Why is natural light important to plants?
Plants, like any other living being, need food and water to survive.
For plants, light is food. Light generates energy that is required for their survival. The more light that hits them, the more energy they generate. Let's look at some terms that we hear often and what they mean?
- Bright Light: means direct sunlight. South / west-facing rooms rooms usually get the brightest sunlight.
Example of a space with direct sunlight. Seen here is an Aglaonema Plant in our Medium Midori Planter with Stand.
- Bright, indirect light: means the room is brightly lit and receives sunlight, but the sunlight doesn't directly fall on the plant instead gets bounced off the other surfaces and then reaches the plant. Think of a room that receives bright sunlight, but you can't draw a direct line between the plant and the sun. East-facing rooms usually get medium to low sunlight, depending on the time of the day.
Example of a space with direct sunlight. Seen here is a Dracaena Plant in our Large Midori Planter with Stand.
- Filtered light: means light that is slightly diffused. ex: light obstructed by a sheer curtain.
Example of a space with direct sunlight. Seen here is a Dracaena Plant in our Large Midori Planter with Stand.
- Low light: means no direct sunlight. Think of a room that is usually dark and doesn't receive too much sunlight. North facing rooms usually get the least amount of sunlight.
Example of a space with direct sunlight. Seen here is an Aglaonema Plant in our Small Midori Planter with Base.
Now that we know the different types of lighting terms used in the plant world, let us look at some plant suggestions based on that:
Bright Light: Bird of Paradise, Gardenia, Croton, Sago Palm.
Bright, indirect light: Fiddle Leaf Figs, Kentia Palm, Anthurium, Dracaena
Low light: Aglaonema, Spider plant, Pothos, Snake Plant.
Extra Tip : If a location gets a few hours of direct light per day, but is mainly in indirect light for the rest of the day, is this suitable for a plant that needs bright indirect light? In most cases, the answer is YES, some hours of direct sunlight should be enough, but try to keep that number below 4 hours.
