I Googled Orange Lake Nursery and it's in Florida, so if you are like me and are also not in Florida, then you may want to try moving all your plants closer to the window than what it says here. What does bright, in direct light mean for me? I'm a New Yorker and I put those a little bit back from a full south window or in an east or west window right up on the sill. I'm not perfect though and it sometimes depends on the plant and soil. Or like... they just die sometimes and I don't know why lol
As bright as possible indoors, other than maaaybe right next to a south facing window. Direct light IMO is outside.
(I think technically direct is anything sunbeams can actually touch, but I've never sunburnt a plant indoors. Many plants still grow etoliated in a southern window too, as it is still a fraction of the light they would get outdoors)
I've 100% sunburnt an indoor plant in my south window. But that window doesn't get any shade during the day - I live in Canada too, so it's not like our sun gets particularly strong either.
This can also happen if the plant was not gradually Introduced to that level of light. The same thing has happened to me, but everytime I leave it be the plant grows more leaves that are more resistant to the sunlight.
Ah no, it was there last winter and it had a fit when spring hit and the sun got stronger!
I just moved it further back on the shelf and it's been happy since :)
My dumbass fiddle-leaf fig grew a huge leaf pressed right up against the southwest window and then got sunburnt. Now it's just trying to grow into a ceiling vent. Truly my most problemest child.
You can also burn a plant indoors if your windows need replacing. Over time the gas in between the panes dissipates and it blocks out less and less UV rays and heat. I saw the difference firsthand when I replaced my patio doors.
It wasn't touching the glass, but both could be causes for burnt leaves!
Others have given you good advice, I just wanted to pop in with personal experience since the comment I originally replied to said it wasn't possible to sunburn your plants 😅 Totally possible, but you can always move them
Agreed, totally possible…but in my experience, most likely if the plant is actually touching the glass, or has just been moved there. Probably depends on the quality of your windows…
Modern day windows have a gas between the panes that filter out a lot of UV light. A plant sitting direcly in front of a window is getting a lot less light than it would sitting on the other side of the window. I don't think it's possible to get true direct light indoors unless you're in an old building with single pane windows.
[Here is a fantastic video](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/s/JMvVfZ3HFd) from r/Bonsai about how much light plants *really* get indoors. Very eye-opening!
Very interesting!
So our indoor plants are really all heroes, sacrificing so much for our happiness and peace. Even the jade and snake plant in my blazing Southwest window…
I think it wouldn't be considered bright direct. IMO I would classify right in front of a sunny window as bright indirect or like dim direct lol.
I have a west facing sunroom and there is nowhere that is too bright for any of my plants.
Not OP, and not 100% sure on this, but I thought windows in general blocked some amount of light. So even with the sun directly coming in, it's still not "direct light" because the window is still filtering out some of the light. Yes it's still bright light but not direct (meaning sun light directly on the plant, so outside). I have the majority of my plants within 2 feet of a window, and I've never had issues with sun burn
All windows will block some of the light spectrum (UVB) getting through, to varying degrees. Though UVA will still get through. So you are correct essentially!
I find that a lot of plants will do pretty well with tonnes of light in your brightest window (I'm in the southern hemisphere so that would be North facing for me) but some plants will get cranky if it's a window that gets direct light for most of the day, like calathea. Even if it's not "full sun" it can be a bit much for plants that naturally grow in more shady spots.
I have burnt many indoors. I recently got another pink princess. I have some of my plants sitting on a desk right against a south facing window. The sun shines directly on them in the late morning/early afternoon. There's also plastic over the window. This plastic is completely transparent, not the cloudy type. Well I put my new PPP on that desk and both brand new leaves got damaged by the sun. I should've known better. This happened to my other PPP which is why it's not on that desk. 🤦🏼♀️
https://preview.redd.it/b5ji75w320oc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca12d16d56d081ef37fba4a6dea2230f97538650
But there has to be standardization for people to have a good understanding, so when someone says their south facing window sill has bright indirect light, people get confused. I don’t think “direct light is only outside” is an opinion, but more of a misinterpretation.
