Hot bay window cooking house plants= oscillating fan?

9 years ago

Hello fellow green thumbs!
I was wondering if anyone has any experience using oscillating standing fans near their houseplants?
I have a large collection of little green friends, most in my one large bright bay window. This is my first summer in this apartment, and although the big window is great for light (south west facing) they do not open. As the weather is getting hotter, our apartment is intolerably hot during the day and I'm worried about my plants. I'm considering moving them all around, further from the roasting hot window, but my apartment is small and my collection is growing. The only other window is in the bedroom, inset from the patio and not very direct and almost every flat surface in my place has a plant on it already. To beat the heat I've started lowering the blinds, the patio slider is always open, and we have a tall fan we usually place deep in the living room to stir the air around.
I had a thought the other day though, should I move the tall fan to stand by the hot window, in an attempt to blow the hot air off the plants, towards the open patio door? Or maybe the opposite direction, place the fan between the door and window, helping to blow outside air towards the hot window? Could the extra air circulation help with the heat or compound the problem?
I've read that fans are great for green houses, which my bay window may as well be. Just looking for any advice from those who may have experience trying to beat the heat indoors.
Thanks for the help, happy growing!

Comments (5)

Photo Synthesis
9 years ago
I don't see any problems with using a fan to increase air circulation. Is it an oscillating fan that moves side to side, or a stationary fan that blows air in one direction? It wouldn't have to be on full force or anything, just enough to keep the air moving. It's only with artificially heated/cooled air coming from our central heat & air vents that could cause problems.

One suggestion I would make is to use these white self-watering Plant SpaÃ¢ÂÂ¢ pots. They're available at any Wal-Mart, and are fairly cheap. The white color will help keep the pots from overheating, and the self-watering reservoir will keep your plants from drying out. I absolutely love these pots and use them for almost all of my plants. Even though they hold water, only the bottom "X" of the pot actually sits in that water. The "X" is surrounded by ventilation slits, allowing the pot to breathe in fresh air.
oldfixer
9 years ago
...........my apartment is small and my collection is growing
Time to change your habits.
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Joe1980
9 years ago
What kind of plants are you "cooking" in the window? Some plants despise such a sunny, hot window, while others would love it. I keep my jades in a sunny, hot, south facing window, except in summer when they're outside, and it is not enough to change the leaf colors, indicating that it's not enough sun. What I'm saying is, maybe you have the wrong plants in that window, especially in summer, and you are probably fortunate enough to have just the spot for some sun loving plants that many of us don't.

Joe
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
9 years ago
Air circulation is a wonderful thing, and greenhouses usually have huge ones making quite a breeze. Any kind of fan on low is a great idea whenever plants are inside. A bit of wind blowing also helps keep stems strong. My plants spend summers outside but while they are inside for winter, I try to keep a ceiling fan going to keep air moving around the house.
pelargonium_gw
9 years ago
Do you have the option of moving plants outside for parts of the year? If so, I would try if I were you. Just keep in mind that outdoor sunshine may be too tough for some plants when they are used to living inside, keep them in the shadow for the first days.