INDOOR PLANTS LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: 5 STEP COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THRIVING GREENERY

Contents

1 INTRODUCTION
2 CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Growing plants Indoors is therapeutic, giving calmness and elegance to the home and purifying the indoor air without any electronics. The first and foremost challenge in growing plants indoors is light availability. Knowing the plant’s Light needs and matching those with your house’s light availability.

Also knowing about how to utilise natural light and how to use artificial light as well. In this blog you going to learn about indoor plants light requirements and all about indoor plants light related problems and solutions. Buckle up to know more.

1. INDOOR PLANTS LIGHT REQUIREMENTS

We already know that indoor houseplants need less sunlight than outdoor plants and edible plants. But how much light do indoor plants need? This question must arise in every gardener while choosing plants for Indoors. Low-light plants need 6-8 hours of indirect sunlight and high-light needed plants like succulents need 10-12 hours of intense sunlight.

Indoor light levels for plant growth

You can categorize the light intensity into simple three types Low light plants (50-250fc), Medium light plants (250-1000fc), and High light plants (1000 + fc). You can optimise natural or grow lights with these light levels. These are ideal light levels for specific types of plants to grow well.

Full sun vs Partial Shade for Houseplants

You can separate your house light availability into two types, of course, you’ve more types like partial sun and dappled sunlight. But these two came under full sun and partial shade.

Full-sun plants or heat-tolerant plants need 4-6 hours of direct sunlight daily. These plants need to be placed near south side windows, near the door side or windows and the spots that receive 4-6 hours of sunlight. Plants like cacti and succulents and sun-loving ornamental plants are ideal for full sun.

Partial shade/sun plants need to be filtered or indirect sunlight which means you should avoid harsh direct sunlight. These shade-loving plants thrive in east or west-facing windows.

Ideal light conditions for Tropical indoor plants

Every gardener has a love for tropical plants, whenever you choose tropical plants, light might be an issue for growth. The reason behind these is the misplacement of the plants and choosing plants that are not ideal for your light availability.

Tropical plants thrive in bright, indirect light, mimicking the dappled sunlight of their natural rainforest environment. To create that microclimate in your house you have to place the plants in the right spots.

The intensity of light matters to the growth of tropical plants, place them near the east-facing windows for morning sun and slightly shaded south or west-facing windows are ideal spots. Avoid direct sunlight to leave scorching. You need at least 8-12 hours of light daily. For lack of sunlight duration, you can add grow light to fulfil the light needs.

2. BEST LIGHT FOR HOUSEPLANTS

There are some situations in growing indoor plants, you must have to use Grow light because of the limited availability of sunlight or lack of light. Apart from those situations some of us are less aware of indirect and direct sunlight, sunlight directions and sunlight path. Knowing all these might help you to utilise the available best light for houseplants.

What is the best light for Houseplants indoor

The best light for all types of plants is sunlight, natural light always helps to boost growth. To get that natural light by placing containers in the right spots and using some techniques to get that natural light is simpler than you think. We’ve growlight suggestion in upcoming paragraphs as well.

Utilising south-facing windows for houseplants is the best way to get direct sunlight for sun-loving plants. South is the direction that gets more than 7 hours of direct sunlight throughout the year except for some rainy and foggy days.

Placing plants near the south side windows, placing little away from the south side to get indirect sunlight, using reflective surfaces like mirrors to reflect the south side sunlight to another side and white painted walls throughout the room also help the plants to get sunlight.

Houseplant placement for optimal sunlight

Knowing optimal plant placement helps you to arrange the plants not only for aesthetics but also for better growth of the plant.

Bright indirect light is from east and west-facing windows with some sheer curtains to reduce the intensity ideal for pothos, monstera and philodendron family plants.

Direct sunlight is from south-side windows for cacti, succulents and drought-tolerant plants.

Low-light spots are the north side and corners that receive less than 3 hours of sunlight ideal for shade-loving plants.

Morning light (east-facing) is ideal for low- medium light plants.

Mid-day light (south-facing) is ideal for heat-tolerant plants and edible plants.

Afternoon light (west-facing) is suitable for houseplants that thrive in warm and less intense light plants.

Low or No Direct light (north-facing) is suitable for low-light plants.

3. ARTIFICIAL LIGHT FOR PLANTS IN INDOOR

It’s not easy to spend money on some garden products even if you’re a plant enthusiast. I always do my research to make sure the product is worth buying and I’m not wasting my money. Every gardener has that doubt whenever they face a need to buy a grow light for some corner or spot that receives less light. The first doubt gonna strike is Do LED lights work for indoor plants.

