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Light for Houseplants is an important aspect as they require light to make food for growth and survival. The correct light is essential as without light a houseplant may suffer or even die.
Light is one of the major components required for plants to make their own food for growth and energy.
The process of making food in plants called photosynthesis only occurs in the presence of light energy.
Therefore it is very important to provide houseplants with the correct light amount and intensity to ensure that they are growing and remain healthy.
If you fail to provide adequate light, your houseplants will grow slowly, become stunted and can even die.
To provide the correct lighting for your houseplants requires that you consider the two aspects of lighting which control growth of plants.
These aspects of lighting are the duration and the intensity of light. We have discussed herebelow, how light affects growth of plants. Continue to read.
The duration of light that a plant requires is 10-14 hours per day for most houseplants to maintain active growth.
If there is less light, there is reduced food production which results in poor growth and stunting of the plant.
The intensity requirement varies enormously from houseplant to houseplant. Some houseplants prefer a sunny windowsill, others light shade, others can tolerate direct sunshine while others relish direct sunshine. Check out this guide on how to select houseplants based on light intensity.
If a houseplant is receiving too little light, it will exhibit the following signs.
If your plants are showing the signs above, move the plants to a brighter spot or buy Grow Lights to save them from death.
If a houseplant is receiving too much light, it will exhibit the following signs.
If your plants are exhibiting the signs above, move them to a more shaded spot to prevent them from deteriorating further or even dying.
In most houseplant care guides the terms used to describe the light requirements may not be clear. The human eye is a poor instrument for measuring light intensity. This simple guide can help you determine the right spot for your houseplant. Read on.
This is an area with as much light as possible. Such a spot is ideal for houseplants that can withstand scorching conditions like Desert Cacti, Snake Plant, Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, Gerbera Daisy, Jasmine and ZZ Plant among others.
These sunny spots include such areas as;
This is a brightly-lit area with some sunlight falling on the leaves of the houseplants during the day.
This spot is perfect for many flowering houseplants and some sunloving foliage houseplants like Saintpaulia (African Violet), Cordyline terminalis (Ti Plant), Rubber Plants (Ficus elastica), Codiaeum (Crotons) among others.
These brightly lit spots with some direct sunshine include such areas as;
This is an area close to but not in the zone lit by direct sunlight. Here there is no sunlight falling on the houseplants.
Many houseplants like Monstera deliciosa, Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily), Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum), Schefflera actinophylla (Umbrella Tree), Dieffenbachias among others grow best when placed in this area.
These brightly lit sunless spots include such areas as;
This is a moderately lit area. Few flowering houseplants can flourish here but many foliage houseplants like Marantas, Dracaena marginata, Dracaena fragrans, Baby's Tears (Helxine), Pothos among others will grow happily. Most of the bright but sunless foliage houseplants can adapt to these conditions.
These partially shaded (semi-shaded) spots include such areas as;
This is a poorly lit area but bright enough to read a newspaper during several hours of the day.
Only a few foliage houseplants will flourish with the exception of Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen), Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant), Asplenium Fern (Bird's Nest Fern), Heartleaf (Philodendron scandens) among others.
Many semi-shade foliage houseplants will adapt to these conditions and will actually thrive. No flowering houseplant can thrive in these conditions. Check out this list of low light houseplants.
These shaded spots include such areas as;
Note: There are many exceptions to these guidelines. Look up the requirements of your houseplant in the Houseplants A-Z Guide.