Indoor newby

Johannes Ulrich Urban via pbs pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
Thu, 30 Apr 2020 17:15:51 PDT
Hello Green Thumb,

Sorry to call you like this, but you did not disclose your name. Welcome 
to this friendly and knowledgeable society!

There are very many bulbs that can be grown indoors. Although personally 
I have no experience at all growing bulbs under artificial light, many 
people do. There is a lot of technical  information available.
You ask for recommendations what to grow.
It depends on the temperature at which you will be growing your plants, 
let's assume it would be room temperature year round. Then you should 
stay clear of those bulbs that need cool or cold growing conditions and 
those that need temperatures fluctuating beween day and night. All 
winter growing and desert, semi desert and alpine bulbs would not be 
happy. Imagine snowdrops or tulips in warm living room conditions..... 
Look for summer growing bulbs because they grow in warm conditions. 
Principally I would choose those bulbs which do not need the brightest 
light to perform well. What springs to mind immediately are Gesneriads, 
they flower for a long time and do well under lights and at even room 
temperature. I am a member, too, of the American Gesneriad Society, 
they, too, offer a wealth of knowledge. And many members of this (PBS) 
society also grow Gesneriads, they are geophytes, after all. And there 
is much much more than “just“ African Violets and Gloxinias. Many 
Amaryllidaceae like Hippeastrum and Griffinia are indoor plants but 
Hippeastrum may become too big for light shelves. But I grew my 
Hippeastrum aulicum as a windowsill plant for ages before I had a garden 
and a greenhouse. Same with Cyrtanthus elatus, formerly called Vallota.
Griffinia is maybe not something for a beginner and plants are expensive 
but beautiful.
Can other members help with the question if Zephyranthes and Habranthus 
are suitable candidates for light shelves?
Dioscorea discolor is a tuberous climber which can be perfectly grown in 
a relatively small pot on a windowsill.
There are delightful relatively small tuberous (and non tuberous) 
Begonias, some can be grown in terrariums only but do not need much 
light. Without wanting to discourage you, I think the choice of plants 
you ordered is not ideal. All are winter growing South African bulbs 
from arid climates which need very bright light, and Ixia viridiflora 
becomes quite tall, same with Moraea villosa. I do not see these  under 
a light shelf. For the Oxalis you would need VERY high light intensity. 
In nature the flowers only open in direct sun and remain closed on dull 
days. Also, these winter growing bulbs want cool to cold but frost free 
conditions during growth and would not be happy in a warm environment. 
Warmth is a signal for them to go dormant. So it would very much depend 
on where in your accommodation you want to grow plants.
If you try to get to know the natural conditions the plant comes from 
and put yourself into the place of the plant, you will find a lot that 
suits your growing conditions. Have you looked through our Wiki? There 
is all kind of information it it to browse for months!

Hope that helps,

Uli
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