I'm looking to transform a windowless room into a little paradise for my upcoming tortoise and want to include lots of houseplants. My main question is whether houseplants can survive and thrive under only artificial full-spectrum UV lights, or if they strictly need natural sunlight to flourish. I want to make sure I understand this before putting a lot of time and energy into the project. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Absolutely, plants can thrive in windowless spaces! Think about all those marijuana grow ops that have flourished in basements or warehouses. Houseplants are generally much easier to manage compared to growing a whole crop. Just do some research on the specific plants you're interested in and find out their natural growing conditions. That way, you can recreate those conditions in your indoor garden!
I've had great success with high-quality grow lights in dark areas. Some of my plants actually seem to prefer the artificial lighting over the inconsistent sunlight they get from windows. So, it's definitely feasible!
You should definitely invest in some LED grow lights—they're super affordable and work wonders for plants. Just a heads up though, don't worry about UV light; it's a myth that plants actually need it to grow well.
Right? I switched to LED grow lights too, and my plants are thriving. It's amazing how well they respond!

Same here! My plants are loving the grow lights, and they're flourishing. It’s a game changer for indoor gardening!