Well, for the record, the bright indirect site is the correct one, if you want the plant to do well and continue to grow for a long period of time. I imagine the disagreement is either because 1) somebody just flat-out doesn't know what they're talking about or 2) the two sites have different ideas of what "do well" means.

Some sites are about growing plants, and some sites are about maintaining plants. A false aralia (Dizygotheca elegantissima) could probably remain alive in low light for a while, possibly even for a long while, though this depends on one's definitions for "low," "long while," and "alive," so it's kind of an inherently fuzzy prediction.

Checking multiple places to get a sense of where the consensus is on a particular plant, or checking a place like Garden Web where you can ask many people at once, is about all you can do. It wasn't that long ago that I got asked for suggestions for a flowering plant for a "low light" area indoors, only to find out at the end of the conversation that the woman doing the asking considered some sun to be "low."

It gets even more nebulous and subjective when you start looking around for difficulty levels on plants: I've seen all kinds of ridiculous suggestions for "easy" plants before.

I agree, it's pretty ludicrous. For starters, I've found that pothos, zz plants, snake plants, chinese evergreens, and janet craig dracaenas can do quite well in just artificial light, assuming there is enough of it.

I agree w/ the above post, unfortunately there's lots of disagreement abt was constitutes medium to low light. Looking for consensus among multiple sources is prob. a good way to go.

Personally, I've seen Aglaoenema (Chinese Evergreen) do very well (even bloom & set berries) in banks & their lobbies (particlarly in the interior areas which get no light beyond overhead florescents).

Likely, you're just gonna have to be brave & dive in w/ a few attempts like those mentioned above, then you can see what works. Watergal's suggestions are all correct & would likely do well in that setting.

Hi
Always find the two points of light and water interesting. There is definitely more than one way to grow any type of plant.lol How else would Hydroponics and
Bonsai work?? Growing any plant in a pot automaticly puts restrictions on it .At the very least it will stay smaller.
When you think about it there's no such thing as a "House plant" except maybe mildew lol. The average home is actually a "lowland dry forest" habitat. So the only plants that will do well are those from those areas.
If you want to get scientific ,get a light meter and measure the Lux or Foot candles . This will give you a very good idea of what will grow in the area.
After all, in your situation you don't want the plants to do too well.lol A false aralia can easily get 30x30 feet in good co0nditions lol.
i think watergals suggestions are a good place to start.
Those are incredibly adaptaptable plants and your only after survival not flowers or fruits. gary

Another thing to keep in mind is topography. While more coastal and southern areas get more light than inland and northern areas, light coming in through windows will reflect that. I know one lady who grows everything on top of a mountain without artificial ilghting. Someone below her with the same window placements would not have as much light or luck growing the same plants.

I live in a very large valley plain, about 3 miles wide. I get sun from all directions, but my neighbors, don't have such luck.

I guess where I'm getting at is you need to test your plants and if they don't do well, don't be afraid to replace them with something else. So many feet from a florescent light really doesn't say much either, since we don't know how old the bulbs are, what type of bulbs they are, are they double output? ect.

I have sans, pothos, a 'philodendron,' a possible dracaenea, bunch of lucky bamboo, lucky money tree, and a couple peace lilies in my office.

I would love to get a zz plant and a chinese evergreen, but I can only find ones that are too large. I also want to get a cast-iron plant and more dracs. Room, however is starting to get to be an issue.

Well why not start w/ the Sans & the Pothos? Those are likely to do well in that setting.

Just so you know, ZZs are very slow growing, you may find that frustrating. I wouldn't suggest the ZZ, they take minimal water & that might be trouble for you. They can also be started from just a leaf, but that leaf will take at least a year to sprout if not longer.

I looked at your page to see where you are (what part of the country) but it doesn't say.

Blutarski, we may argue many points of just what is meant by certain requirements; lignt among them.
Light, properly diagnosed, should be, in my opinion, expressed in foot candle power.

The light from the sun in June is about 3 times what it is in December. Low light---and that term describes plants that can take a lower intensity and do well. But, when the light comes from the sun and the position of said light causes drastic reduction in what the lower light conditions give, then we must make other arrangements.

We move plants from place to place or room to room to give them the light we can arrange.
At this time of season, a low-light requirement for a plant is one that can be provided by a northern exposure.
Put directly into a window that faces north (north west or north-east) may bring the plant around.

Fluorescent lighting is often thought to be 'enough'.
It may very well be if it is within reasonable intensity close to the plant. But often, most offices have such lighting way up there on the ceiling and the light sprectrum needed by plants is just too low and not enough of it.
If such light were brought down and could remain "on" longer than the average 8 hours a day....a plant may get along---poorly ...but may live until better conditions are arranged.

Office plants are suggested to be the kind that sit under a large skylight--much like the malls provide....or
the plant is of size that fits...sits...on the desk and a proper light source be directed on them.

The aralia is a plant that likes bright light. The fluorescent light up there on the ceiling is not what I'd describe as one that suits.
Better to take that plant home and pick yourself one that is smaller and takes up room on your desk.

"Personally, I've seen Aglaoenema (Chinese Evergreen) do very well (even bloom & set berries) in banks & their lobbies (particlarly in the interior areas which get no light beyond overhead florescents)."

This may be an illusion. Businesses sometimes rent plants from growers. The plants come in from the greenhouse looking all fresh and happy, and when they start getting stressed out the plant rental company simply switches them out for new ones. Just a thought!

Hi Amazin'

That may be true in some cases, but wasn't where I'd seen them (the Ags) as I was there working over many months & they were care for but not swapped in & out. It was my personal conclusion that they really liked that office light (it was quite bright, albeit artificial light).

I work for one of those companies that leases plants to office buildings. With proper care, an ag can go for several years in just artificial light, as long as it's fairly bright. So can spathiphyllum, zz plant, pothos, snake plant, and a few others.

blutarski, it does not surprise me one bit that there are so many, so varied and oh, so contradictory answers to any single question about plants.
The reason may be that plants can adapt to almost any condition given half a chance.
If I wanted a plant for my 'office' setting, I would choose a plant that I like - a Spathiphyllum - the smaller unvariegated type. I would go to a nursery and choose a 'spath' that has been grown in similar light condition and most likely pay a higher price for it. I would find out how it has been irrigated and when I have put it in my 'office', I would gradually wean it to a watering regime that fits my schedule.
I am pretty confident that I can make it do well but I am prepared to do something special for it; I would observe it "like a hawk" for as long and as often as it takes to allow it to acclimatize (in the strictest sense of the word). This imposes upon me that I must learn what to look for. It will not be effortless and I may not succeed but when someone asks me about growing a "Spath" in only artificial light, I will either engage them or irritate them by prefixing mu answer with, "It depends...."