The amount of light we need to read by isn't enough to keep most plants alive, yet we often fail to provide them with additional light. The easiest way to increase lighting for plants is to move them to a spot with more natural light. However, you may have too many plants or you may want them in specific locations to accent room design. In that case, artificial or supplemental lighting is the answer. Many new light fixtures are attractive and can be attached to specially designed planters or to shelves above plants.
Light quality is as important as the right amount.
Use equal amounts of cool white and warm white fluorescent lamps. To do the job right, the light source must be close enough to the plant. If you have two 40-watt fluorescent lamps, plants should be about 18 inches from the light source to get the minimum 100 footcandles most plants need. Robert Nuss is a horticulturist at Penn State. He coordinates all extension horticulture programs.