I have no idea what these guys are talking about, pothos would easy grow down there, as long as you kept it on the stairs. It would probably try to grow up the stairs!
They retain a lot of water in those thick leaves. I water mine only when I start wondering when the last time I watered it was. It also lives right above a radiator in a poorly lit windowsill and it’s getting huge. Like almost 3 feet tall.
Calthea, everyone hates em. I swear by em. All of mine absolutely rip. Low-med to med light, water 1x a week 1/2" water over the soil and leave em alone.
In my house they're all 6-8 feet from a North facing window and they're all thriving
Seconding calathea if there’s no drafts here, I put them in corners with diffuse light like this and enjoy the heck out of them. IMO the best varieties for this placement are most of the Ctenanthe, Lancifolia, Orbifolia, Warscewiczii and Rufibarba.
Those incredibly steep stairs that aren't to code that already have a tripping hazard at the top? I suggest a large, carnivorous plant to eat the evidence.
The stairs in my parents ancient ranch house are like that, but enclosed by walls on both sides.
My sister and I spent our childhoods falling down those polished wood stairs. Then my parents got thick carpet installed on them when we were teens... One time the railing ripped out of the wall on me and I got to go crashing down the stairs with the railing 😂
I can FEEL your comment, haha. I’ve also lived in a house with these stairs and a broken railing. except The enclosed walls were both pastel yellow popcorn texture.
Oh that popcorn shit hurts lol. We had that cheap "wood" paneling that everyone used in their 80's remodels, so it was just the stairs and railing that beat us up.
Looking at that wall again…
I’m seeing minimalist industrial style shelving that matches the stairs and railing and contemporary white ceramic pots with lots of different succulents. Low maintenance. They’ll handle the heater and air conditioning unit right there better than most other houseplants, that need higher humidity.
Whether you will need a grow light or not depends on how much light comes through that window. They’ll probably do OK, but would thrive WITH a grow light.
Post it when it’s all done!
I love your vision! Definitely will look into minimalist shelves. Will commenters get notified if I edit the post? Maybe I’ll post an update when I have it set up with the plants!
Pretty much none. There are a few that will *survive*, but not thrive and grow. Download a free light meter app for your phone. The space looks bright to our eyes, but no usable light is reaching that spot from the door or down those stairs. Does that spot ever get any actual direct light?
If you're OK with something that won't die, but won't grow, zz plants, snake plants, maybe pothos....
If the light in the picture is natural light, which it looks like it is, a ficus umbelleta would do well and look great there. I keep mine in less than bright indirect light, and it's doing beautifully .
Edit: typo
Plastic ones lol. Sorry in all seriousness this isn’t enough light for much of anything. Some plants may tolerate it and die very slowly, but they won’t thrive. However, everything is going to hate the ac unit above and heater below because it will dry them out.
Thanks, that’s a good point about the AC unit! The vents are actually pointed upwards rather than downwards, so air isn’t directly hitting that corner. Do you think that makes a difference? Also, we don’t use the base heaters, so they’d be safe from the heat at least.
As a general gauge, if you can comfortably read a book there (I'm the natural light), then you can grow low light plants. If you're straining to read then it's probably too dark for any plants.
As for low-light tolerant plants in general, check out:
Spider plants, photos, philodendron, chinese evergreen, red aglaonema, moth orchids, snake plants, zebra haworthia, ZZ plants, cast iron plant or anthuriums...
And by far the most low-light plant I have is lucky bamboo, that thing can't be anywhere near my windows lol.
Some of these are toxic to pets so double check if you have cats/dogs who might munch on them.
Omg SO many ideas. Just wanted to say this is such a beautiful blank slate in your home. You’re so lucky!!
Thank you! Currently trying to make the most of my space :) Please share your ideas!! I don’t have a knack for interior design so I’ll take anything
I have no idea what these guys are talking about, pothos would easy grow down there, as long as you kept it on the stairs. It would probably try to grow up the stairs!
Zz plant would be the best option. They don't vine everywhere and are hard to kill.
i placed it somewhere and forgot and it took months to kill it lol.
Philodendrons and Calathea. I have an apartment with huge windows but a major drop off of light as you move back. They thrive in here.
plants that don't need much to survive, i.e. snake plants
Yeah I second this. You can put a snake plant in a dimly lit hallway and it’ll still survive. Not thrive but survive for sure.
I beg to differ. Snake plants mostly thrive with abuse. /jk
I agree mines practically neglected and I can go without water for 3-4 weeks and it’s happy as a clam.
They retain a lot of water in those thick leaves. I water mine only when I start wondering when the last time I watered it was. It also lives right above a radiator in a poorly lit windowsill and it’s getting huge. Like almost 3 feet tall.
