# Site General > Off-topic Cafe > Creative Corner >  Indoor garden

## Sonny1318

After playing around with adding real plants to my snake set up. I decided it would be cool to add an indoor garden instead. My snakes take up a wall in my living room. And now in the corner of my dining room I added this. Top shelf are Brazil philodendrons, the two in the middle are a ponytail palm and a money tree. The bottom are dumb cane. I had them spread thru out the whole house and thought this would really look cool instead. I grew them all from 4 pots. The grow lights are LED full spectrum. All the species are from the Central America region. And are all super easy to care for (kinda  like ball pythons). And have similar enough light and soil requirements. As I have mentioned, I unfortunately have some serious health problems. And the balls and plants are easy enough to care for that its not putting burden on me. Keeps my spirits up so I can continue to feel productive. And my wife can take care of if Im not doing well on any particular day. Thanks for looking. I also included a updated snake set up picture.


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*Bogertophis* (05-30-2018),C.Marie (05-30-2018),Craiga 01453 (05-30-2018),eyadinuae (05-30-2018),_richardhind1972_ (05-30-2018),_tttaylorrr_ (05-30-2018)

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## C.Marie

Such a pretty garden bet it is very soothing to just go water , and pick off the dead leafs  :Wink:

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_Sonny1318_ (05-30-2018)

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## Sonny1318

> Such a pretty garden bet it is very soothing to just go water , and pick off the dead leafs


After an extremely bad industrial accident , I developed a rare nerve disease. Even a foundation that specializes in my condition, recommends keeping plants as good therapy. I imagine my pet rock collection (my snakes) hopefully helps a bit too. Lol


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*Bogertophis* (05-30-2018),C.Marie (05-30-2018)

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## artgecko

Nice plants!  Have you considered trying linear / tube type LED fixtures so that you get more light coverage?  I've seen some really good setups where they hang the LED fixtures on the underside of each wire shelf so that they light the plants below evenly.

If you end up enjoying the plants a lot, you might consider getting into planted terrariums.  This is a good forum to go to to look at some nice setups.  They specialize in dart frogs, but I have some planted terrariums with geckos also and have heard of people using these setups for amazon tree boas, etc.  The downside to planted terrariums is that they aren't cheap to start and it can be hard to find plants that are easy to maintain.  If you can get the terrariums used, that helps, and it is not impossible to start one without spending a lot of $$, but the lighting tends to be expensive.

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_Sonny1318_ (05-30-2018)

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## Prognathodon

My indoor garden is at my office. Ive got both windowsills in my office, plus a satellite cubicle (not shown), and a shortened shelving unit from Ikea with an LED aquarium light.





The black hood on the front of the rack keeps the glare out of my eyes when working at my computer. The three in front of the rack are going home shortly, going to try a bio-active desert setup for my sand boa.
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*Bogertophis* (05-30-2018),_Sonny1318_ (05-30-2018),_tttaylorrr_ (05-30-2018)

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## Sonny1318

> My indoor garden is at my office. Ive got both windowsills in my office, plus a satellite cubicle (not shown), and a shortened shelving unit from Ikea with an LED aquarium light.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


I love it, thanks for sharing. The pebbles make it look so cool. I might have to pick some up, they really add something.

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## Prognathodon

> I love it, thanks for sharing. The pebbles make it look so cool. I might have to pick some up, they really add something.


I started using it to prevent eroded craters from watering, the appearance is a nice bonus. And the books say that top-dressing also helps keep moisture in. I use aquarium gravel, and the pots with larger drainage holes get bigger chunks in the bottom to keep the soil from falling out. I finally used up most of the stuff from a retired 10-gallon tank, and had to buy a couple new bags (I dont try to save every little bit when re-potting). The small bucket of extra gravel makes a good doorstop.  :Smile:  


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*Bogertophis* (05-30-2018),_Sonny1318_ (05-30-2018)

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## Craiga 01453

Sonny, that looks fantastic!!

