I moved into an industrial building in Burbank, California. It has
wonderful light but it doesn't seem to be the right light to grow
plants. I moved in last month and 75% of my plants died from what
seems to be not enough light. They just stopped growing for two weeks
then died the next week. This place has so much natural light that I
only have to turn the lights on when it's completely black outside. It
has five 8'x8' sky lights in a 25' tall ceiling in 2,400 sq.ft.. I've
actually noticed a light tan on myself but this doesn't seem to be the
light the plants need. I have no windows at all and no outdoor area.

How can I tell how much plant-friendly light I have in here?

If I don't have enough, what should I do? Buy artificial light or buy
only plants that can live in low light?

Someone told me I need to hose the skylights off to let red and blue
light in. Does that make sense? These are those white frosted sky
lights. The taller plants seem to be doing better than the ones on the
ground.

I lost my plumeria, arabian jasmine, regular jasmines, gardenias,
rosemary, basil, cilantro, impatients, some succulents, only now have
spider plants, dwarf orange tree, elephant palm, queen palm, some ivy
topiaries and plants I got as gifts which I can't identify. I feel
like I have the biggest brown thumb in the world. I had these huge,
healthy plants for 12 years in the outdoor patio of my previous home
and now I seem to have killed almost all of them. Thanks.

Tom

On 10/31/2008 4:29 PM, wrote:
I moved into an industrial building in Burbank, California. It has
wonderful light but it doesn't seem to be the right light to grow
plants. I moved in last month and 75% of my plants died from what
seems to be not enough light. They just stopped growing for two weeks
then died the next week. This place has so much natural light that I
only have to turn the lights on when it's completely black outside. It
has five 8'x8' sky lights in a 25' tall ceiling in 2,400 sq.ft.. I've
actually noticed a light tan on myself but this doesn't seem to be the
light the plants need. I have no windows at all and no outdoor area.

How can I tell how much plant-friendly light I have in here?

If I don't have enough, what should I do? Buy artificial light or buy
only plants that can live in low light?

Someone told me I need to hose the skylights off to let red and blue
light in. Does that make sense? These are those white frosted sky
lights. The taller plants seem to be doing better than the ones on the
ground.

I lost my plumeria, arabian jasmine, regular jasmines, gardenias,
rosemary, basil, cilantro, impatients, some succulents, only now have
spider plants, dwarf orange tree, elephant palm, queen palm, some ivy
topiaries and plants I got as gifts which I can't identify. I feel
like I have the biggest brown thumb in the world. I had these huge,
healthy plants for 12 years in the outdoor patio of my previous home
and now I seem to have killed almost all of them. Thanks.

Tom

We have an interior bathroom with no windows. We did some renovation
several years ago, including a new roof. Before the roofing was done, I
had a skylight added to the bathroom. It too is frosted. I have a
philodendron and a pothos, both growing quite vigorously there.

Your problem is that you are trying to grow outdoor plants indoors. The
air will generally be too dry. At night, it will be too warm,
especially if your building is heated in the winter. If you use air
conditioning in the summer, it will be too cool in the daytime.

plumeria: needs high humidity

gardenias: needs summer heat. With enough heat in the summer (outdoors
in Burbank), it will bloom year round (even in the winter with night
frosts).

rosemary: needs air circulation (e.g., breezes)

basil, cilantro: These are both annuals and will die at the end of
their first growing season.

impatients [sic for impatiens]: needs air circulation, many varieties
are annuals

dwarf orange tree, elephant palm, queen palm: These require special
climate controls if grown indoors.

ivy: While some are sold as house plants, I've never been successful in
growing this indoors. I had several fail in the bathroom with the
skylight, in the same location where my pothos grows rampantly.

Note: "Breezes" definitely does not include a forced-air heating system.

Go to a good nursery (not a lumber yard or hardware store) and check its
inventory of house plants. You will find both decorative foliage and
also flowering plants.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

On Oct 31, 9:26*pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 10/31/2008 4:29 PM, wrote:



I moved into an industrial building in Burbank, California. It has
wonderful light but it doesn't seem to be the right light to grow
plants. I moved in last month and 75% of my plants died from what
seems to be not enough light. They just stopped growing for two weeks
then died the next week. This place has so much natural light that I
only have to turn the lights on when it's completely black outside. It
has five 8'x8' sky lights in a 25' tall ceiling in 2,400 sq.ft.. I've
actually noticed a light tan on myself but this doesn't seem to be the
light the plants need. I have no windows at all and no outdoor area.

How can I tell how much plant-friendly light I have in here?

If I don't have enough, what should I do? Buy artificial light or buy
only plants that can live in low light?

Someone told me I need to hose the skylights off to let red and blue
light in. Does that make sense? These are those white frosted sky
lights. The taller plants seem to be doing better than the ones on the
ground.

