Houseplant Lighting 101: Everything You Need to Know About Light in the Home
Bright direct? North-facing semi-direct? Low Medium Semi-Indirect? What happened to a window being enough?
Understanding plant light requirements can be difficult, especially when nurseries often have vague instructions and terms vary from one place to the next. Once we understand what our plant needs, it is another task to figure out how that actually translates to our home.
But fear no more! Here, we will cover the essentials when it comes to light in the home and plant needs. Loads of knowledge- simplified and digestible- so you can spend less time thinking and more time growing [your plant].
houseplant lighting 101
Before we jump right into it, I feel it is important to share from experience, that plants are magical creatures and defy the laws of nature every day. Light requirements for a plant are a great guide, but that is just what they are- a guide. Not the end all. There are a plethora of different factors contributing to an overall plant’s health and light is just one of them.
Okay let’s get into it!
Why is light important?
In order to survive and thrive, plants need light. Through a process called photosynthesis, plants convert the light they recieve into energy. This energy is the fuel for everything they do.
characteristics of light
Quantity: The amount of light a plant is receiving
Quality: The type of light that is available to the plant
Duration: The amount of time light is made available
consider: Time of Day
Sun rises in east, travels across the sky toward the equator and sets in the west. During the summer, the sun rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest. During the winter, the sun rises in southeast and sets in southwest.
Morning light is bright and blue, while afternoon light is rich and red.
Bright morning light.
© Anderson Ashbaugh
Rich afternoon light.
© Anderson Ashbaugh
light in the home
Light inside our home can be deceiving and we actually have a lot less of it than we think.
Here are some things to consider about the natural light we have in our home:
Windows. Bigger window = more available light
Light dispersion. Filter, screens, curtains, etc. Any part of a window or surroundings that causes light to diffuse, and therefore decrease its strength.
Obstructions. Trees, buildings, objects that block a certain amount of light from coming indoors.
bright light
This ranges from bright indirect to full direct sun. Cacti are a great example of bright light loving plants, due to their ability to withstand scorching sun in their native desert habitat.
Every plant parent’s dream is a floor to ceiling south facing window (just me?) If you have one, this is the best place for your sun loving plants. For plants that prefer a more indirect bright light, simply place them a few inches back from the window, or use something to diffuse the intensity of the light.
direct vs. indirect
Direct light is when the sun is in view from a plant’s vantage point. Indirect light is when the plant can see the sky, but not the sun.
Plants may only get direct sun for a few hours a day, but this is still direct light. Direct light can be manipulated to a lower intensity with curtains or some filter that will diffuse the light.
© Anderson Ashbaugh
Medium light
This would be a mid-range where most houseplants can live. These plants do best near west and east facing windows, where light throughout the day is tolerable and plenty. If near a south-facing window, either keep the plants back a foot or two or use a gossamer or curtain to filter the light to ensure no unwanted sizzling occurs.
low light
The low light range is about 4 ft. from a window. Anywhere the plant can see outside, but cannot see the sky. Once the plant can no longer see outside from its vantage point, you’ve gone too far!
ZZ Plant, Ferns, Chinese Evergreen, Fiddle-Leaf Fig, Rubber Plant, Reflector, Pothos are just a few species that can do well in low-light environments.
© Anderson Ashbaugh
regulate light
A simple way to regulate light is with sheer curtains to diffuse the light and its intensity. Mirrors and white walls/backgrounds can act as a light reflector and boost the amount of light an area gets. When in doubt, try artificial light out- this can be a great alternative to supplement for low light situations.