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_Sonny1318_ (05-30-2018)

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## tttaylorrr

i love plants!!! i would love to have a planted terrarium for my gecko! the start-up just seems so daunting.

thanks for sharing; that set-up looks lovely! i agree with looking into LED grow lights. there's some string LEDs for plants on amazon that aren't too expensive.  :Smile:

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## Sonny1318

> i love plants!!! i would love to have a planted terrarium for my gecko! the start-up just seems so daunting.
> 
> thanks for sharing; that set-up looks lovely! i agree with looking into LED grow lights. there's some string LEDs for plants on amazon that aren't too expensive.


Hi Tayor, and thank you very much, I mentioned in my original post that I was using Full Spectrum LED bulbs. The light fixtures I picked up on a killer sale (Zoo Med 3 for 25$) I grabbed for use on the plants when I was going to keep them on top the snake set up. But the bulbs are definitely Led full spectrum. If I get a chance Ill post a picture of the brand of lights I am using. The whole project came out of left field, I have always kept plants indoors and out. Had some extra stuff, and went for it. Thanks again.

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## Sonny1318

> Nice plants!  Have you considered trying linear / tube type LED fixtures so that you get more light coverage?  I've seen some really good setups where they hang the LED fixtures on the underside of each wire shelf so that they light the plants below evenly.
> 
> If you end up enjoying the plants a lot, you might consider getting into planted terrariums.  This is a good forum to go to to look at some nice setups.  They specialize in dart frogs, but I have some planted terrariums with geckos also and have heard of people using these setups for amazon tree boas, etc.  The downside to planted terrariums is that they aren't cheap to start and it can be hard to find plants that are easy to maintain.  If you can get the terrariums used, that helps, and it is not impossible to start one without spending a lot of $$, but the lighting tends to be expensive.


Thank you very much. I went at checked out the site you recommended. I originally had planned on incorporating plants into my snake set up. Thats why I went with those light fixtures and that style bulb. But ended up going in this direction instead. The shelf is located close to a lot of indirect light, so I also got that going. And I would love to have a massive terrarium. Maybe someday, right now I just very grateful for what I have. Again Thanks.

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## Sonny1318

> I started using it to prevent eroded craters from watering, the appearance is a nice bonus. And the books say that top-dressing also helps keep moisture in. I use aquarium gravel, and the pots with larger drainage holes get bigger chunks in the bottom to keep the soil from falling out. I finally used up most of the stuff from a retired 10-gallon tank, and had to buy a couple new bags (I don’t try to save every little bit when re-potting). The small bucket of extra gravel makes a good doorstop.  
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


I was looking at “gravel” at Home Depot, some Mexican gray pebbles?? I think they would look nice. And yes I’ve read they can be helpful in that regard. You sure do have some beautiful plants, most of those are succulents correct?? Beautiful collection either way. I have a very large balcony and have a bunch of different kinds of marigolds out there. I used to plant honeysuckles. But between the squirrels eating them and watching praying mantis’s attack the hummingbirds they attracted. I went with the marigolds.

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## richardhind1972

The plants look really nice and horticulture is definitely good for you most of the time, Ive been doing it 29yrs including 4years at horticultural college.
Im lucky enough to do the job full time at a big garden centre in the U.K where Im in charge of buying houseplants, I guess a lot of these are probably common garden plants in a lot of places in the USA, I used to have to go to Holland every 3weeks on plant buying trips and Italy in the spring for 3days to buy specimens , not many people get to do a job they enjoy and travel to fantastic places 
Theres been lots of research about houseplants purifying the air in our homes which is never a bad thing
Heres a link
https://greatist.com/connect/housepl...-clean-air/amp

Just remember the dumb cane or diffenbachia can be very irritant , so just wash your hands if you have taken any leaves off
Gravels on top always look really nice and as already said is a great way to keep moisture in  , also sitting them on gravel/fine grit in a saucer can also raise the humidity  up if needed  for plants from humid areas of the world 
Cheers rich 


