What plants can I grow indoors with no access to sunlight?

Question

I'm looking to grow some plants indoors from seeds, but as I have a north facing flat, there is no sunlight entering any of the windows.

I was wondering if there were any types of plants that would still thrive in this environment, without having to spend money on expensive hyroponic kits! Any ideas?

Answer 1

There are several plants that will thrive in a north facing window or in filtered light.  African violets will thrive very well in a north window...I have some myself that bloom frequently.  Palms like the neanth palm will do well in this area.  The old standby is the Mother-in-law tongues. It is nearly impossible to kill them other than by over watering and they reproduce profusely as well as need very little light. Philodendrons, peace lilies and even the Holiday Cactus (christmas, thanksgiving and easter cactus) will do well in that environment.  I have a christmas cactus where it gets only north light and it has been known to be in continuous bloom from late October to early May.

One of the most interesting species to grow in low light is the Orchid Cactus or Epiphyllums....they aren't very attractive but the flowers are amazing. I provided a link below.  Different orchid cactus have different blooms and colors...I would recommend searching on the web for these as they are very interesting plants.

Answer 2

chia pet

Answer 3

The majority of houseplants prefer a shady site.  The plants we keep as houseplants mainly originate in the understorey of tropical forests, so they are used to very little light and warm temperatures.  Humidity is important though, so invest in a mist sprayer (very cheap, from any garden centre or hardware store).

I wouldn't bother with trying to grow from seed.  Tropical plants are usually very good at propagating themselves vegetatively, as there is such stiff competition for space on the forest floor.  Buy a plant you like and take cuttings, or divide it up (there are loads of sites that will give you guidance on this, but the BBC is  particularly good).

If you're determined to grow from seed, just for the h**l of it, try an avocado stone - you can get a nice, leafy houseplant from one of those.

Have a good time playing with plants.  That's how I started, and I'm now a professional gardener, with glasshouses and a big garden to play in.

Answer 4

Well first a hydroponic kit is for growning a plant with out soil not sunlight.

There are a few plants that will grow well in low light conditions. One is called a peace lilly. Some Diffenbachias do well in low light as well as one called Golden Pothos. You should also consider a Hosta as they are 'shade' loving plants.

If you want to grow plants that require more light, then you can purchase "sunlight" globes at many gardening stores. These globes give off a full spectrum light that can be fit into a lamp or you might have to buy a special light fixture depending on what your garden stores carry. Then you can grow a plant under that type of light.

What I would do, is find a good book on plants that gives the growing conditions for each plant and then consider the ones that will do well in low light. You may not be able to start them from seeds though.