5 Low Light Succulents for Windowless Rooms & Offices

Sunlight is an essential resource that all plants need for photosynthesis & survival. Hence the light energy plays an important role in their survival. However, there are some low light friendly succulents that can do remarkably well even under windowless conditions with some basic care. So…

Can succulents grow in a windowless room? There are some low-light friendly succulents that can survive well under windowless conditions provided they receive light energy in form of artificial grow lights. The drainage conditions and the watering practice also plays an important role in their better survival.

Plants that require 4 to 7 hours of sunlight won’t be able to survive under windowless conditions. Generally, colorful plants need more dose of sunlight than greener plants.

So choosing the right plant is the key and if you choose the right kind of succulent and follow some basic care procedures you can comfortably go ahead and grow succulents in windowless offices and rooms.

Is it okay to grow plants in rooms without windows? Can you grow plants in a windowless room?

There are some plants which can put up with very low light. These plants are incredibly suitable for growing even in windowless rooms provided you have the room properly lighted up and have them potted in drainage friendly soil.

The kind of plants you choose for growing under such circumstances becomes really important. If you choose plants that prefer moderate to high sunlight for growing in these rooms, they will probably hit a dormant phase or can grow up to be leggy, stunted, or malnourished.
These factors become important while choosing succulents as well. The majority of the succulents prefer moderate to high light for survival.

There are many succulents that can survive under low sunlight but there are only a few that can keep up with no sunlight. In case you wanna have a soothing green touch in these rooms you should opt for artificial lights to give them some helping hand for survival.

What are some of the low light succulents that can survive in windowless rooms?

Snake Plant

Scientific Name: Sansevieria trifasciata

Also Called: Mother-in-Law Plant

Snake plant is one of the most popular succulents out there, especially for offices and workspaces.

Key points on Snake plant

Snake plants are regarded as one of the best plants for beginners as they are highly low maintenance and can even thrive on neglect.
Its striking and flashy leaves are bound to catch attention and hence make it stand out in any room, hallway, or corridor.
It is one of the best low light friendly succulents out there that can use the little bit of artificial light available to them and can do well just with that. In fact, they are the ideal indoor plants as it is not cold hardy and prefer low sunlight over the bright direct sun.
Another striking benefit of using this plant is, apart from producing fresh oxygen like all green plants, it can remove harmful toxins from the air and hence purifies the air naturally.

How to care for Snake Plants

Snake plants are one of the easiest plants to care for! Just provide them with a suitable soil mix and water them when the soil feels really dry, maybe once every 10 days in summer and they will do quite well on their own.
Snake plants have low sunlight as well as watering needs in comparison with other succulents. these makes them ideal for keeping in windowless office rooms.
In case your room is suitably lighted up, using a grow light is not compulsory but using one will surely help. However be careful to not use the grow light directly on top of the succulent as the succulent leaves can grow quite tall and at some point, it can come in close contact with the light which can, in turn, burn the leaves.
Propagating Snake plants is also super easy, you can just pick a healthy leaf with its base intact, let it callus over-under shade for a few days, and plant it in a new potting mix and you are done.

Must Read: Is Succulent & Cactus Soil Good for Snake Plants?

Zebra Plant

Scientific Name: Haworthia fasciata and Haworthia attenuata (both types can do well under low light conditions).

Key Points on zebra plant

They are one of the most striking succulents out there and one of my favorite ones! The white stripes on the greener long leaf surfaces really look stunning.
They are extremely easy to care for and also thrives on neglect. Also, they can adapt really well to sunlight conditions. They prefer partial shade but does well under 4 to 5 hours of sunlight and even under extremely low light conditions.
Haworthia fasciata is rare than haworthia attenuata and has got smoother inner leaves, unlike the latter one. Other than this they are more or less the same in their look and needs.
Flowering occurs in form of white and pink colored flowers but won’t likely happen indoors.

How to take care of Zebra plant

They can survive under low light conditions but prefers moderate light. you can use grow light for growing these succulents and they will likely adapt well with that.
Propagating newer zebra plants are easy as they produce numerous offsets around the base. Just pluck one of them let it callus over for a few days and plant it in a new pot. You can easily use this process for giving gifts.
Make sure to use a cactus mix and only water when the soil feels dry.

Gasteria

Other names: Ox Tongue

Native to Africa this succulent is regarded as one of the rare genera of succulent.

Key Points of Gasteria

The plant generally grows under shady places in their natural habitats hence it can grow under low light conditions pretty well in comparison with other succulents.
It is commonly grown indoors owing to its low light friendliness. Also, it is quite slow-growing.
Their leaf structure, color, and texture vary slightly from species to species but in general, they have long rough-textured leaves with a mixture of many colors.

Caring Tips for Gasteria

They can do well on their own based on the room lighting but they can show signs of underexposure to light. So in such cases you can opt for grow light however in most instances it tends to manage pretty well by itself.
They have low watering needs so a deep watering can be sufficient for many days. Also when watering avoid the leaves.
Does not love humidity so place them in a well-ventilated room. If the air is too thick with moisture inspect the soil dryness every time you plant to water to check the dryness.
They can produce loads of offsets which can fill up the pot with time. You can gently remove all the newer babies and use them for propagation or you can use a larger pot to make sure the mother plant and its babies have sufficient space to live (Source).

