hello, check out the forum "growing with lights"

I doubt a Peace lily would need a grow light unless it's in a windowless room or 10 feet away from a North facing window.

The spathes naturally go brown die off but they should last for a couple weeks. Once they go brown I usually just cut then right above where they come out of the leaf.

What way does the window face in your room? And how far away is it from the window?

My window faces north-west. It's not a big window and I usually have my curtains closed during the day, because when I'm at home, I'm often times working or studying and I want privacy. I live in a busy place and there are always kids playing outside my window and people constantly walking by. This is pretty distracting, so I keep my curtains closed. Still get a bunch of light, but it's dimmed by my white curtains.

And it is probably about 15-20 feet from my window.

can you post a pic so we can better see what you're talking about?

That's a little far and the curtains really block out the intensity of the light. However I'm not too familiar with how little light peace lily's can handle as mine sits in a southern exposure.

But yeah can you post a pic?

Spathiphyllum will do ok in low light as long as it is not dark, Think, shade in a forest or on the north side of a building, not light levels equal to a closet with the door closed.

Anyhow, If you want a lamp for your plant, consider a CFL. A 23watt CFL would have a higher light output then those LEDs you posted without too much higher energy consumption. Plus you will have whitish light (Bluish-white). The right CFL is important too, You'll want to look for "Daylight" lamps, most of them will have a color rendering rating and you'll want one that says 6500K (or 6500 Kelvin) if it doesn't have this number at least make sure they are "daylight" lamps, if they aren't rated at 6500k they will be over 5500k. CFL's will loose their intensity and quality of light after a 12 to 18 months even if you don't notice it and should be replaced to get the best results.

Timers are fine, many people with lamps on their plants use timers 10 to 16 hours a day.

Would that 23watt CFL need to be the replacement for the current bulbs I have in my ceiling? Or do I need some type of standing lamp so it can shine right on my plant about a foot or 2 above it?

You really would need to have a lamp dedicated to the plants. A 23 watt CFL by itself would not be bright enough for the whole room and the plant needs it to be close above it to be of any good.

I see... I will buy a 6500k 23 watt lamp and hopefully things will change for the better. I will post an update in a few weeks from now.

Thanks a lot for the help, everyone!

Alright, here is my update.

I finally got a lamp and a 23 watt, 1395 lumen, 6500k CFL bulb. I added 2 pictures. Is the lamp set up properly? Is there any room for improvement?

Some of the bottom young leaves are in the shade because of the larger leaves catching all the direct light. Is this an issue?

Also, the lamp says that it should only be used with bulbs up to 20 watt. The CFL I put in is 23 watt. Could this be an issue as well?

I also bought a timer/switch thing so that I can make it so the lamp turns on at a set time.

Is it ok for plants to receive light during nighttime? Like, could I turn on the light from 10PM to 10AM the next morning? And what if it also gets faint indirect sunlight during the day from my window? Would this be bad for the plant's health?

It may be enough for a while. Let it grow under that one and see if it starts to get leggy (Stretched out, reaching for the light). If it does than get a second lamp.

Plants do have a circadian rhythm but it should adapt fine to your reverse day/night cycle.

Thanks for your reply, dellis.

Why would a second lamp be necessary? For the leaves at the bottom of the plant that are left in the shade?

I see. But I don't understand one thing. You say that when it gets leggy that I need to add another lamp. Why though? Why would this become necessary?

Thanks for all the help, again.

Well, I said "If" it gets leggy.

There is a process plants undergo in low light called Etiolation. They stretch out searching for higher light levels, turn paler and generally thinner. If that happens you will need a second or higher rated lamp to keep your plant healthy and living. You will need to let your plant grow for a while and see how the new leaves develope to know.

So for now I'll just leave my plant be and keep the light on like 10 hours a day. Hopefully it will start blooming soon :)!

Thanks a lot for all the help!

This is a question for dellis326 ( Danny). I also have a couple of Spaths. They are resting on the floor in my very low light hallway...very far away from any Windows. I've read your recommendations to Dxniel and as per your recommendation, I am looking at a couple of lights on Amazon described as follows:

1) Energy Miser FE-IISB-23W-65K - 23 Watt CFL Light Bulb - Compact Fluorescent - T2 - 100 W Equal - 6500K Full Spectrum Daylight - 80 CRI - 70 Lumens per Watt - 12 Month Warranty

1. TCP 1P382365K CFL PAR38 - 90 Watt Equivalent (23W) Full Spectrum Daylight (6500K) PAR Flood Light Bulb (7.5 X 4 x4 in., 110 volts, 1000 luminous Flux, Replaces standard incandescent 90-watt PAR Flood Light Bulb bulb, indoor use only)

Would these be what I need? Also, if these are sufficient, I was thinking more strongly of buying the flood light as my plants are resting on the floor about 3- 4 ft. (?) apart and my standing floor lamp has a light socket that can be adjusted to direct light to both of them at an angle from above (but not directly overhead) at about 4 ft. from the light itself. Does this sound okay? The photos are of the plants and the lamp I plan to use.

