Drawing back the curtains, opening the blinds, and flooding your home with sunlight to reach that plant in the corner of the room may still not be enough light to ensure it will thrive. Keeping your plants happy and healthy is essential to ensure they retain the mood-boosting and air-purifying benefits they provide you. Luckily, plants give us visual cues as to whether they are doing well or not, and Minniapolis’ top florist, Schaff Floral has put together a guide for you to read covering what to look for and how to solve light issues with your plant before it’s too late.
Look for These Red Flags of Insufficient Light
Leggy
Leggy describes plants that have skinny stems with sparse leaves. This is not a great look for a plant. Plants need light to become lush, full, and thriving and, in turn, help keep your indoor air clean with their air-purifying qualities. If your plant has skinny stems with leaves located far apart from each other, then it’s a clear sign it needs more light.
Smaller Leaves
If new leaves on a plant don’t match the size of its older leaves the plant is probably not receiving enough energy to produce the proper-sized leaves. Improve the plant’s lighting conditions and watch it bloom as it should.
Leaning
A plant that is visibly leaning is desperately trying to absorb as much light as possible from its primary source. To prevent this problem, transfer the plant to a better lit spot and rotate it at least once a week so the entire plant benefits from light and not just one side.
Abnormal Leaf Color
Pale green or yellow-colored leaves that drop off are signs of light deficiency. When there is not enough light the chlorophyll in the plant’s leaves can not do its job resulting in off-color leaves that eventually die.
Slowed Growth or No Growth
The sun is what gives a plant the energy to grow and thrive. When a plant doesn’t get enough, one of the telltale signs is not growing like it should. Plants can survive with little to no energy but they will not thrive or grow to become lush and beautiful without adequate lighting.
Getting the Light Right
Making sure your plants get enough sunlight is not as simple as just moving it to the brightest area in your home. There are only a few species of plants that can handle hours of direct sunlight, and these are palm plants, cacti, and succulents.
Medium light is the optimum lighting condition for most plant varieties except shade-loving ones such as ferns and orchids. It will likely take a little bit of trial and error before discovering the perfect balance of light for each of your plants. Just pay attention to them and carefully check look for signs of distress to keep them happy and healthy.