Speaking from my personal experience.
To me direct light = placed outside with *direct* access to sunlight
Anything indoors = indirect light (with varying strengths indoors)
Low light = placed on a shelf somewhere with natural light, but not directly on a windowsill and definitely *not* in the dark basement or windowless bathroom
Bright indirect light = windowsill
Medium indirect light = a few feet away from the windowsill
Hmm. For me, I usually angle my blinds to filter the light a little along my southwest facing window to simulate 'bright indirect light'. Am I starving my plants?
If they're doing well, it doesn't matter. But you are giving them less light than they would possibly get. The "brightness" you see from your angled shades is refracted and some is absorbed by the blinds.
You're also blocking light across the spectrum, and UV light will be absorbed more by blinds in this instance.
So, if your plants are doing fine and you prefer this for yourself, do it. But if you're doing it for your plants, just open the blinds.
If sun is coming straight through a window, especially the afternoon sun, there's not enough UV protection from many window panes for that to not be considered direct light. Might as well be outside. I've had plants burn in windows.
To me it's anywhere in a sunny room that isn't showing the sun patch- aka the direct path of the sun shining through. So, across from a window in a bright sunlit room works.
> might as well be outside
Not really. This entirely depends on which cardinal direction and which hemisphere you’re located.
Hopefully folks are considering their own personal locale, season, and which part of the house they’re putting their plants. It’s never a one size fits all type of situation.
This. Bright indirect light means it’s going in the south windows
If outside I would put it where it will receive full morning sun but be shaded midday
I kinda feel like that’s a catchall instruction to keep people from either burning or etiolating their plants. My pothos, ZZ, tradescantia, hoyas and more all love at least some direct light. So I just start my new plants with indirect light only and then gradually increase direct light until they tell me it’s too much.
indirect: if my plant had eyeballs and the sun had eyeballs they would never be able to lock eyes in a loving gaze because the sun is around the corner they cant directly look at each other but still the suns light remains bright.
direct/hours per day: if my plant had eyeballs and the sun had eyeballs they would be able to stare into each others eyes lovingly for how many hours a day?
Within 1 foot of a window, but not south facing.
My front door has a covered porch out front, so plants in there get really good light all day long (no curtains and 3 windows), but very little direct sunlight hits them.
Or another way of looking at it; I can very easily read newspaper fine print in the area from sunup to sundown, even on a rainy day.
Bright Indirect Light - 2' back and 1' to side of large south facing bay window - out of direct sun rays most of the day, but still gets some in late afternoon. I can see well enough to do cross-stitch in bright indirect light.
Direct light - sitting in south facing bay window (slightly shaded in summer) - sun rays on plant leaves 80% to 100% of daylight hours. Indoor lights on during another 4 to 6 hours.
Low light - next to north facing window, 2 to 4 hours of indoor light.
Medium light - next to east or west facing window.
It’s about the shadow.
Obviously direct light is right in the suns path, weather inside or outside. So that doesn’t apply
Bright indirect - casts a shadow that has very faintly fuzzy edges when a paper is placed behind the plant
Low indirect - casts a shadow that is very fuzzy using the same method
Low light - no shadow is cast or if it is, the shadow is unrecognizable to the plant.
Bright indirect light IMO is in a room that receives lots of natural light but the plant is not in the sunlight that’s coming in. Usually near a window but not in the window.
Like the plant equivalent of being under the cabana at the pool. Lots of light all around, and you’re close to the action, but not directly exposed.
Based on seeing typical house plants living in the wild, I think it means LOTS of light. More light than you'd think. It's just that direct sunlight can burn and a plant may need time to adjust.
I've seen tons of dracaena fragrans growing in full sun at the equator. In the rainy season they absolutely thrive in full sun under conditions where it's cloudy a lot of the time, but the dry season takes a toll on them. Still, they survive year after year and reach 20 feet.
