I ask because I got a brand-new Guzmania bromeliad for work (call center, flourescent light-land) and it was very unhappy within a day or two. I got it because I have seen plenty of other bromeliads there that thrived, but most of them were in areas of the office that are shaded. Is there a way I can keep it @ work and have it still be happy?
Rob E
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Plants respond to the frequency of the light waves that the sun and artificial bulbs emit. The spectrum of light that bulbs emit is limited, as well it's likely that the intensity is of a different strength.
That said, the closer the match of artificial light to your plant's needs, the easier it will be for it to grow healthily. Most nurseries have grown their plants with flourescent lights for decades, though they are able to carefully control the humidity, light level and feed very precisely.
Most plants when moved from a wholesaler/retailer on to a buyer's home suffer from stress, and it may just be this that yours is suffering. If you feel that the light is intensely bright, in the spot where yours is, compared to where they are growing healthily, then do what you can to reduce the light levels. Many bromeliads live naturally on tree trunks, in shady spots, so getting closer to this would help.
Also check out the humidity levels, as many offices are really dry - and check your plant to ensure that it hasn't dried out. Guzmanias love humidity, so keep yours as humid as possible, definitely keeping its central well filled with water - preferably rain water, at all times. A small dish with some water adjacent to would also help in this way.
If it continues to deteriorate, I'd take it home and give it a rest if you have a shady moist location for it, though you obviously want to have it at work. Let's hope it responds well at work now.
Hope this helps. Good luck! Rob
infommerce
Yes, fluorescent lights can be used to grow houseplants. I make a grow-lamp to start tomato seedlings from aluminum sheeting as a reflector with 3 100-watt equivalent bulbs, keeping the lamp about 6 inches from the top, and leaving it on 12 hours a day with a timer. The results were incredible.
I'm wondering if lighting is the problem. To have the plant be negatively affected within a day or two suggests more along the lines of a variation in temperature or humidity levels. It is unlikely that the plant would be affected that fast by a change in lighting, although some plants such as ficus will drop their leaves in response to lighting change.
Bromeliads absorb water through their leaves, they're designed to collect rain, but some people water through the soil. Is the bromeliad in a pot or planted on driftwood? If it's planted on driftwood you need to have the humidity levels very high (Florida outdoors type) to keep the roots from being damaged and it will be very difficult to maintain sufficient humidity in an office while keeping people comfortable.
Sight-unseen I would say fill the bromeliad's "cups" between the leaves with room-temperature water (if you keep them filled you never need to water through the soil). This should help if the issue is humidity levels. Make sure the plant isn't under an air-conditioning vent that could cause drastic temperature changes, and see what happens over the next few days. Also ask the owners of the happy bromeliads if they're doing anything special to keep theirs doing well.
Jimi A
Chlorophyll, the main photosynthetic pigment of plants, absorbs mainly blue and red wavelengths from the Sun. When it comes to leafy plants, blue spectrum lights are a great choice. Those leafy plants include Radish, Collard, and Lettuce. Flowering plants grow best with red-orange light.
If your office uses Cool White Fluorescent lights, they are closer in the spectrum to blue. Perhaps your plant doesn't like the way the lights taste?
Either that or you have a sick plant.
sundews
Although your work may have fluorescent lighting, the further away the plant is from the lights, the less intense the lighting will be. So you may have to buy another small fixture to place above your plant. For more info on fluorescent lights, check out this page:
http://www.growsundews.com/lighting.htm. It covers basic tips for fixtures and lights.
Anonymous
It could be adjusting. But dump the last quarter of your cold coffee on it's soil and see what it says after that. Lots of houseplants are big on drinking coffee. They like the ph and the nutrients in it.