As for watering, it's summer here in Arizona (zone9B) and we have the AC running 24/7 which has a tendency to dry out the plants quickly. Can you give me some tips on watering? I don't want to over water. My husband has already lost 2 of these beautiful plants because of that and it breaks my heart.

Any help or suggestions you can make will be most appreciated! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

You would need to have at least twice that amount of lumens with what you describe as the way you plan to light your plants. Either a lamp that produces 3000-3500 lumens or two lamps and have one on each side of the pair. The reason is because of the high above the plants you wish to have the lamps. They do need to be relatively close unless you have very bright lamps.

As far as watering goes. You can do the thing that a lot of people do and only water when they see the leaves start to droop but the best options to do is to either repot them in very loose fast draining soil which you can mix with a potting soil / perlite mix of 40/60% or sub the perlite with orchid mix, Choose and potting soil that does not contain any peat in it. Or you can remove the soil and grow them semi-hydroponic in which they are rooted in LECA, Sintered glass pellets or some other hydro media, most folks don't want to do that but it eliminates all the guesswork out of watering.

One more thing, Do those pots have drainage holes? You must water enough for the pots to drain out otherwise they will have minerals build up in the soil and that can damage or kill the plants.

Thank you, Danny! I'll look for a flood light with 3000 - 3500 lumens but would everything else on that flood light be right? And I'm wondering if they even make a light with that high amount of lumens. Would you know?

My pots do have drain holes but not that large and I'm not sure about how fast draining they are as I bought them that way. I don't have any Perlite but I do have sand for other fast draining plants I've repotted. Would that work? I will also repot them in larger pots (to allow for growth) and with larger drain holes using the peat free soil. Yes? If the sand is not an adequate replacement for perlite, I'll go buy the perlite too.

Just google "3000 lumen lamp" and you'll find some. That's like a 30 watt LED or 55 watt CFL. Make sure you get one labeled "Daylight" or 6500K (some may be 5500k or 6000k but anything close in this range. this designates the color of the light)

Sand isn't ideal, Perlite would be so much better, small gravel would be better then sand too. You could use small wood or bark chips if you can find them. I have had good success with growstone which is a sintered glass product for hydroponics ranging in size from 1/8" to 1/4". Some other people may prefer something smaller. Actually I prefer semi-hydroponics for Spathiphyllum but that's another story altogether.

I found 3 possibilities. Which would you recommend? None are floodlights though.

1) MaxLIte HIGHMAX 40 Watt CFL 5000K Cool White E26 Standard Base 3000 Lumen Output 84 CRI 100 Watt Incandescent Replacement Item specifics: BulbWattage: 40WLight Source: HIGHMAX CFLBulb Color: Daylight Brand: MaxLite Color: White

2) Saco S7339 55 Watt 250 Watt 3700 Lumens Hi-Pro Spiral CFL Daylight White 5000K

3) Spiral CFL - 65 Watt - 250W Equal - 6500K Full Spectrum Daylight

80 CRI - 62 Lumens per Watt (4000 total) No picture for this.

No.3 is the best choice for color and light intensity.

No.2 would be next for the same reasons.

No.1 would work but not as well as the other two.

The term "Cool White" is an old term for "Daylight" fluorescent lamps. Sometimes it is still used but it is best to get used to Kelvin ratings (Color, ie. 6500K) and Lumens (Intensity of light output) because that is usually how lamps are now marked and gives you a better comparison between incandescent, Fluorescent (tubes & CFL's) and LED's.

Thank you so much! Will I still get white blooms with 6500k? And eventually I'm going to have 2 light sockets directly overhead of each plant but they will, by necessity, still be higher. Maybe 6 - 10 ft. High. If I get 2 lights for each plant will the #3 light still be good?

Yes. If they are further away than you should increase lighting. The light falling on any given square inch falls exponentially with distance. So, for example, the intensity (brightness) of said square inch with the lamp 12 inches away may be 400 lumens, will, at 24 inches away, may only be 100 lumens. Four of those 65 watt pigtails should be bright enough.

They may grow new spathes but keep in mind that flowering of any plant depends on many factors including watering, nutrient use, pests and pet (or even kid) damage. temperature and lighting.

Great! One final thing: in order to sure new blooms should I also introduce some red light?

you can if you want. These are low light plants in nature so they may not have as much need or redder wavelengths.

Thank you so much for all of your time and help, Danny. If you message me with your email address I would like to send you a small token of my appreciation. I'll also send you a picture of our final set up for the Kuan Yin and the plants. It's awfully hot here in AZ. right now though, so we probably won't begin the project until Fall as it's going to involve construction work in the garage.

All best to you!

I would prefer to use this style. You can have more light, without having to crowd in additional lamps. The height can be adjusted lower or higher, and the wires are flexible, so you can aim them in different directions

Where can I find this, Manuel?

Those are available at all Home Depot. That's where I bought mine. I think it was around $39.99

Thank you, Manuel!