Must read: 9 Best Low Light Succulents for Bedroom

Rhipsalis

Also termed as Mistletoe Cactus

Key Points on Rhipsalis

Rhipsalis are epiphytes in nature which means it does really well in living on absorbing moisture & nutrition from the environment.
As they are normally found growing in rainforests they grow under shady trees where sunlight is not abundant. Hence they do really well in low light conditions. So having bright light in the room also does pretty well for them.
They look beautiful on hanging baskets and is bound to turn heads.

Caring Tip for Rhipsalis

They need frequent watering than most other succulents however as they can absorb humidity better you should always check the soil dryness before watering. Like all succulents, they are also sensitive to root rot so it is important to not over-water them.

Aloe Vera

Aloe is a succulent which you can literally grow anywhere. It is one of the tremendous varieties of succulents that has outstanding adaptive properties.

Key Points on Aloe vera

They have thick and fleshy leaves that contain the Aloe gel. The gel has a soothing effect and is used for centuries in the fields of skincare and hair care.
Aloe does really well under moderate to low sunlight conditions and owing to its beneficial beauty properties it is probably the most common indoor succulent out there.
They are awesomely beginner-friendly as they need little attention once their basic needs are met. It is quite forgiving in comparison with other succulents and can thrive even on neglect(which should not happen ideally).
Helps in bringing a soothing green touch to your room and is also quite low maintenance. what more can you expect from a plant…

Caring Tips on Aloe vera

It can be easily propagated using the fleshy leaves, just let it callus over and plant it in a new mixture.
Loves moderate sunlight but can thrive in low light conditions. Having a grow light will definitely help.
Always avoid watering their leaves as that can call for fungal infection.

Some Extra Things to Keep in Mind

As you are not exposing your succulents to bright sunlight there are prominent points you need to abide by which will make sure that these plants thrive well in those windowless rooms with low light.

Use Grow Lights for better growth

Having a grow light is a one-time small investment which can help you from loads of headache down the line. Here on you will only need to worry about watering them once in 10 to 14 days and fertilizing them properly once in the growing season.

The plants will be providing you with a soothing ambiance and will also improve the air quality of the room. So this extra attention will be well worth it.

Have Top Notch Drainage in place

As the succulents are not getting any dominant light to quickly dry up the soil, you have to make sure they dont sit in wet and damp conditions for days. There are three steps by which you can do this:

Firstly making sure the soil is drainage friendly and rich in inorganic components like sand, pumice, volcanic rocks, pebbles, etc.

A store-bought cactus mix soil will do great. In most cases, it is advisable to change the soil after buying it from the nursery as you have little to no knowledge about the soil components and its present state. Also using garden soil is not a great option as that can hold moisture which succulents do not like at all. You have to use a soil mix that dries up faster.

Read these posts for more info on this topic:

Secondly, an extra layering of small gravels and other rocks in the bottom of the pot will also help enormously to faster the drainage process. This is a handy drainage option used popularly for growing plants in decorative containers without drainage holes. Also, you can use an extra layering of horticultural charcoal in the soil for better drainage and charcoal also has got antifungal properties.
Thirdly, You should always use containers with drainage holes. You can keep the pots over small dishes or trays and get rid of the water after watering.

Succulents are strikingly sensitive to root rot so going this extra step can help especially when growing them indoors without any sunlight. Use pots made of terra cotta instead of plastic or others as the former absorbs water better from the soil and is porous so helps in aeration.

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Water the succulents only when the soil is dry

This is the most important aspect you need to abide by for growing succulents. Succulent roots when sits on damp soil for long hours, catch root rot easily. So you should never overwater them. This is more important here as they are not getting any sunlight which helps in drying the soil fast.

You can use a moisture meter which is a pretty handy tool to check the soil moisture before watering them. When in doubt always wait for a few more days as underwatering won’t hurt them as bad as overwatering.

Read the below posts for extensive guidance on this topic:

FAQ

Can plants live in an office with no windows?

Plants can survive in an office with no windows provided they get some other light source. The office room needs to be sufficiently lighted or you can use grow lights focusing on these plants and which will ensure that they dont grow up to be leggy.

Conclusion

Succulents can be easily grown in low light conditions provided you choose the right kind of succulents in the first place. They are in general highly adaptive plants that can put up with a variety of adverse conditions.

However, as they won’t get any sunlight you need to make sure their other basic needs are fulfilled and you provide them with a suitably light source in terms of artificial lighting.

In case you are looking for indoor plants that dont need sunlight, you won’t find any as all green plants need sunlight however you can easily substitue the sunlight need of succulents that thrive in low light.

These succulents can be easily grown in-office light without any window but it is best if you use grow lamps for them, they will grow robustly then.