Energy Efficient Window and Indoor Hibiscus

[Darkhorse]

Hi all,

   Sometime this year I will be buying new windows for my house, and am wondering whether hibiscus will be able to grow indoors if I get energy efficient windows.  There are a number of products out there like the low-e glass, films, etc., that block light in the uv spectrum.  They obviously don't block all of the visible spectrum (or they wouldn't be windows at all!) but do they let enough usable light through for plants to grow well?  I asked the salesman but they're so full of BS I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.  He said "Oh SURE plants could still grow inside..."


Anyway, what do you guys think?  Oh, one more thing, would the plants still bloom?  I remember vaguely from Plant Bio that most plants utilize far red light for blooming.  Is this true of hibiscus?  Would the windows block light at the far red wavelengths?  (you can tell I paid a lot of attention in Bio 1 haha)

Thanks!

[helixturnhelix]

Good question Jordan.  I have never tried to grow hibiscus behind those UV protection windows, but at my parents house they had the tinting put on all the windows except for a few in bedrooms.  My mom has lots of plants and all did very well, but after getting the tinting they grew slower and with smaller leaves, (and these are low light plants like pothos and spider plants)  I would imagine that you would not get very many blooms if you grew hibiscus behind such shading.  It makes sense that if you block most of the UV that enters through the glass, that you would get less photosynthesis, since chlorophyll requires excitation by UV light to start producing sugars.  It keeps your house cooler, but I dont think your hibiscus would like that tinting very much. 

I do not think that the double paned windows without the tinting would make a difference.   

[Pachrian]

We replaced our windows a few years ago. The new ones have all the usual bells and whistles. We noticed marked improvement with heat loss in the winter and with keeping the house cooler during the summer. One thing I have NOT noticed is a change in the growth of my houseplants. When I brought my cv's in late winter/early spring (had a mild winter) they bloomed just fine

[Pachrian]

I should add though, that they get many hours of direct sunshine, the rest of the day bright indirect light.