What plants & mosses will grow will in a terrarium in an office with only florescent lighting (no windows)?
Fluorescent lighting is the best indoor lighting for plants. A fluorescent light generates about 10 watts of light per square foot. Generally, “low light” plants need about 10-15 watts of light per square foot. Are the lights in your office kept on during weekends? You may want to get a little desktop fluorescent to supplement the existing light and to provide light on weekends if the other lights are off. The aluminum plant is nice choice. It’s named for the shiny markings on the leaves and it loves high humidity (it grows in Vietnam) which an enclosed terrarium environment will provide for it. The only drawback is that it tends to grow fast, so you may have to clip it back to fit its environment. The good news is that it’s easy to root in a glass of water, so you will have baby plants to give to all of your friends. I love the delicate look of a plant called baby’s tears, but from experience, the humidity in a closed terrarium
My list of good low light plant options so far: [those with an * are confirmed to be growing in my building or similar circumstances, i.e., only fluorescent lights, no natural light] *Aglaonema pseudobracteatum (Chinese Evergreen) *Chlorophytum comosum (Spider Plant) Dracaena marginata (Dragon Tree) *Sansevieria trifasciata (Snake Plant, Mother-In-Law’s Tongue) Chrysanthemum *Ficus maclellandii (Alii Ficus) Scindapsus pictus (Devil’s Ivy) Philodendron scandens (Heart Ivy, Heart-leaf Philodendron) Hedera helix (English Ivy) Nephrolepis exaltata (Boston Fern, Sword Fern) Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig, Benjamin Fig) Massangeana, Marginata Warneckei, Spathiphyllum, Gerbera Daisy Spathiphyllum *Peace Lily, White Sails Red Edge Dracaena Howea forsterana (Kentia Palm) Bird’s Nest Sansevieria Pilea Moon Valley As for mosses and lichen it seems these can be found and harvested fairly easily, though other ideas on where to find them are welcome. Helpful sites I’ve found after searching for some o
