Hello all. Let me warn you first that I'm both a new member of this forum as well as a beginner in caring for houseplants. As of this summer, I was desperate to not spend another long, North Dakota winter without a touch of the green outdoors to keep the blues away. Unfortunatly, the green thumb is not hereditary, otherwise I'd be set. I need your help to find a solution to my problem. I live in an apartment, and found suitable spots for my less touchy plants, such as my philodondron, rubber plant, and my personal favorite ZZ plant. I have a Candy Corn/Firecracker plant that I've had to pamper a bit due to it being slightly out of it's recommended zone even as an indoor plant. I believe I'm in zone 5 and it's really best suited for zones 9-12. I keep it happy with the help of a bit of artificial lighting and a humidity tray nestled in it's hanging basket. It's worth it though as those cute little yellow,orange and red flowers really are eye catching. It was a gift from my eight yr old son last Mothers day in the form of seeds. That makes it extra special. Now for my problem plants. I have an Aloe plant and a baby Miniature Desert Rose (Trichodiadema Densum) that love their spot on my south facing windowsill. However when winter hits, the windows through out my apartment are very drafty. The temp outside seldom goes above 0 degrees(F) and frequently reaches -25 to -40+ degrees(F). I'll need to move them and provide some sort of lighting that is effective yet simple (as in not fiddling with electrical wires). I know the Densum goes dorment in winter, but since this is an indoor plant, I don't exactly know to what extent. I only know that I'll have to refrain from watering it too much. I don't know if it also requires less sunlight while it's in that stage though. There is very little information about them on the internet for me to sift through. I've heard that using a combo of incandescent and florescent lighting is possible. If that's actually true, I have some clamp lights I could use, as well as some 2 foot florescent single tube-plug in units from Lowes. I have a 10 gallon metal aquarium stand that I can use to house the plants and secure the lights to. But I don't know the distance to place the lights for the best results. If there is a better solution, please let me know. I would love it if someone could tell me what is typicaly done with plants that can't winter on a frosty sill. If there is a small unit available that would address this problem, by all means, let me know. Thanks for your time, advice, and sharing your green thumb with me. I appreciate it!!!
First... http://www.amazon.com/Window-Insulation-Plastic-Windows-Weathersealing/dp/B002WCJA46 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLYBqe54Mco Then............ http://www.4hydro.com/cloning/FastGroHeatMat.asp