To put it simply sunlight gives blue light (400-500nm-9w fluorescent light or 5w LED grow light) to promote vegetative growth, leaf growth and stem growth and red light (600-700nm) encourages flowering and fruiting stages. That’s why fruit-bearing plants need more sunlight and houseplants (foliage plants) need less sunlight. Grow light gives this red and blue light in the same wavelength to promote growth.

* nm=nano meter, a measurement used to measure units

Using Artificial light to grow Indoor plants

As mentioned in the above paragraphs different plants have different light needs, so you need to understand the plants’ light needs. So, you can buy a specific nm grow light or you can adjust the nm for the plant’s need.

Indoor Herbs and Leafy greens, need to grow lights that emit wavelengths in the Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) range (400-700nm) focusing on red and blue light. Primarily these plants need blue light for leaf and stem growth and some red light to balance the growth.

Grow lights Blue has to be 400-500nm and Red has to be 600-700nm. For full-spectrum light has to be 400-700nm. The light duration has to be 12 hours to 16 hours. The light should be 6-12 inches above from plant, if you see leggy growth on the plant increase the intensity of light or if you see sunburn on the plant reduce the intensity.

For Small houseplants, the grow light has to be blue light with 400-500nm for strong and compact growth with healthy leaves. Red light has to be 600-700nm to support the photosynthesis process and benefit blooming. Full spectrum lights with 400-700nm are ideal for low-moderate light plants and these lights ensure essential wavelengths to growth and give aesthetic appeal as well.

For Low-light plants, full–spectrum LED with lower intensity is enough. For medium-light plants, full-spectrum light with more blue light is the best choice. For blooming indoor plants, like peace lilies use dominant red spectrum lights. The duration has to be 12-16 hours and the length should be above 6-12 inches from the plants.

Fluorescent vs LED light grow lights

	FLUORESCENT	LED GROW LIGHT
Energy efficiency	Low-energy efficient	High-energy efficient
Lifespan	10,000-20,000 hours	50,000 hours
Light Spectrum	Full-spectrum	Customisable spectrum
Heat output	More heat	Minimal heat output
Cost	affordable	Higher initial cost but affordable compared with durability
Applications	Small-scale	All-types
Environmental impact	Contain mercury	Environmentally friendly

How to set grow lights for houseplants

Choose the right nm light that is suitable for plant light need
Place the plant near the power outlet, not so near but within reachable distance for the power supply.
Dedicate a shelf or tier to organize in one place easy to care for.
Use a timer to set an ideal duration.
Fix within the ideal distance.
Adjust the light spectrum to plant growth, increase or decrease based on growth.
Keep the lights clean regularly to get the needed intensity.

4. LOW-LIGHT INDOOR PLANTS

Best low-light plants for beginners

Easy care plants for low-light apartments

Low-light plants that purify the air

5. SIGNS OF LIGHT STRESS IN PLANTS

How to identify light stress in plants

You can see the signs of light stress in plants, which are so visible. Two types of things cause light stress one is too much direct or insufficient light. Yellowing leaves might be caused by too much light and insufficient light. Leaf scorching or burn marks are caused by too much sunlight. Bleached and faded leaves are signs of chlorophyll breakdown. Leaf curling is caused by plants to protect leaves from light stress.

What happens if plants don’t get enough light

Reduced photosynthesis is the first damage caused by low or limited light. Reduced photosynthesis means limited energy or food to plants. This thing affects plant growth directly like stunted growth, low fruiting and yield. Poor development in plants, delayed or no flowering is a sign of lack of sunlight.

Leaf drop is also a sign of not enough light it is a coping mechanism of a plant to save energy. Thin stems are a sign of a lack of strength caused by reduced photosynthesis. Plants become more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

Signs of too much direct sunlight on houseplants

Brown and crispy spots are the visible signs of leaf scorching caused by too much direct sunlight. The dry and brittle texture on the leaves caused by dehydrated plants because of excess sunlight dries the potting mix so quickly. Wilting and Curling are also a sign of too much light and discolouration caused by high-intensity light on houseplants.

CONCLUSION

The motto behind this blog post is clearing blind spots in sunlight requirement and knowing the ideal placement of pots indoors. Knowing these facts helps you to keep your plants survive and thrive indoors. Growing plants Indoor is like a live home decor item in your living room. So, choose plants that match light availability. With the help of this blog post, you can utilise every possible spot for plants. And make your home greener. To learn more about container gardening check out my website mypotsgarden.com.