I don't see a problem with it, but you'll néed to make some adjustments.

Either seal the shelving, or put plastic down. You could also buy plastic trays, I prefer plastic trays, makes watering easier when you can bring a bunch of plants instead of two or three at a time.

and of course watch for etoliation, but if you're not wateringso much, then it may not be an issue.

you can always put in lights, shop lights or even just a squiggle bulb or two.

You could also rotate what's front to the back and vice versa every week when you spin the plants around for even growth.

squiggle bulb?

Oh

Do you see the light Sans? Look into the light!

I recommend LED strips. You can get several of them, use connectors and plug into wall warts. It doesn't look like there is enough space in there for shop lights.

Are you planing on opening/removing the back side of the book case ?

If not the lighting will vary with a longer burn for some and less burn time for others. Example the ' squiggle bulb' a single 6500 K daylight 150 watt equivalent CFL would be on for apx 10- 12 hours for the A. cristatus daily as the string of pearls would only need the light from the window during the darker days of cooler winter.

Keep in mind that added light at any wattage also adds dryer heat.

Thank you all for your advice

Rina, the shelf is located about a foot away from a west facing glass slider.

I will look into lighting, but assuming that I can find a decent ly priced shelving unit, the kind that has a grate like surface that will allow light to reach the plants, will additional lighting still be required? I hadn't really planned on removing the back of the shelf in case I end up using it for something else.

Right now, the sun is too high in the sky, but in the dead of winter, the angle of the sun will shine right into those shelves, it's hard to tell where the sun will be in a ffew months. All you can do is make note of the locations of the sun throughout the year.

Now we understand/know why the ancients were watching the sky so closely, now, don't we? Lol.

Seriously though, it does make me feel connected to those people when I'm watching the sun come up and set every day, the subtle changes from one day to the next. It's an incredible cycle to become familiar with.

Removing the back will not only aid in air circulation but also prevent trapping too much cold air. It may come off easier than you think and you could save it to reinstall at a later date.

tj

Ok. I'll take it off tomorrow. Thank you all so much for the advice.

Shelf placement:

I'd put that bookshelf right up to the window! Without the back, you'll be able to see your plants too. =)

Light roughly loses half it's intensity with every foot of distance - it's barely perceptible to the eye, but to my light meters it's a massive difference.

Plant placement:

Put the plants that need the most light in the front towards the window. Rotating is a good idea as Laticauda says - you'll notice any off kilter growth which can be corrected.

Based on your surroundings, similarly put the highest light requirement plants in the spots that get the most light. Usually this is the very top shelf.

Shelves with grates:

This is a very good idea and allows for much better light utilization. I found the grating on my shelves was too unsteady for small 2.5" pots, so I used white plastic egg crate (for lighting) on top. Lets light through, keeps plants stable.

Plant lighting:

Some assumptions or recommendations for using lights:

• Power ratings below are for CFLs, actual ratings (i.e. 13W), not equivalent (i.e. 60W).

• Based on 6500k / decent spectrum.

• Lights placed 2-3" from your plants and provide even light.

• Lights are on between sunrise and sunset.

How much light to add depends on how you want your plants to look:

1. Excellent colour from baking in full sun all summer: 40W / sq ft of growing area.
2. Enjoying life outside in good light all summer: 26W / sq ft of growing area.
3. Green and relaxed from growing in partial shade outside: 20W / sq ft of growing area.
4. I don't want them to turn tall and gangly: 13W / sq ft of growing area.

Okay, I admit my descriptions are a bit silly and it's not so exact. But it's a pretty good approximation of what you can expect. As a comparison to natural light outside:

• August full sun outside in 6a: #1

• October full sun outside in 6a: #2

• November full sun outside in 6a: #3

• January full sun outside in 6a: #4

Even if you have your plants in a good south window, light is 20-30% less than if your plants were outside.

This blurb on lighting ended up being way more complicated than I had planned!

A quick summary is that it is difficult to keep succulents in the best condition without extra lights for the winter. As you add more lights, it will be easier and easier to keep them colourful and growing compact.

If at all possible, consider getting wire shelves - as ewwmayo described. Not sure how much you use the sliders (I would imagine they give you access to backyard), but at least in front of fixed halve. I used glass shelves like this (sorry, that photo is very dark):

That was in front of south facing sliders, without supplemental lighting, as close as possible to glass - and you can see that some plants were still etoliated. You can see all plants, they don't shade each other and there is good air circulation around. If I stayed in same place, I would used few light fixtures.

Any kind of shelving that is not enclosed would work well. Closet type wire shelves are excellent, you can even hang some plants from it and more importantly - the lights. These are affixed to walls, but if you can't or don't want to, similar looking wire shelving is available (I visit reStore very often for inexpensive items, or check freecycle - if there is one in your area - or Craigslit or kijiji. No need to spend too much $$$:

Rina

Thank you for giving me all that info on lighting. I'll be sure to check Craigslist and such to see what I can find.

Wow, Rina, that's a pretty awesome setup! What do you have there when your plants go out for the summer???

Grace - nothing! I just take shelves down until next winter (glass ones and the wire ones too).

If she put stuff there in the summer, then she would have big problems when the cold comes....or is threatening to come!

No, I don't have any 'stuff' to put there in summer - all my plants go outdoors...And if by 'stuff' you mean books or similar things - they have their place. I like the big windows and all the sunlight that comes into the rooms. And the view of plants outside.

Rina