Sunlight is something that we can easily overlook as houseplant owners but it can be all the difference between your houseplant just surviving rather than thriving. These four tips on sunlight for indoor plants below are here to help you give your plant babies that lighting they need to be happy.
If you want to hear about these tips in more detail, listen to our podcast, Plant School, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or most any other podcast listening platform.
#1 – Your Indoor Plant Needs More Sunlight Than You Think
Though some indoor plants tout that they do well in low light, they need more sun than you might think. Low light can be defined by being about 50-100 foot candles which is about as bright as an office cubicle with indirect lighting. Plants that do not get enough light grow more slowly, can develop yellow leaves, do not thrive, and can eventually die. Be sure to place them in a place where they can get bright indirect sunlight whenever possible.
#2 – More Sunlight = More Possibility for Blooming Plants
Though not super well known, many houseplants can bloom. For example, dracaena are capable of blooming when conditions are right, especially when it’s lighting is right. Getting enough sunshine allows houseplants to get all the energy they need to thrive and also expend their extra energy into flowers/reproduction.
#3 – Most Indoor Plants Will Burn in Direct Sunlight
With the exception of succulents, cactuses, and a few other desert plants, most houseplants DO NOT want direct sunlight. They natively grow in tropical rain forests where there is little sunlight for them on the jungle floor. Direct sunlight can therefore harm them by literally burning their leaves. You’ll notice yellowing spots that will eventually turn brown and die on your houseplant if they get too much sun.
#4 – Lighting in Your Home Isn’t Ideal for Houseplants, And That’s Okay!
Most houseplants are grown in large nurseries with great lighting all around them to provide ideal and quick growth. When they are taken into your home, you don’t have the lighting like a nursery does. Your plant may use a few leaves or stretch towards your window to get more lighting. This is totally normal and fine! Your plant is just adapting and you can always rotate it to a new place if you want to change it’s growing habits.