Growing a Patio plant indoors.

[Signal30]

Right now I got a little (almost Bonsai) tomatow plant growing in my south side window. Because there is a over hang the sun never really gets to touch the plant. Because of this I have a 75Watt grow light to assist.

The problem is, is that the grow light is about a foot away from the curtains and that makes me a tad nervous in reguards to it being a possible fire hazard. I was thinking of moving the plant and trying to rely solely on the grow light for it's light.

So my questions are...


1) Will the tomato plant survive relying on one 75 watt grow light if I move it to a tabletop?

2) If so, how far away should the light be from the plant?


I'm using fertilizer to try to keep it nourished and maybe flower someday. My goal is to keep the patio tomato plant trimmed and small and see if I can get it to fruit.



Googling answers has been a bit tough to find many answers or advice. So far the plant looks great in the location it's in, but with the light/curtains situation, something has to be done.

Thanks for any comments.

[hendi_alex]

A tomato plant is a difficult choice for your project. Tomato plants need the equivalent of at least six hours of direct sunlight in order to flower and fruit well. Also when inside and not exposed to rain and breeze, the soft, tender leaves of a tomato plant are prime targets for critters such as spider mites or white flies. Personally, I think that you are fighting an uphill battle and it is better to either give the plant adequate sunlight or opt for a better candidate that can grow well under lower light conditions.

[Signal30]

The only reason I am doing it, is because I have seen a few others do it. I under stand that tomatoes need full sun and with a light on a timer I can give it light. My question, is, is with the 75watt light give it the light it needs?