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## Sonny1318

> The plants look really nice and horticulture is definitely good for you most of the time, Ive been doing it 29yrs including 4years at horticultural college.
> Im lucky enough to do the job full time at a big garden centre in the U.K where Im in charge of buying houseplants, I guess a lot of these are probably common garden plants in a lot of places in the USA, I used to have to go to Holland every 3weeks on plant buying trips and Italy in the spring for 3days to buy specimens , not many people get to do a job they enjoy and travel to fantastic places 
> Theres been lots of research about houseplants purifying the air in our homes which is never a bad thing
> Heres a link
> https://greatist.com/connect/housepl...-clean-air/amp
> 
> Just remember the dumb cane or diffenbachia can be very irritant , so just wash your hands if you have taken any leaves off
> Gravels on top always look really nice and as already said is a great way to keep moisture in  , also sitting them on gravel/fine grit in a saucer can also raise the humidity  up if needed  for plants from humid areas of the world 
> Cheers rich 
> ...


Thank you very much Richard, and it sounds like you have a really cool job. Ive always loved growing plants and such. And I was aware of the air purification benefits and just recently was reading about that very subject, thank you for the link I look forward to checking it out. As far as the dumb cane (diffenbachia) I was aware they dont make great salads, lol. And I should take some precautions when caring for. Thank you very much for all your advise, now I know who to ask when I need help with my plants. Your job sounds truly awesome.

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_richardhind1972_ (05-31-2018)

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## Prognathodon

> I was looking at gravel at Home Depot, some Mexican gray pebbles?? I think they would look nice. And yes Ive read they can be helpful in that regard.


Whatever kind of gravel/pebbles you like should be fine. Some of my plants have tumbled glass that I had in an old aquarium. Most of my plants arent very big, so I have pretty small stuff - one bag was 1/8-1/4-ish, the other was 1/4-1/2-ish. 




> You sure do have some beautiful plants, most of those are succulents correct?? Beautiful collection either way.


Thank you! Yep, all of my garden is made up of cactus/succulents. Most of them came from Home Depot or the local pharmacy/convenience stores. Typically the first thing I do is get them into bigger pots, so the poor things have some room to grow. The little cactus in the middle row on the shelving unit is in that relatively big pot because it had such a big root ball. I just re-potted it a couple weeks ago and its already got new growth. 

Ive killed a few of my plants, most have held up pretty well. I may even try lithops again, I recently learned that I was watering them too much/at the wrong times, as they like it really *really* dry! 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops



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_Sonny1318_ (05-31-2018)

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## Sonny1318

> Whatever kind of gravel/pebbles you like should be fine. Some of my plants have tumbled glass that I had in an old aquarium. Most of my plants arent very big, so I have pretty small stuff - one bag was 1/8-1/4-ish, the other was 1/4-1/2-ish. 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! Yep, all of my garden is made up of cactus/succulents. Most of them came from Home Depot or the local pharmacy/convenience stores. Typically the first thing I do is get them into bigger pots, so the poor things have some room to grow. The little cactus in the middle row on the shelving unit is in that relatively big pot because it had such a big root ball. I just re-potted it a couple weeks ago and its already got new growth. 
> 
> Ive killed a few of my plants, most have held up pretty well. I may even try lithops again, I recently learned that I was watering them too much/at the wrong times, as they like it really *really* dry! 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops
> 
> ...


 Thats to funny most my plants came from Home Depot too. With some coming from the grocery store (that had to be replanted immediately because they were glued). I used to do a ton of stuff with jade plants and have been tempted by juniper bonsai more then once. Its cool to watch them grow, it also kinda stinks when you kill them. But I think that happens in gardening more so from over watering (guilty). The Lithops are very cool and unique. Ill post a picture of a water meter I just grabbed not to long ago, cant be sure yet its helping yet though it seems to be. I even picked up a cool watering can to hopefully help not over watering. Give me a bit And Ill post pics. Thanks again for sharing.

