It’s time to welcome a new plant into your house, which also means that you need figure out how much light your room gets! The most important factor to take into account when choosing a new plant mate is how much light they demand. And although it could seem a little perplexing at first, don’t worry! This website was created just to help you make a successful plant selection for your environment. We’ll determine the amount of light that comes into your space, explain what concepts like strong indirect light truly imply, and, of course, make sure that your option is the ideal one with recommendations for each room in your house.
What is Indirect Sunlight?
What distinguishes indirect from direct light, and what does “low light” mean according to green thumbs? While some of these phrases can’t be defined precisely, having a rough understanding of each one will help you choose the proper plant.
Direct light is the light that enters via windows with a southern or western orientation. Direct light exposes plants to the sun’s rays directly and is the most intense form of lighting that indoor environments receive. The majority of common houseplants don’t like direct sunshine, but some do, including cactus, succulents, fishtail palms, and birds of paradise.
Bright Indirect Light is constant and bright despite not being direct. Consider the areas that are immediately adjacent to windows that receive a brief amount of direct light each day (up to an hour) before it is blocked. For the plants in this collection, it is perfect.
Areas of a room with medium light are those that are roughly half way between a window and the rear wall. These regions continue to receive constant, indirect light from the windows. Numerous palms, Dracaenas, Philodendrons, and other plants in our medium light selection thrive under this light.
Low Light – Low light locations include those that are at least seven feet from windows as well as those that have no natural light, such as certain offices and restrooms. Many plants can adapt to low light, and some thrive in it. Although low light plants grow more slowly than other plants, there are still a wide variety of choices. Our low light collection is a treasure trove of indoor plants that prefer shade.
Can I Use Artificial Light for my Plants?
Yes, to answer briefly. Light from lightbulbs, and grow lights in particular, emits artificial light. Although they nonetheless make a contribution, standard lights and overhead lighting do not provide enough light for plants to photosynthesize. , so you should choose a low light plant if the only light sources available are standard lamps and overhead lights. But grow lights, which you can learn more about here, provide light that plants can easily photosynthesize.
Understanding Your Light and Space
Which type of lighting do you use? A fast hand test is a quick way to find out. Hold your hand about a foot away from a piece of paper or another flat surface so that it is between the light source and the paper. You are receiving low light if there is little or no shadow visible. You will see the shadow of your hand in medium light as hazy or fuzzy, and in strong light as a sharp, distinct shadow.
It will be easier to decide what kinds of light you’re working with if you know which way your windows face:
North Facing Windows
True north-facing windows are never exposed to direct sunlight (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). They constantly receive mild, diffuse light. When placed four or more feet from north-facing windows, plants from the Medium Light Collection including the Dracaena Lisa, Braided Money Tree, and Snake Plant will thrive.
South Facing Windows
Any room with south-facing windows is the highlight because they receive the most natural light throughout the day. The sun rises in the east, and as the earth spins, it shines through windows facing south from late morning until midday. Most plants will enjoy being close to this window because south facing windows offer bright light for the majority of the day, especially light-loving plants like the Bird of Paradise, Fishtail Palm, and Desert Cactus.
A word about direct sunlight: Most plants don’t like to be in the harsh direct rays of the sun, and unblocked south-facing windows will receive a considerable bit of it. When positioning specific plants in front of a window that receives a lot of direct sunlight, use caution.
East Facing Windows
East-facing windows are illuminated in the morning (the sun rises in the east). East facing windows are a nice match for plants that prefer indirect bright light because morning light is often mellow. An east-facing window is one from which you can view the sun rising. It’s a good idea to place plants that appreciate bright indirect sunlight close to east-facing windows, such as the Fiddle Leaf Fig and Monstera Deliciosa.
A word about direct sunshine: Most plants can tolerate direct sunlight from east-facing windows, and morning sunlight is typically a mellow light. Keep an eye on things in the summer, when the sun may become too harsh for plants that would usually enjoy basking in it throughout the rest of the year, if you live somewhere that receives a lot of sunshine (lucky you!).
West Facing Windows
The sun is high in the sky by midday and getting ready to start its gradual ascent as it sets in the west. West-facing windows will receive some sunlight from mid-afternoon till dusk. Your window is west-facing if you can see the sun set through it in the late afternoon. Most plants should be positioned outside the regions where direct sunlight hits because the light obtained by windows facing west is particularly strong when it is direct. A Braided Money Tree or Tiger Evergreen will benefit from the indirect light coming from this direction, and desert cacti and succulents are among the few plants that can withstand the direct sunlight coming from a west-facing window.
You can also use a compass (which seems hard but is incredibly convenient and is a very useful tool!) or landmarks to establish which way your windows are facing.
Meet Your (Light’s) Match
For every level of light, choose from this selection of our all-time favorite plants. Some plants may appear on many lists, as you may have noticed. There is no error here! Some plants are fortunate enough to grow in various levels of indirect light. These superstars include snake plants and braided money trees.
For indoor plants, what is low light?
