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In the office there is an abundance of fluorescent light and that's about it. The temperature stays around 70 ºF (21 ºC) I think.

Could I grow a fruiting plant in these conditions?

Is there any flower plant that we can put in less sunlight and closed room, which also has good smell

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3 Answers 3

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If the lights are extremely close to the plants, you could do a lot more kinds of plants, but I imagine they're on the ceiling, which is very far away. You might experiment with a Grandpa's Home pepper, but no guarantees. Supposedly you can grow it like a houseplant. If you could put a grow light in the office, you should have better results. One of those one-plant red and blue LED bulbs, or else a 22 watt CFL, shouldn't be too obtrusive. Just put it in a lamp with a flexible neck and hang it over your plant.

If you can put the plants on something really high, near the ceiling light, like on top of a high shelf, that should be a lot better. Closer is better, but try to get it at least within two feet of the light, without making a fire hazard. (An inch or two away is probably ideal for growth, though, but you'll still get a fair amount of benefit within a couple feet, for fluorescent lights.)

I might suggest growing a ground cherry. They have small yellow and black flowers, and husked fruit that falls off when ripe. They self-pollinate, unlike at least some closely related tomatillos. They'll fruit in a windowsill (even when crowded in small containers); so they might by some crazy chance fruit in an office, but they definitely should with a grow light (at least if it has enough red light in it). If it does fruit, saving the seeds and replanting over plant generations might help it to some degree in further acclimating it to fruiting on lower light than usual (but this may de-acclimate it to outdoors). Varieties I suggest trying include Aunt Molly's, Ammon Martin's and Goldie. Ground cherry flowers are not particularly fragrant or prominent.

Orchids might do well (for flowers) with a grow light, too. They can flower heavily on low light (e.g. a windowsill). You probably need the right kind for lots of flowers, though. We've got one in our windowsill with lots of flowers now. Some orchids are fragrant. The one in our windowsill isn't.

If you give them cold treatment when necessary, I hear you can have tulips and daffodils bloom indoors on low light. They are dormant most of the year, however. Tulips smell awesome.

You might also try African Violets for flowers (probably with a growlight, too). I know they flower in our windowsill. I don't believe they're particularly fragrant, but I haven't smelled them closely.

A Christmas cactus might work in your office, for flowers (once a year). That might be one of the easier ones to try for flowers. Again, I haven't smelled these lately to see if they're fragrant, but I don't recall a fragrance from them.

My grandma had some kind of cacti-like succulent (similar to a Starfish Cactus), which flowered with cool-looking blooms with only northern window light. I don't recall it having a scent, though. Starfish Cacti are known for a bad smell, with one exception.

Anyway, probably my favorite plant for low light is the Golden Pothos. Don't grow it for flowers and fruit, though, but it's an excellent houseplant that should work well in an office.

Here's a link that provides some suggestions for houseplants for low light. Some of them flower, but it doesn't mention fragrance.

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You MIGHT get a fruit, small, or a flower...but without LOTS of light far more than your fluorescent lights AND pollinators (you could try and should do artificial insemination yourself, grinsn) this is a but a dream. In offices, the best plants are NOT those you want with flowers, fruit, but just gorgeous foliage. Plants that are able to thrive in low light conditions...such as Cast Iron Plant. I'd forget about flowers or fruit, truly. There are lots of great houseplants hey, mostly because they are the plants that are able to thrive indoors, dry environments and little light and obviously have demonstrated this ability. But flowers and thus fruit, you will be very disappointed. Great question. There is not a plant in the world that thrives in shade, low light without pollinators that will flower or fruit. If you get a flower or a fruit, it will be an anomaly. If there is I am sure someone will tell us both!

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Inside lighting is at the level of twilight. Fruiting plants normally require sunlight, measured in hours per day.

Photons provide the energy necessary to drive photosynthesis, and thus the energy to drive the synthesis of the carbohydrates etc to develop the fruit. If the plant lacks an energy source, it can't grow normally. So, unless you improve the lighting, it's just not going to work.

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