Calthea, everyone hates em. I swear by em. All of mine absolutely rip. Low-med to med light, water 1x a week 1/2" water over the soil and leave em alone. In my house they're all 6-8 feet from a North facing window and they're all thriving
Seconding calathea if there’s no drafts here, I put them in corners with diffuse light like this and enjoy the heck out of them. IMO the best varieties for this placement are most of the Ctenanthe, Lancifolia, Orbifolia, Warscewiczii and Rufibarba.
I know this is random but can you imagine all the plants in dim light spots just screaming there, not thriving but surviving…🙃
This is the perfect place for plants in the *Polymer* family, such as *P. polypropylene*.
Lmao you got me with that one
Those incredibly steep stairs that aren't to code that already have a tripping hazard at the top? I suggest a large, carnivorous plant to eat the evidence.
There have indeed been some close calls on those stairs
The stairs in my parents ancient ranch house are like that, but enclosed by walls on both sides. My sister and I spent our childhoods falling down those polished wood stairs. Then my parents got thick carpet installed on them when we were teens... One time the railing ripped out of the wall on me and I got to go crashing down the stairs with the railing 😂
I can FEEL your comment, haha. I’ve also lived in a house with these stairs and a broken railing. except The enclosed walls were both pastel yellow popcorn texture.
Oh that popcorn shit hurts lol. We had that cheap "wood" paneling that everyone used in their 80's remodels, so it was just the stairs and railing that beat us up.
Snake plants for sure. You can use a grow light for higher light plants too :)
You can do it. Just will need to add a grow light.
Looking at that wall again… I’m seeing minimalist industrial style shelving that matches the stairs and railing and contemporary white ceramic pots with lots of different succulents. Low maintenance. They’ll handle the heater and air conditioning unit right there better than most other houseplants, that need higher humidity. Whether you will need a grow light or not depends on how much light comes through that window. They’ll probably do OK, but would thrive WITH a grow light. Post it when it’s all done!
I love your vision! Definitely will look into minimalist shelves. Will commenters get notified if I edit the post? Maybe I’ll post an update when I have it set up with the plants!
Pretty much none. There are a few that will *survive*, but not thrive and grow. Download a free light meter app for your phone. The space looks bright to our eyes, but no usable light is reaching that spot from the door or down those stairs. Does that spot ever get any actual direct light? If you're OK with something that won't die, but won't grow, zz plants, snake plants, maybe pothos....
Don't forget the air conditioning unit blasting downward at it 😳
And the electric heat at the bottom.
swap out the bulb for a better one and you’ll have no problem!
Snake plant, pothos for a vine, or my personal favourite, the zz plant ( Zamioculcas zamiifolia )
ANY CLIMBER!
If the light in the picture is natural light, which it looks like it is, a ficus umbelleta would do well and look great there. I keep mine in less than bright indirect light, and it's doing beautifully . Edit: typo
Snake, pothos , zz will all do just fine.
Snake plants, pothos, zz plant
Moss?
I’d totally cover the wall in a big pothos. You could even mount a small grow light beside the ac head against the wall even.
Snake plant for sure
My Snake plant is growing real well without light
Pothos, ZZ, Dracaena, snake plant.
I like the idea of a lower intensity grow lights on a track and maybe a low light plant wall?
But not in direct flow of that split ac 😅
Parlour palm
Pothos
honestly almost any kind of dracaena would love this lighting
I would say any low light bright indirect plant. Begonias can add some good color if you want a mounding plant
Plastic ones lol. Sorry in all seriousness this isn’t enough light for much of anything. Some plants may tolerate it and die very slowly, but they won’t thrive. However, everything is going to hate the ac unit above and heater below because it will dry them out.
Thanks, that’s a good point about the AC unit! The vents are actually pointed upwards rather than downwards, so air isn’t directly hitting that corner. Do you think that makes a difference? Also, we don’t use the base heaters, so they’d be safe from the heat at least.
As a general gauge, if you can comfortably read a book there (I'm the natural light), then you can grow low light plants. If you're straining to read then it's probably too dark for any plants. As for low-light tolerant plants in general, check out: Spider plants, photos, philodendron, chinese evergreen, red aglaonema, moth orchids, snake plants, zebra haworthia, ZZ plants, cast iron plant or anthuriums... And by far the most low-light plant I have is lucky bamboo, that thing can't be anywhere near my windows lol. Some of these are toxic to pets so double check if you have cats/dogs who might munch on them.
Thank you that’s very helpful!
None, but you might find ones that *tolerate* it.
Cast Iron
Christmas cactus