The brightness of the sun will always be greater outside than inside; even the darkest corner of your garden will receive more light than the lightest area of your house. However, the quality of the light that enters your home varies according to its proximity to the light source (usually a window). When referring to bright light conditions for houseplants, it signifies that nothing is obstructing the sun’s path to your potted plant. no blinds, shadows, trees, or high structures. When there is something between the light source and your plant, like a sheer curtain, it is medium light. Low light refers to the absence of direct light on your plant, most commonly as a result of its placement some distance from the light source. See Best Houseplants: Low-Light Plants for a list of plants that do well in this environment. Nine Houseplants for Low Light.
What signs do a plant have of low light?
- The green pigment in plants, chlorophyll, is not produced when there is insufficient light, and as a result, plants can change color from pale green to yellow to white.
- Leggy, or appearing to be reaching for the source of light, describes how plant stems become.
- The plant develops lengthy intervals between the leaf nodes on stems when it receives little light (the point where a leaf grows out from the stem).
- Without enough light, plants may also lose their leaves, particularly older leaves.
- A plant with variegated leaves (white and green leaves) may eventually turn all-green.
- Some flowering plants may not develop flower buds.
- Plants exposed to excessive light risk having leaves that are bleached and burned.
What is low indirect light, exactly?
Reviewing all three types of light requirements is helpful to get a clear understanding of what bright, indirect light implies for different plants. Foot-candles are a unit of measurement for light that originally referred to the quantity of light emitted at a distance of 1 foot from a specified number of candles. You may measure foot-candles with some smartphone apps or with a photography light meter.
Without the indirect modifier, “brightlight” typically refers to direct sunlight that is not blocked by neighboring trees or structures shining on a window. On a clear summer day, that light is typically equated to 1,000 foot-candles or more, up to 10,000 around noon, and possibly 4,000 on a sunny winter day. Your hand will produce a distinct shadow if you hold it over a surface that is lit by this light.
At midday, indirect light levels range from 25 to 1,000 foot-candles, while most plants won’t flourish in the low light levels at the lower end of that spectrum. You most likely have bright, indirect light if your hand still forms a pretty defined shadow but is a little blurry around the edges. According to a chart from the University of Florida, 500 foot candles is a reasonable target since it can support indoor plants that prefer both high and medium indirect lighting.
At the brightest time of the day, lowlight is really at the lower end of the indirect light spectrum, ranging from 25 to 300 foot-candles. Your hand won’t make much of a shadow in that situation. Without additional illumination, if there is a place in your home where you can’t read a newspaper, the light is generally too low to support any plants.
Do plants need light from interior lights?
Photosynthesis is the mechanism by which all plants obtain their energy. Plant cells have the ability to absorb light and transform it into energy for development and repair. Of course, the sun is the best source of light.
Yes, you may grow plants in the bulbs you already have in your home. However, standard incandescent bulbs do not offer the full spectrum of color that plants require to thrive. LED lights made specifically for indoor growing might be a better option.
The full spectrum of colors that your plant will require to flourish are produced by LED lights specifically created for indoor plant growth. Growing plants do not benefit from the warmer, more orange light that incandescent lights emit.
Let’s examine the query in greater detail and the many types of bulbs that would be appropriate for you.
Is light coming in through a window regarded as direct sunlight?
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What does it actually mean when a houseplant needs direct sunlight while another needs indirect? We wanted to know if the plants we were growing in “direct light” were indeed receiving the necessary amount of sunlight. Here is what we discovered.
Is light coming in through a window regarded as direct sunlight? It varies. Direct sunlight is when the sun is shining directly on the plants, such as via a south-facing window. Indirect light is what is produced when the sun is shining brightly but doesn’t reach the plant directly.
When working with indoor plants, the distinctions between direct and indirect sunlight might be a little unclear. Let’s examine light’s behavior more closely as it passes through windows.
What qualifies as infrared light?
The two types of light—direct sunlight and indirect sunlight—are the first topic we’ll cover in our indoor plant light guide. Both of these types of light are probably present in your home; the trick is to arrange your houseplants to take advantage of each type of light.
Direct Sunlight
Direct sunlight is defined as light that travels in a direct line from the sun to the plant. For instance, the majority of window sills receive direct sunshine. If your house doesn’t receive enough direct sunshine to feed your plant collection, you can also create direct light with LED grow lights.
Indirect Sunlight
When something blocks the sun’s path and diffuses or filters the light before it reaches your plants, this is known as indirect sunlight. Sheer curtains, furniture, a tree outside your window, or even a different indoor plant placed in front to shield the lower-light plant are some examples.
Are LED lights beneficial for houseplants?
The least expensive technology is incandescent grow lights, but they are also the least energy-efficient and produce a lot of heat.
Fluorescent lights produce a good spectrum of light for growing and have a minimal heat signature. They often come in the form of reflectors for tube lights or CFLs. Growing under fluorescent lights is more cost-effective than growing under incandescent lights, although it uses less energy.
The most recent technology on the market is offered by LED grow lights. They are incredibly energy-efficient, produce incredibly little heat, and have the perfect light spectrum. The most effective, efficient, and user-friendly way to grow plants at home is with LED lights rather than fluorescent or incandescent lighting since they use less energy, produce less heat, and have colors that are tuned for growth.
A tungsten electrode and an alumina-fused tube form an electric arc to create light in high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs. These speciality bulbs are frequently employed by industrial growers and have a very high light output level.
A strong light source is produced by metal salts and mercury vapor in metal halide lights. Like HIDs, they make use of a unique fixture and are frequently employed by commercial establishments.