"1. the window in my room has a draft; is it ok to keep the plant in a corner under one of those new energy-saving white light bulbs, which is cold and pretty bright?"

I don't know. As long as it's getting some amount of natural light it should be okay. Mine's not getting great light, and it's the only thing that grows consistently during the winter months. It seems like they can adjust to light differences fairly well but don't like having to re-adjust, so I wouldn't move it around much.

How cold are you talking, by the way?

"2. Watering advice is conflicting; some places say that soil has to dry between waterings, others advise to always keep it moist."

Let it dry. These things rot out fast.

"3. there are 4 thick trunks in a small pot. Is it ok to separate them? Any tricks to do it with minimal root damage?"

Wouldn't know. Mine came with five stalks. I killed four by not letting the pot dry down between waterings. From what I've heard, though, they like being pot-bound and they don't like being messed with.

THanks...
It's about 60F (16C) by the window and it get's colder at night (Elizabeth, NJ); in the opposite corner with little natural light - it's about 65F

Hi Eugene & Welcome,

Sorry to tell you, but this is not really a starter plant; even experienced growers can have trouble w/ this plant.

Aside from the advice above, I'd suggest you do as little as possible to it, don't separate it (why would you?).

Pls. DO let it dry btwn waterings, don't unpot it or fuss w/ it.

If that draft is cold, that won't help. If the plant starts dropping lots of leaves (aside from its doing that adapting to new conditions), it could be the cold draft.

While I understand how this CAN happen, in future, it's proably best to read abt the plant BEFORE buying it.

I disagree that this is a difficult plant. I've had mine for years, and I find it to be very forgiving when I've neglected it. In fact, I've killed my share of house plants over the years, but this one just keeps trucking along. I have also seen the conflicting advice regarding watering, but I've had very good luck with letting it dry down between waterings. I do agree that it should be kept out of cold drafts.