don’t need additional lights. Most of them get by in the winter with natural light. They grow pretty slowly over the winter. I do have a couple that I think would benefit from extra light. A couple of goldfish plants that I mentioned are dropping their leaves and not blooming. A jade plant. I suppose the tall tropical Hibiscus would benefit from more light.

I did see the link to the lamp. I’m a little distracted this week with a few things going on, but I am going to think this over and figure out what I want to do soon.

Thanks, I appreciate all the information. You have a great set up. Especially as it allows you to winter over a lot for your balcony.