My calamansi plants are all set up for winter.

They have now undergone two applications of neem oil (sprayed thoroughly, top and bottom of leaves, for 7 days) and they’re not in their permanent spots, with the tallest and bushiest on the bottom spot, which makes it about the same height as the other plants.

I have also finally set up a grow light, to supplement the sunshine they’re missing out on in that spot. My kitchen actually gets quite a bit of light in the mornings, especially their old perch between the sink and the kitchen window. But the spot between the kitchen table and the sliding glass door doesn’t get as much light, plus there’s vertical blinds that blocks some of the window. So the grow light was needed to help them from completely dying during the winter.

It took some doing to get this set up the way I wanted. First, I had to choose the right grow light. I didn’t really want a pink grow light that seems to be prevalent on Amazon — it would catch the boys’ attention too much, plus it would be visible from the parking lot, and I don’t want anyone thinking I am growing weed.

So I opted for this light — a hydroponic full spectrum CFL 60-watt bulb. It’s not as cheap as the pink bulbs, but I prefer it because its not as obtrusive.

I did try to purchase a clamp lamp on Amazon too, but that didn’t work out as seamlessly. The day it was scheduled to arrive, I got an email that the package was delayed due to a delivery problem. I think the delivery problem was that it was damaged in transit. So I had to simply return it, and find it elsewhere.

It seemed to be difficult to get these on Amazon — another model said it wouldn’t deliver to California — so I checked the local hardware stores to see if they carried something similar. I ended up finding a comparable, cheaper clamp lamp at Walmart.com.

Here’s how it looks together. I didn’t want to clamp it to the frame of vertical blinds because it looks rather flimsy, So I moved an old floor map to the kitchen and attached it to the shade so it would point down. (I did briefly consider using the floor lamp for this set up, but it would have pointed the light up at the ceiling, not the plants on the floor.)

The thing that actually makes it all come together is the digital plug-in timer. I thought about using a smart plug, but that’s not a can I want to open in my home. So I bought a GE 7-day programmable digital timer to plug the clamp lamp into. It also happened to be the first item of this setup to arrive. I was a little intimidated by it, but it was seriously simple — as easy as setting my coffee maker. I have it set to turn on at 6:05 a.m. and go off at 6:05 p.m., and it does it without fail or fuss. There’s actually 18 more settings I could use, but I don’t need them!

The grow light set up has been in place for about two weeks now, and I started noticing new growth on the plant last week.

The total for the grow light set up was about $30. The trash can was $15. The neem oil was about $10. And I don’t remember the costs for the soil or plant food — it’s been a while since I bought them.

These plants better bear fruit! But, at least they’re one thing that’s actually doing what I want them to do right now.