I'm fairly new to owning indoor plants and usually rely on Google to determine their light requirements. Typically, I find classifications like full sun, partial sun, or full shade, but I'm unclear on what these mean for the placement of my plants in my home. Could someone clarify what these terms entail regarding window orientation, the distance from the window, and how to ensure each plant gets the right amount of light? I'm really hoping to avoid crowding all my plants in a south-facing window and want to spread them out properly.
3 Answers
Full sun typically refers to when a plant can soak up direct sunlight for at least 6 hours a day. If a plant is in full sun, make sure it's positioned where it gets lots of light, like directly in a south-facing window, if that's available. Bright indirect light means the plant can see the sky but isn’t getting direct sun rays. Most indoor light is considered bright indirect, especially if your windows are newer. Just a heads up, very few plants actually thrive in low light, even if the packaging suggests otherwise! Some plants can survive in less light, but they won't really flourish unless they’re getting brighter conditions.
So here’s a simpler breakdown:
- Indirect light means the plant can see the sky but not the sun.
- Direct light means it can see the sun itself.
If your house gets lots of unobstructed sunlight, a north window is generally bright but might be shaded, while south windows get full sun. West and east windows offer partial sun because of the angle of the sun throughout the day.
It's all about finding the best spot without cramming everything into one sunny location.
A handy way to understand these categories is to look at actual light levels with a meter app, which makes things easier. Most houseplants need at least 200 foot candles of light over the day; below that, they can start dying off. For succulents, aim for at least 600-800 foot candles. Keep in mind that a window can filter quite a bit of light, so direct sunlight might still be needed for the best growth!
Great tip about the light meter! I'll definitely check that out for my plants.
That's super helpful! I had no idea that low light could be so tricky for indoor plants!