What kind of light do your pot plants need to flourish?

This easy guide will help you select the right plant for the right spot

11 October 2020 - 00:01
By Lisa Pellat
When in doubt, place your plants in bright, indirect sunlight.
Image: 123RF/Katarzyna Białasiewicz When in doubt, place your plants in bright, indirect sunlight.

Even with all of the benefits plants provide, many would agree that being a plant parent can sometimes be a challenge — and one of the biggest challenges is knowing how much light your plant needs to flourish and grow.

Plants use the energy in sunlight to turn water and carbon into glucose (plant food), therefore it is crucial to know the light requirements of your house plants.

Different plants have different light tolerances, so before bringing home a new plant you need to consider the type of light your home can provide. Some plants do well on a shelf close to a window in the living room, others thrive in scorching sun on the windowsill, whereas some would prefer the dappled shade of a low-light bathroom.

To help you select the right plant for the right spot, here is some information about the three types of light tolerance you need to know:

FULL SUN (DIRECT SUNLIGHT)

If you're looking for plants for a very sunny corner in your home, your mind should rush to the desert-dwellers. In their natural environment, plants like succulents and cacti spend most of their day in sunny, warm conditions and can tolerate prolonged periods of direct sunlight.

Be aware, though, that scorching heat can damage some succulents so place them in an area that receives soft morning sun.

Sun lovers: Cacti, succulents, ponytail palm and spineless yucca.

LOW LIGHT (SHADE TOLERANT)

All plants need light and would starve without access to UV light. Some plants are accustomed to growing in low-light conditions and naturally grow in the lower parts of the forest, where they are overshadowed by the foliage of other plants and have adapted to these lower light conditions.

The ZZ plant will happily grow in low light conditions.
Image: 123RF/Puripatch Lokakalin The ZZ plant will happily grow in low light conditions.

Low-light lovers: Pothos (Devil's Ivy), parlour palm, spider plant, Chinese evergreen, ZZ plant, Bird's nest fern and Maidenhair ferns.

BRIGHT INDIRECT SUNLIGHT

When in doubt, place your plants in bright, indirect sunlight. Indirect sunlight means your plant won't be in the blazing sun of north-facing windows that receive intense heat and direct sun rays.

Indirect sunlight is an area that is filled with bright light but has no direct sunlight. This could include an east- or west-facing window, or two metres away from a north-facing window.

Bright-light beauties: Delicious monster, Philodendron, Rhipsalis, Hoyas, Peperomias, and most other house plants.

JOIN A VIRTUAL GARDEN DAY GATHERING

Garden Day SA will host its first Virtual Garden Day Gathering on October 11 with a host of events including a Q&A session with garden guru Tanya Visser, a flower crown-off with comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout and TV and radio presenter Zoe Brown, garden-inspired gourmet with chef Karen Dudley and more via Zoom and Facebook Live. Find Garden Day's programme online here.