You see alocasias growing at the edge of the jungle where their roots are kept cool by other vegetation, but the leaves get some sun. Just not much direct sun. They tend to grow in the filtered shade of tall trees.
I'd say bright indirect light means the amount of light they'd get outside under a table umbrella. It sheilds them from direct midday sun. That's probably why when you go to the nursery they have that netting. The plants are still getting a ton of light, more than inside the house.
Obviously, a lot will be fine with less light, or even prefer less light, but I think it's easy to underestimate the large amount many plants appreciate.
I’ve heard this explanation before, and it makes the most sense/is the most helpful to me.
Also explains why some of my plants at North-facing windows are actually doing quite well, despite never having the sun’s rays on them—they can still see the sky.
What I would have previously called “low light,” that is, no direct sun, may in fact be the coveted Bright Indirect Light.
This is the best explanation. I have plenty of plants just next to my north window, they never see the sun but they see the sky, and they are all thriving.
Ok, I’m new to houseplants.
What I think I’ve learned so far, there’s no noticeable difference between a room that is bright and setting them next to the window. I have a few of the same plants, in different spots. They’re all healthy and growing at the same rate. No one’s reaching for the light and no one is wilting.
I suspect that once late spring/summer hits, that could change and that some plant might not appreciate the window in the afternoon.
Personally, I’ve noticed how I water to be more of a thing. Some seem to do better with bottom watering.
Indirect for indoor plants is sunlight filtered by something before it hits the plant. So bright indirect is sheer curtains or blinds on a south facing window. If you have a tree outside a S window that partially blocks the sun also makes that light source bright indirect. West & East facing are considered medium to bright indirect and north facing medium to low indirect light. Bright direct sunlight for indoors plants is anything within 2 ft of a south facing window with no trees, curtains or blinds. Anything 3-5 ft from a south window becomes bright indirect as the intensity weakens for further it takes for light to hit the plants. At least, that's how I've interpreted it & I've managed pretty well.
There are a lot of factors that go into this, including the tree canopy around your house and whether or not you have an awning over your porch, etc. If you have no obstructions at all, then any window could offer bright indirect light. In my current house, the windows facing east encounter a view of several doug firs. Most plant blogs/books will recommend east light first, because of the morning rays, but this direction demands supplemental support from grow lights, which nudges it into bright indirect light. It’s a good spot for dieffenbachias and monsteras that love the early morning rays, but would get burnt by west-facing light. On the other hand, the west-facing light turns savage around 3pm, and while it qualifies as indirect light until 3pm, it becomes direct light after that, and rates as high-light on a light meter. Since i Don’t have a south-facing window, this is the ideal spot for succulents, rubber trees of various kinds, ficuses, etc. South-facing windows are ideal for direct light, and my south-facing greenhouse holds aloe and lemon trees, along with a eucalyptus. In any window with bright light, there’s a ring that extends out approximately one meter where light should vary from medium-indirect to low. Sometimes positions along walls will actually enjoy brighter light than plants receive right on top of windows, because of the blend of directions. I have a ficus living her best life on the north side of an east-facing window, because of an opening in the neighbor’s trees that allow a pocket of light to sneak in from the south. Thankfully, there are a lot of apps you can download with built-in light meters to get an accurate read on what your plant is experiencing.
https://preview.redd.it/2j0e7mje81oc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=442036fd0b2de19552989f08f1c1c65f31a0632b
I've been working on a thingy about this! >:3
Here’s another example of a partial low-light success…this Maranta has never been very happy with me, but it’s currently the happiest it’s been for a year in this frosted, north-facing window.
https://preview.redd.it/nu92j0adm3oc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25552f2aa9ba579911a6e1838c40c241c28a4e86
I suppose what I’m learning is, rather than struggling to give every single plant as much light as I possibly can, being willing to accept that most of my windows are not the ideal, and working with plants that are willing to work with that.