I lost my plumeria, arabian jasmine, regular jasmines, gardenias,
rosemary, basil, cilantro, impatients, some succulents, only now have
spider plants, dwarf orange tree, elephant palm, queen palm, some ivy
topiaries and plants I got as gifts which I can't identify. I feel
like I have the biggest brown thumb in the world. I had these huge,
healthy plants for 12 years in the outdoor patio of my previous home
and now I seem to have killed almost all of them. Thanks.

Tom

We have an interior bathroom with no windows. *We did some renovation
several years ago, including a new roof. *Before the roofing was done, I
had a skylight added to the bathroom. *It too is frosted. *I have a
philodendron and a pothos, both growing quite vigorously there.

Your problem is that you are trying to grow outdoor plants indoors. *The
air will generally be too dry. *At night, it will be too warm,
especially if your building is heated in the winter. *If you use air
conditioning in the summer, it will be too cool in the daytime.

plumeria: *needs high humidity

gardenias: *needs summer heat. *With enough heat in the summer (outdoors
in Burbank), it will bloom year round (even in the winter with night
frosts).

rosemary: *needs air circulation (e.g., breezes)

basil, cilantro: *These are both annuals and will die at the end of
their first growing season.

impatients [sic for impatiens]: *needs air circulation, many varieties
are annuals

dwarf orange tree, elephant palm, queen palm: *These require special
climate controls if grown indoors.

ivy: While some are sold as house plants, I've never been successful in
growing this indoors. *I had several fail in the bathroom with the
skylight, in the same location where my pothos grows rampantly.

Note: *"Breezes" definitely does not include a forced-air heating system.

Go to a good nursery (not a lumber yard or hardware store) and check its
inventory of house plants. *You will find both decorative foliage and
also flowering plants.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: *California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

Thank you so much. I will do that.

My 6' tall wisteria and 3' tall multi-branched plumeria are not dead
but it seems they will die here eventually. This is the Plumeria with
the strongest scent. I also have a queen palm and some medium sized
elephant palms. I have a double topiary jasmine tree about five feet
tall that I made which probably won't make it, same with my arabian
jasmine that I got from Florida. Anyone want to trade for indoor
plants? These plants are still alive, just not thriving here.

On Oct 31, 8:26*pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 10/31/2008 4:29 PM, wrote:



I moved into an industrial building in Burbank, California. It has
wonderful light but it doesn't seem to be the right light to grow
plants. I moved in last month and 75% of my plants died from what
seems to be not enough light. They just stopped growing for two weeks
then died the next week. This place has so much natural light that I
only have to turn the lights on when it's completely black outside. It
has five 8'x8' sky lights in a 25' tall ceiling in 2,400 sq.ft.. I've
actually noticed a light tan on myself but this doesn't seem to be the
light the plants need. I have no windows at all and no outdoor area.

How can I tell how much plant-friendly light I have in here?

If I don't have enough, what should I do? Buy artificial light or buy
only plants that can live in low light?

Someone told me I need to hose the skylights off to let red and blue
light in. Does that make sense? These are those white frosted sky
lights. The taller plants seem to be doing better than the ones on the
ground.

I lost my plumeria, arabian jasmine, regular jasmines, gardenias,
rosemary, basil, cilantro, impatients, some succulents, only now have
spider plants, dwarf orange tree, elephant palm, queen palm, some ivy
topiaries and plants I got as gifts which I can't identify. I feel
like I have the biggest brown thumb in the world. I had these huge,
healthy plants for 12 years in the outdoor patio of my previous home
and now I seem to have killed almost all of them. Thanks.

Tom

We have an interior bathroom with no windows. *We did some renovation
several years ago, including a new roof. *Before the roofing was done, I
had a skylight added to the bathroom. *It too is frosted. *I have a
philodendron and a pothos, both growing quite vigorously there.

Your problem is that you are trying to grow outdoor plants indoors. *The
air will generally be too dry. *At night, it will be too warm,
especially if your building is heated in the winter. *If you use air
conditioning in the summer, it will be too cool in the daytime.

plumeria: *needs high humidity

gardenias: *needs summer heat. *With enough heat in the summer (outdoors
in Burbank), it will bloom year round (even in the winter with night
frosts).

rosemary: *needs air circulation (e.g., breezes)

basil, cilantro: *These are both annuals and will die at the end of
their first growing season.

impatients [sic for impatiens]: *needs air circulation, many varieties
are annuals

dwarf orange tree, elephant palm, queen palm: *These require special
climate controls if grown indoors.

ivy: While some are sold as house plants, I've never been successful in
growing this indoors. *I had several fail in the bathroom with the
skylight, in the same location where my pothos grows rampantly.

Note: *"Breezes" definitely does not include a forced-air heating system.

Go to a good nursery (not a lumber yard or hardware store) and check its
inventory of house plants. *You will find both decorative foliage and
also flowering plants.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: *California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

UPDATE: I had two reptile/plant bulbs hanging around and put them in
light fixtures aimed at the plants for 8 hours a day. In the last two
days the spider plant grew an inch, other plants became darker green
and sturdier, jasmine have new buds sprouting, everything has perked
up. Maybe I've solved part of my problem. I still won't buy any more
plants that need to be outdoors.