Decorating your home or office with plants is sure to bring joy and serenity to your space. To guarantee that your little green buddies are healthy and thriving, you need to make sure that they are met with their needs, starting with the right light.
“Sun is a plant’s best friend”
Now, how do you choose exactly where to place your plants to get the most accurate amount of natural light?
Each plant prefers a certain type of lighting, it’s just in their DNA. Light is like food for plants, it is how they grow, so without enough light they will either stay the same size or die.
Types of lights
Direct Light
Simply place your plant near a bright window to get unfiltered light. This type mimics the environment for the wild life and rainforests, which receive 12 hours of daily sunlight.
Here are some of the plants that like direct sunlight:
Bright Indirect Light
Bright light is more when the sun ray’s don’t directly hit your plant; but actually bounce off something first before reaching your plant. You will know your plant is placed perfectly in bright indirect light, if it casts an indistinct shadow.
Here are some of the plants that like bright indirect sunlight:
Medium Indirect Light
This type of light is filtered but not blocked. I.e. there would be no curtains or blinds, but it would be a spot that has some shade, yet receives sunlight.
Here are some of the plants that like bright indirect sunlight:
Low Light
This is typically a spot that gets little natural light but isn’t completely dark, and is usually a corner that is far from the window.
Here are some of the plants that like bright indirect sunlight:
You should also keep in mind that a plant can be getting too much light, you can identify this from burn marks on the leaves. If this happens, make sure to move your plant out of the direct light zone.
Window Direction
If you want to know how much light your plants will get, you need to know first which direction your window faces.
East
- Gets sun in the morning
- Great for most plants
South
- Gets sunlight most of the day, but especially strong in the middle of the day.
- The light can be too strong for most plants close to the window
West
- Sunny in the afternoon
- Great for many plants
North
- Little - not so strong - sun through the day
- May be too dark for many plants, but for some other plants like snake plants, zz plants and ferns, it’s ideal.
If you want to know what kind of light you have, follow these simple steps:
- Stand in the spot where you want to put the plant, ideally mid-day when the sun is strong
- Put your hand in front of you
- If you see the sun on your hand, this is a bright-light spot
- If you see light on your hand, but don’t feel the warmth, this is a medium-light spot
- If your hand is mostly in the shade, this is a low-light spot
Happy planting 🌱