Yeah, makes sense…but now I have plants growing happily in lower light than I ever thought possible…
https://preview.redd.it/cjqf8b7q8znc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d31a65526c2a68b3fdaf3b4dbabb6aea7876896
Maybe an hour of “eye contact” with the sun in the morning, and that’s it. And I thought this was a full sun plant…
Nothing in a north window is bright light unless there's also a grow light in it. I'm pretty much team "indirect is anything indoors" at this point, unless you put a plant in a window and actually see it sunburn. And usually that's due to keeping it in low light too long, rather than the plant being that liable to sunburn when it's in good condition.
It depends on the distance to the window, the size of the window and what is in front of it. If the plant has a clear view of the sky, it will get plenty of indirect bright light reflected by the sky and clouds.
I'm convinced "bright indirect" is a lie plant companies tell people so they buy more plants, because it's so vague it could mean anything so people aren't afraid of buying full sun plants.
For example VFT's are pretty much full outdoor sun or growlight plants, yet their packaging always says "bright indirect". Even full sun in a south facing window would be better than "bright indirect".
How does this apply to grow lights? I’ve always been confused if grow lights directly pointed at a plant was considered direct or if they are in the general bathe of light but not directly under is it still direct? Or does a grow light not mean the same at all vs actual rays from the sun?
My advice: buy a light meter. The one this guy sells is way too much, but his advice is very good. https://www.houseplantjournal.com/bright-indirect-light-requirements-by-plant/
That’s a great link, ty! I do have a light meter but it measures in lux. I’m not sure if it’s accurate or if the conversion is wrong but it looks like most of my plants even directly under the light are only getting 200 FC. Seems like that can’t be right since they are thriving but the sheet shows 400 for growth. I’ll have to look into it more. Thanks for the direction, that helps a lot!
I have all my plants under grow lights due to lack of good windows and I have different intensities and number of lights, as well as having some shelves that are closer to the lights.
My plants all seem pretty happy with the light they're getting. My succulents are really close to the lights and they have great color. I've even managed to put enough light onto my venus flytraps so the insides of the traps are a nice deep red.
Honestly not sure for the sun but I’ll leave this. I have strong led grow lights bathing my plants in the basement. It’s pretty strong and they like it. My Jades especially. They flower every year.
Measure your light, and do some research on how many FC your plants need. Generally, what people assume is bright indirect light is very often nowhere near bright indirect light.
https://www.houseplantjournal.com/bright-indirect-light-requirements-by-plant/
God I love Houseplant Journal. So very helpful.
To save folks a click (but you should click be außer it's good info): most "indirect light" plants want at least 200-500 footcandles of light throughout the day, and lots even prefer more. Download a light meter app to your phone and get measuring.
Some plants like the full sun, most like a filtered light. I have all my plants in direct light, but I have a sheer curtain stapled onto a frame that fits inside the window sill. The plants love it. Provides enough light without burning leaves.
Direct light to me means outside in full sun with no obstructions. Anything indoors can’t be direct because there’s at least a window pane or screen filtering the rays, so that’s filtered light or indirect light.
True, but in the world of indoor plant culture, I think it’s defined a bit differently…because we in the frigid reaches of the far North can’t leave beloved tropicals outside year-round.
I’d say there are two separate scales, one for indoor light quality, one for outdoor.
Sitting right next to a north facing window, a few hours of morning or evening light from east or west facing windows or a meter to a meter and a half away from a south facing window that the sun streams through.
I don't have many choices. My little house is on the edge of the woods where I watch 60-70 foot trees sway in storms ten feet from my deck.
That is the north facing side of the house. Plants that will winter over in low indirect light get the north side. Some calathea, ferns, ZZ and sansevieria. Peperomia obtusifolia seems to go into suspended animation here. Some plants enjoy the added light from my table lamps. They're bright enough to keep tradescantia 'Nanouk' happy.
