How to Find the Best Light for Houseplants

While growing a houseplant, light requirements should be the most important thing to consider (besides water). Every plant, be it indoor or outdoor, requires some light to receive energy for their survival. However, not every plant likes the same amount of light nor is all light equally created. You can read along to understand the various types of light and which one is more suited for your houseplant. Check out the best areas to place your plant and help them thrive perfectly!

Familiarise your plants with their new home gradually

When you bring a new plant home, the first thing to do is introduce it to your home environment. It will make your plant familiarise and adjust to the light levels of your home. A sudden blast of bright sunlight can burn your plant's foliage even if the plant is adjusted in these conditions. Take one to two weeks to unhurriedly introduce the plant to low light and gradually head towards more bright sunlight.

Direct light suits few plants

Direct light usually comes from a large window facing the sun throughout the day. The afternoon sunlight is powerful through glass windows and may cause leaves to burn. When this happens a plant appears as if it has had a bleaching and there’s a bit of a greying effect on a specific fragment of foliage which swiftly shows and will crisp over a few days.

Indirect light suits almost every plant

Indirect light is when you rest your plant 1-2 metres from a window that faces the sun. It gets sunlight from daytime to the middle of the day. A curtain or a tree outdoors can help filter light and provide indirect sunlight. Almost every indoor plant, such as Philodendron, Monstera, Calathea, Maranta and Syngonium can thrive well in indirect light.

Shade and low light suits few plants

If you place your plant over 1-2 metres from a window, including dark spots of your home, it is a low light area. While low light and shade are common in many homes, certain plants can’t tolerate these conditions. Your plant will try to tell you about it by bending towards more sunlight. They will stretch and elongate the stems, and their petioles will extend and increase in length abnormally. Where most indoor houseplants fail to survive in shade or low light, the Devil’s Ivy is a tough survivor.

Measure light by observing shadows

After understanding various types of light, you need to find out how they can be utilised in your home, especially when you are a gardening beginner. Fortunately, you can easily measure light in your home by observing the shadows in your windows and taking an educated guess..

Observe shadows

The ideal time to observe shadows is when the sunlight seems strongest in your home. It depends on the direction of your windows. Hold up your hand and it will form a visible shadow. It can be a shade or part shade indicating the availability of light. Likewise, if it casts no shadow at all, then it is the sign of low light and that will limit your plant choices accordingly. With no natural light present like in windowless rooms, you can't grow a plant there at all.