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## Sonny1318

Here are the pics I said I would post. The light bulb, the meter and the watering can. You can see the nozzle of the watering can has very tiny holes and makes it more easy not to over water and yet still  get good water distribution.


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## Prognathodon

Thank you for posting the pictures, I especially like the meter. If/when I expand the succulents shelving Ill look for the LEDs, Ive already got a couple spare domes, so theyd be much less expensive than another aquarium light bar!

IIRC Im using between a quart and a half-gallon of water a week to water all my succulents.  :Smile: 


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_Sonny1318_ (06-01-2018)

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## Prognathodon

> i love plants!!! i would love to have a planted terrarium for my gecko! the start-up just seems so daunting.


Im in the middle of setting up my first bio-active vivarium (started a thread in the caging sub-forum), it really isnt too bad. Im not doing a textured background, though, as sand boas dont climb a lot, and a desert-ish setup isnt going to need it for moss and climbing plants. Even so, NE Herps backgrounds using cork panels (for larger species - like cresties) look pretty easy and less messy than sculpting with Great Stuff, and what I plan on using in the future for my leachie.


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## Prognathodon

> Here are the pics I said I would post.


I picked a couple of those bulbs and determined that they fit in a ZooMed double dome I had at home. My assistant Albert helped me hang the new light up at work, for the leftovers from the bio-active setup for my sand boa. 




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_Sonny1318_ (06-04-2018)

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## Sonny1318

> I picked a couple of those bulbs and determined that they fit in a ZooMed double dome I had at home. Albert the sheep helped me hand the new light up at work, for the leftovers from the bio-active setup for my sand boa. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


I had nothing but good experience with those bulbs, hope the best for you too! I need a sheep helper, lol.


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## Sonny1318

I want to add a new picture, but not sure how to find my old thread on tapatalk.

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## Sonny1318

I just wanted to share an updated photo to my fellow plant lovers out there. I added two Arrowhead white butterflys. Two diffferent  Peperomias (Radiator plants) And a White stripe Nerve plant. A big thanks to Prognathodon and Richard for making me want to dive in a little deeper. I kept my theme by still staying with Central and South America plants. And with the Peperomia I get to enjoy growing a succulent type plant. I really gotta stay outta Home Depot. Lol


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*Bogertophis* (06-30-2018),_jmcrook_ (06-30-2018),_richardhind1972_ (07-01-2018)

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## richardhind1972

Looking great sonny 
Theres some really nice peperomia with some fantastic coloured leaves, the red leaves ones are really nice, also called rat tails as the leaves look like rat tails, lol, 
We had loads of new succulent and cacti in this week thought Id share some picks   Some of the grafted ones are so nice and colourful 



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_Sonny1318_ (07-01-2018)

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## Sonny1318

Hey Richard, heres a picture of more rat tails, lol. I believe this is a Peperomia Caperata, It was a little neglected when I purchased him. The other is a Fittonia (white stripe?). Check it out its flowering, it is very healthy. The Peperomia was making tiny white buds on the tails also.  Love the picture of the Peperomia plant you shared, and  your work looks a lot nicer then the nurserys by me. 


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## richardhind1972

I really like that type of peperomia and fittonia,theres some amazing looking indoor plants,well there indoor for U.K. but just garden plants for most of USA I guess depending where you are like
Yes pretty lucky to work there really, heres few
Pics from our outside plant area



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_Sonny1318_ (07-01-2018)

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## Sonny1318

It looks quite amazing. I mostly go to a big box (Home Depot) store with a large garden center. The garden center it kinda hit or miss.They get some really decent stuff, but its not cared for properly. Ive been meaning to look for a local nursery, but they usually have more for outdoors. And where I live its 90 degrees in the summer, but easily hits 15 degrees in the winter. Im located just outta Chicago. So mostly indoor, lol.

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_richardhind1972_ (07-02-2018)

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