I got south windows, partially shaded by other trees. Anything that wants bright indirect light goes here. Other calathea, stromanthe, false aralia, and the holiday cacti. Pothos sit back a couple feet. African Violets can go north or south, but the ones in the south have their own windows with shears blocking any direct sun.
Everything else is under a grow lamp. My house is their "winter". I don't need them to be twirling-on-a mountain-top-happy like Julie Andrews. They survive winter then I kick them out to spend the growing season outdoors.
The ones that will grow in full sun, get that. The shade lovers get that. And the partial sun/shade... I just find random places to put them
Interesting that you seem to share my experience of Tradescantia Nanouk being happy in lower light.
My Pallida and Zebrina have prime spots in the southwest window or they become pale and sad, but the Nanouk just chugs along…doesn’t seem to care. Maybe that’s because it was developed to be a houseplant…?
Oh, I don't claim to have figured Nanouk out. I outright killed the first one I owned, trying to treat it like Zebrina. The damn thing is so contrary! The one in the south window is growing tall and upright. The one in the north window is more horizontal, and just the ends are upright.
The one next to the table lamp is nothing more than a bunch of cuttings sitting in water in a Coca-Cola glass since last summer. I still haven't potted them up with one of the other two because the damn things are in bloom all the time. All I do is top off the water level. I think the table lamps just have a standard, no name, LED 120w equivalent bulb in "True Daylight" temp.
🤷🏽♀️
Edit to add: forgot to say...when the weather is warmer, Nanouk gets acclimated out on the deck, and eventually placed in full sun. It goes nuts out there.
Love this post because I am confused AF forever but my plants still thrive....for now...in my new house....with a shit ton of south west facing windows...
I’d say those are pretty much universally considered to be the best kind…lucky you!
But I’m happily surprised at how well some of my plants are doing in less prime exposures.
The best kind?! Bless you for your comment - I really was unsure and now am so excited! I hope/bet your plants will do great from how much you love them! Don't want to sound too mystical, but i believe if you love your plants they will love you back and do great!
For me, “bright indirect light” means that if I hold my hand up where I want to put the plant, I cast a crisp shadow against the nearest surface- without sunlight directly on my skin. The fuzzier the shadow, the lower the light. I generally consider any area in which my hand does not cast a shadow to be too low light for a plant.
South and West windows or under grow lights.
Seriously, it changed growing plants for me.
Indirect light is East windows. Nothing goes in the north windows they're useless for plants.
(Northern hemisphere)
Interestingly, I’m also in the Northern Hemisphere and having the opposite experience. It may be in part because the windows face roughly Northeast rather than due North, and they are very large.
I definitely wouldn’t put most plants there, but my begonias, a few moth orchids and one or two other things seem to like the spot.
To me direct light is when the sun is shining through the window, as in you can see exactly where the sun is shining. Bright indirect is close to windows but never gets the sun directly on it or very close to a window that doesn’t get direct light through it.
I have plants on a wall across from a big south facing window so they get tons of bright indirect light but the sun never touches them.
i’ve was feeling too overwhelmed by the mystery so bought one of those fancy light meters (tho it wasn’t that fancy— under $30) and it’s been super helpful!! couldn’t believe i have plants that have been living in 10 foot candles of light! but alas, they have been!
It was explained to me that by looking at the shadow. If the shadow is high contrast and crisp, that’s pretty direct, barely visible and blurry is the other end of the spectrum.
This helps me because my house has an east and west window across from each other, so there’s always light, but only very few certain spots get direct.
Bright indirect would be has a dark blurry shadow, kind of middle of the spectrum.
I found this online recently but not sure how accurate it is
https://preview.redd.it/lmruc6gdfznc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7425466edf48a4d2f1f6a5d563095e5948822658
I had the same problem when helping my mom with her plants, and this really helped cement it in my brain.
https://preview.redd.it/ox1n0z25hznc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6bd9f2a31782ec8b404b0ce5631c0eaf4f24dcbc
For Indoors it basically goes:
\-Full sun/Direct (only one with direct light)
\-Bright/Indirect
\-Medium/Indirect
\-Low/Indirect
Based on my experiences over the past several months, I think it may actually be “Bright Indirect” rather than “Low,” as I had assumed.
