Houseplant Light Needs

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Houseplant Light Needs The spot you choose LIGHT LEVELS COMMON HOUSEPLANTS BY for your houseplant LIGHT REQUIREMENTS will determine its LOW: far from any windows, barely success; plants need LOW light to grow. Light enough natural light to read by. Aglaonema- Chinese Evergreen, Silver Queen intensity and duration Aspidistra- Cast-iron Plant are affected by such MODERATE: areas around sunless Sansevieria- Snake Plant things as the angle of sunlight through a windows or 5-8 feet from a sunny Zamioculcas zamiifolia- Eternity Plant window, trees or curtains inside and out of window; easy for most plants to adapt to the room, and reflective surfaces like this light. mirrors or bright walls. Most houseplants MODERATE are tropical and therefore prefer bright, BRIGHT INDIRECT: within 5 Acrostichum- Leather Fern indirect, natural light. Cacti and some feet of a window that gets direct sun, but Adiantum- Maidenhair Fern succulents are the exception to this; they no direct rays on the foliage; preferable Asplenium/Spleenworts- Mother Fern thrive in hot, direct sun year-round. for most houseplants. Calathea- Peacock Plant The amount of light a space receives differs Chlorophytum- Spider Plant greatly season to season. A rainy winter SOME DIRECT SUN: less than 5 Cissus- Grape Ivy, Kangaroo Vine day at noon may provide 1/20th the hours of direct sun daily (such as an east Dieffenbachia- Dumb Cane brightness than in the heat of summer. It or west-facing windowsill or a few feet Dracaena- Corn Plant may be necessary to move your plants to away from a south-facing window; plants Epipremnum- Pothos, Taro Vine more light in winter, or shadier locales in on western sides may need protection Maranta- Prayer Plant summer. from heat in the summer); flowering Nephrolepsis- Boston Fern, Sword Fern plants and herbs do well here. Nephthytis- Butterfly Plant Too much light causes foliage to burn at Palmae- Palms (please ask about specific ones) the edges, or become colorless and wilt. FULL SUN: at least 4-5 hours of Polypodium- Rabbit’s Foot Fern Sansevieria- Snake Plant Too little light can make a plant leggy and direct sun each day. In summer, only Spathiphyllum- Peace Lily cause leaf loss. If you are unable to move cacti and succulents can handle this. the plant to a more ideal location in your Strobilanthes- Persian Shield home, artificial light may be used to Tradescantia- Wandering Jew, Inch Plant supplement (the lighting must be bright Zebrina- Purple Wandering Jew enough to stimulate photosynthesis). BRIGHT INDIRECT SOME DIRECT SUN Adiantum- Maidenhair Fern Acalypha- Chenille Plant, Copperleaf Alocasia- Elephant Ear Alpinia/Costus- Ginger Anthurium- Flamingo Flower Begonia Araucaria- Norfolk Island Pine Strelitzia- Bird of Paradise Bertolonia- Jewel Plant Caladium Billbergia- Friendship Plant Caryota- Fishtail Palm Button Fern Clerodendron- Glorybower Calathea- Peacock Plants, Zebra Plant Coffee Plant Ceropegia- String of Hearts, Rosary Vine Chlorophytum- Spider Plant Columnea- Furry Goldfish Plant Clivia- Kaffir Lily Cryptanthus- Earth Stars Colocasia- Taro, Elephant Ear Cyanotis- Teddy Bear Vine Cyathea- Tree Fern Darlingtonia/Sarracenia- Pitcher Plant Cyclamen Datura- Angel’s Trumpet Dieffenbachia- Dumb Cane Dionaea- Venus Fly Trap Dizygotheca elegantissima- False Aralia Gardenia Fatsia japonica- Japanese Aralia Iresine- Blood Leaf, Beefsteak Ficus- Figs, Rubber Plant Nepenthes- Pitcher Plants Fittonia- Net Leaf Oxalis Gardenia Stapelia- Carrion Flowers Graptophyllum- Caricature Plant Sedum- Donkey’s Tail (Burro’s Tail) Gynura- Purple Passion, Velvet Plant Heliconia- Lobster Claws Hoya- Wax Plant FULL SUN Hypoestes- Polka Dot Plant, Freckle Face Mimosa- Sensitive Plant Abutilon Monstera- Swiss Cheese Plant Agave Musa- Banana Allamanda- Golden Trumpet Plant Suggestions for Nepenthes- Pitcher Plant Aloe Different Light Levels Peperomia Citrus Pilea- Creeping Charlie, Friendship Plant Crassula- Jade Plant Platycerium- Staghorn Fern Echeveria- Hen & Chicks Rhipsalidopsis- Easter Cactus Saintpaulia- African Violet Euphorbia- Crown of Thorns, Poinsettia Schefflera- Amantie Stump Gerbera Daisy Schlumbergera- Christmas Cactus Hibiscus Selaginella- Club Moss Jasmine Tillandsia Kalanchoe Pelargonium- Geranium .
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