It Turns Out Your Plants Can Actually Thrive in the Darkest Place in Your Kitchen — Here’s How

updated Jun 4, 2021
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Credit: Erin Derby

A huge concern for plant parents is finding the best place for plant babies to thrive. If your apartment is low on light, you may opt for fake plants instead. But before you go faux, take a note from plant whisperer, Paul (@PlantMePaul), who has made the darkest spot in his kitchen the perfect nook for his little plants to grow.

In a recent house tour, Paul showed off his 600-square-foot apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. Just like his Instagram feed, Paul’s apartment is filled with leafy green plants. One of his secret spots to store a few plants? Under his upper kitchen cabinets.

Credit: Erin Derby

How, exactly, does that work? To give his plant babies the best chance at survival, Paul placed a plant grow light underneath the cabinet, then tucked his greenery directly beneath it.

Plant grow lights can be found at store likes Home Depot and Amazon for as little as $18 and are really easy to install. They typically have an adhesive side that you stick right onto the cabinet.

This plant hack has a dual function, too — it can add more light to your kitchen at night. So if you thought you needed big, floor-to-ceiling windows to give your plants the best chance to thrive, consider that myth debunked.