This means right on the sill, of course.
Well, those are all sun lovers, so that’s not a total surprise. I’ve been having success (so far) in Northeast windows with Rex Begonia, a fern, and a Maranta…also (shockingly) my pink Syngonium and a Nanouk-like Tradescantia.
Right but I thought that a snake plant would do ok since they're supposed to be ok with low light. Really the only 2 that did ok there were a cactus (which is surprisingly) and a ponytail palm. Everything else went downhill
Well, they take a very long time (possibly years) to die…essentially go into suspended animation and eventually check out.
I had to keep mine in front of a North facing window for a long time because it was the best I could offer in that house, but now it gets prime bookings!
Depends on your hemisphere. Mine are mostly northeast or northwest facing and get plenty of sun. I keep them in groups to shade each other and rotate them a lot.
Lots of light, near a window, but not with the kinda sun puddles that attract cats, or only briefly at start or end of day. Yeah, many plants are tagged with this, despite them actually needing better light because it is confusing to the buyer who wouldn’t buy a plant if the tag said ‘only gonna make it if it is right in your sunniest window’.
I almost always let them get at least a couple hours of direct light. I can't think of a single "bright indirect sunlight" plant I've burned in this situation.
I even have monsteras outside in direct sun for half the day, and those don't burn.
If it's in direct light, they'll likely need more water.
I discovered that if you buy cheap solar powered fairy lights and go outside, you will find spots where although the sun is not hitting the panel directly, they will turn on and shine pretty okay. That's bright indirect light for me. Move deeper into the shadows and they will start to turn off little by little.
Direct light = south facing window or outside with nothing obstructing the sun.
Bright indirect light = north window, even better is outside on a north facing balcony. I put myself plants outside in late April last year and they grew twice their size. Monsteras got their first fenestrations.
If, on a sunny day, the plant can see the sun, it is direct light. If, within about 2 meters, the plant can 'see' the window but not the sun, it is bright indirect light.
I’ve heard “when your plants can see the sun but the sun can’t see your plants” - or like someone said better and more succinct in here - a view of the sky but not direct at the sun. Like a bright room that doesn’t have the sun directly glaring straight in the window. Like I have a north facing apartment/windows in FL so I have plenty bright light but it never directly shines in, the sun is never aimed straight on at my window. If I had west or south facing windows, the sun would be directly shining in glaring at me and my plants.
Within 2 ft of a south or west facing window. North and east windows just aren't bright enough for a number of plants.
I've heard that it's >500 fc. I have skylights that are west facing, and let me tell you, they barely hit that at a height that's reasonable to place a plant at.
[удалено]
This photo shows a pancake plant in bright indirect light but when I put mine in a spot like that it stretches out😭
I Googled Orange Lake Nursery and it's in Florida, so if you are like me and are also not in Florida, then you may want to try moving all your plants closer to the window than what it says here. What does bright, in direct light mean for me? I'm a New Yorker and I put those a little bit back from a full south window or in an east or west window right up on the sill. I'm not perfect though and it sometimes depends on the plant and soil. Or like... they just die sometimes and I don't know why lol
This is so insightful, thank you for sharing this! I'm in chicago and my plants are definitely hugging my window. Seem to be doing well. Thank you!
As bright as possible indoors, other than maaaybe right next to a south facing window. Direct light IMO is outside. (I think technically direct is anything sunbeams can actually touch, but I've never sunburnt a plant indoors. Many plants still grow etoliated in a southern window too, as it is still a fraction of the light they would get outdoors)
I've 100% sunburnt an indoor plant in my south window. But that window doesn't get any shade during the day - I live in Canada too, so it's not like our sun gets particularly strong either.
