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[INDOOR-GARDENING:176] Re: New Atrium garden needs big help

Hi, Wanda - this atrium sounds wonderful, I'm jealous ;-)  Now, if only
your plants would grow! 

Jim was right in his previous note in saying that lack of light is your
number one problem.  Adding light is going to be a problem, though,
especially if aesthetics are an issue.  Artificial lighting strong enough
to allow you to grow flowering plants are 1) ugly and 2) expensive.  Is
there any option for putting in another window?  Skylight?  

An alternative approach, rather than struggling with the lighting, would be
to tackle the problem the way an interiorscaping business would: 
1) select plants that will do well in lower light conditions, such as
tropical plants that grow in the jungle understory
2) plan to rotate flowering plants grown elsewhere into the atrium for
color interest
3) have a 'recovery area' where you can regularly rotate atrium plants out
for a reviving few months in higher light conditions
4) don't expect active, vigorous growth, instead place well-grown plants
and then expect them to hang on in a kind of semi-dormant state (be careful
not to overwater, since their water needs will be much reduced) for 3-4
months before you rotate them out

I'll post a list of low light plants in a separate message.

>Can I get any pond plants to grow and if so how?

Probably not, given the low light conditions.  But you can add interest in
other ways.  For instance, you could add polished agates and other
attractive rocks, maybe some pieces of driftwood.

>I have tried shade lovers like begonias, but they all lean towards the light
>and are lanky.

Plants that are shade-loving outdoors like begonias, etc., are actually
getting a lot of light in that outdoor shade.  Outdoor shade is much, much
brighter than indoor darkness!

>I would like to have a ground cover under the stairs (where it is difficult
>to get to) and have tried ivy but it doesn't seem to be spreading very well.
>I also tried to start baby tears but they too are thin and spindly.

Again, lack of light is the key problem here.  

>Should I keep the plants in pots and bury the pots or put the plants
>directly in the soil?

Until you have your light and plant selection problems licked, I wouldn't
worry about it.  Either way works, but keeping them in pots lets you cater
to individual needs for watering and fertilizing and it also gives you a
way of rotating plants in and out of your 'recovery area' where they can
get more light.

>Any ideas on climbers for the stair posts?  I tried a mandelvilla and it
>climbed all the way up the stairs, but no flowers and leaves about 1 foot
>apart.

Best to go with old standbys like Pothos and Philodendron.

>Should I vary the hours on the light with the sun or leave it on a constant
>time each day?  If so, how long?

Set your light to about 14 hours a day, year round.  You are growing
tropical plants used to less variation in day length.

>Orchids are doing well in that location, but are just sitting in pots.  Any
>ideas on how to incorporate them into the "landscape?"

Once you have other plants growing, you should be able to tuck the pots in
between other plants.  Also, 

>Somewhere in all this, I have managed to introduce those little gray
>rolly-polly bugs that love to eat the tops off of young tender sprouts.  Any
>non-chemical suggestions on getting rid of them?

These are pillbugs:

>Sowbugs and Pillbugs
>
>Sowbugs and pillbugs have 1/2-inch, dark gray, oval, segmented,
>shell-like bodies and seven pairs of legs. Though they are often
>associated with insects, they belong to the same family as crabs and
>crawfish. They resemble miniature armadillos. 
>
>Sowbugs and pillbugs are commonly found in places of high
>humidity. They may be found under boards, in decaying manure,
>under flowerpots, or in any dark place where decomposition is in
>progress. Their preferred food is decaying organic material, although
>any tender plant part will do. When disturbed, they roll up in a ball -
>hence the name pillbug. When sowbugs are disturbed, they scurry
>for cover. 
>
>Control: Remove hiding places and food sources by eliminating
>piles of leaves, grass clippings, mulch in flower beds, fallen fruit and
>dog droppings. In addition, boxes, boards and other debris should
>be removed or stored off the ground and basements and subfloor
>crawlspaces should be properly ventilated to eliminate the moist
>places of shelter they require.

-- Karen





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Karen Fletcher                                   kef@prairienet.org
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