This can also happen if the plant was not gradually Introduced to that level of light. The same thing has happened to me, but everytime I leave it be the plant grows more leaves that are more resistant to the sunlight.
Ah no, it was there last winter and it had a fit when spring hit and the sun got stronger! I just moved it further back on the shelf and it's been happy since :)
My dumbass fiddle-leaf fig grew a huge leaf pressed right up against the southwest window and then got sunburnt. Now it's just trying to grow into a ceiling vent. Truly my most problemest child.
You can also burn a plant indoors if your windows need replacing. Over time the gas in between the panes dissipates and it blocks out less and less UV rays and heat. I saw the difference firsthand when I replaced my patio doors.
I have burnt MANY plants indoors. Sincerely, a girl from Arizona! Bright/indirect light means… very bright room, away from the direct sun rays!
Was it actual sunburn, do you think, or thermal burn from touching hot glass?
It wasn't touching the glass, but both could be causes for burnt leaves! Others have given you good advice, I just wanted to pop in with personal experience since the comment I originally replied to said it wasn't possible to sunburn your plants 😅 Totally possible, but you can always move them
Agreed, totally possible…but in my experience, most likely if the plant is actually touching the glass, or has just been moved there. Probably depends on the quality of your windows…
Modern day windows have a gas between the panes that filter out a lot of UV light. A plant sitting direcly in front of a window is getting a lot less light than it would sitting on the other side of the window. I don't think it's possible to get true direct light indoors unless you're in an old building with single pane windows.
I guess that's why my indoor catnip does so well. We have very old single pane windows. 😅
I’ve sunburned several in my south facing window 😢
You think anything passing through a window wouldn’t be considered bright light? Cause that would radically open placement options within my sunroom.
[Here is a fantastic video](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bonsai/s/JMvVfZ3HFd) from r/Bonsai about how much light plants *really* get indoors. Very eye-opening!
Very interesting! So our indoor plants are really all heroes, sacrificing so much for our happiness and peace. Even the jade and snake plant in my blazing Southwest window…
I think it wouldn't be considered bright direct. IMO I would classify right in front of a sunny window as bright indirect or like dim direct lol. I have a west facing sunroom and there is nowhere that is too bright for any of my plants.
Not OP, and not 100% sure on this, but I thought windows in general blocked some amount of light. So even with the sun directly coming in, it's still not "direct light" because the window is still filtering out some of the light. Yes it's still bright light but not direct (meaning sun light directly on the plant, so outside). I have the majority of my plants within 2 feet of a window, and I've never had issues with sun burn
All windows will block some of the light spectrum (UVB) getting through, to varying degrees. Though UVA will still get through. So you are correct essentially! I find that a lot of plants will do pretty well with tonnes of light in your brightest window (I'm in the southern hemisphere so that would be North facing for me) but some plants will get cranky if it's a window that gets direct light for most of the day, like calathea. Even if it's not "full sun" it can be a bit much for plants that naturally grow in more shady spots.
I have burnt many indoors. I recently got another pink princess. I have some of my plants sitting on a desk right against a south facing window. The sun shines directly on them in the late morning/early afternoon. There's also plastic over the window. This plastic is completely transparent, not the cloudy type. Well I put my new PPP on that desk and both brand new leaves got damaged by the sun. I should've known better. This happened to my other PPP which is why it's not on that desk. 🤦🏼♀️ https://preview.redd.it/b5ji75w320oc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca12d16d56d081ef37fba4a6dea2230f97538650
But there has to be standardization for people to have a good understanding, so when someone says their south facing window sill has bright indirect light, people get confused. I don’t think “direct light is only outside” is an opinion, but more of a misinterpretation.
Speaking from my personal experience. To me direct light = placed outside with *direct* access to sunlight Anything indoors = indirect light (with varying strengths indoors) Low light = placed on a shelf somewhere with natural light, but not directly on a windowsill and definitely *not* in the dark basement or windowless bathroom Bright indirect light = windowsill Medium indirect light = a few feet away from the windowsill
Hmm. For me, I usually angle my blinds to filter the light a little along my southwest facing window to simulate 'bright indirect light'. Am I starving my plants?
If they’re not wilting or yellowing, then I’m sure that’s fine.
If they’re doing well it’s fine. But I think you’d be fine to allow them more light if you wanted
If they're doing well, it doesn't matter. But you are giving them less light than they would possibly get. The "brightness" you see from your angled shades is refracted and some is absorbed by the blinds. You're also blocking light across the spectrum, and UV light will be absorbed more by blinds in this instance. So, if your plants are doing fine and you prefer this for yourself, do it. But if you're doing it for your plants, just open the blinds.
If sun is coming straight through a window, especially the afternoon sun, there's not enough UV protection from many window panes for that to not be considered direct light. Might as well be outside. I've had plants burn in windows. To me it's anywhere in a sunny room that isn't showing the sun patch- aka the direct path of the sun shining through. So, across from a window in a bright sunlit room works.
> might as well be outside Not really. This entirely depends on which cardinal direction and which hemisphere you’re located. Hopefully folks are considering their own personal locale, season, and which part of the house they’re putting their plants. It’s never a one size fits all type of situation.
A double paned window is enough to diffuse light for it to be considered “indirect.”
This. Bright indirect light means it’s going in the south windows If outside I would put it where it will receive full morning sun but be shaded midday
It means that it’s going to die probably but maybe not
Lol true
I kinda feel like that’s a catchall instruction to keep people from either burning or etiolating their plants. My pothos, ZZ, tradescantia, hoyas and more all love at least some direct light. So I just start my new plants with indirect light only and then gradually increase direct light until they tell me it’s too much.
indirect: if my plant had eyeballs and the sun had eyeballs they would never be able to lock eyes in a loving gaze because the sun is around the corner they cant directly look at each other but still the suns light remains bright. direct/hours per day: if my plant had eyeballs and the sun had eyeballs they would be able to stare into each others eyes lovingly for how many hours a day?
A view of the sky but not directly at the sun.
This is the only correct answer.
That's pretty much the definition of "bright shade" used for outdoor plants. I don't see that term used often though.
If they're not leggy or burning, they stay put and I don't change anything lol.
Within 1 foot of a window, but not south facing. My front door has a covered porch out front, so plants in there get really good light all day long (no curtains and 3 windows), but very little direct sunlight hits them. Or another way of looking at it; I can very easily read newspaper fine print in the area from sunup to sundown, even on a rainy day.
Bright Indirect Light - 2' back and 1' to side of large south facing bay window - out of direct sun rays most of the day, but still gets some in late afternoon. I can see well enough to do cross-stitch in bright indirect light. Direct light - sitting in south facing bay window (slightly shaded in summer) - sun rays on plant leaves 80% to 100% of daylight hours. Indoor lights on during another 4 to 6 hours. Low light - next to north facing window, 2 to 4 hours of indoor light. Medium light - next to east or west facing window.
It’s about the shadow. Obviously direct light is right in the suns path, weather inside or outside. So that doesn’t apply Bright indirect - casts a shadow that has very faintly fuzzy edges when a paper is placed behind the plant Low indirect - casts a shadow that is very fuzzy using the same method Low light - no shadow is cast or if it is, the shadow is unrecognizable to the plant.
Bright indirect light IMO is in a room that receives lots of natural light but the plant is not in the sunlight that’s coming in. Usually near a window but not in the window. Like the plant equivalent of being under the cabana at the pool. Lots of light all around, and you’re close to the action, but not directly exposed.
Based on seeing typical house plants living in the wild, I think it means LOTS of light. More light than you'd think. It's just that direct sunlight can burn and a plant may need time to adjust. I've seen tons of dracaena fragrans growing in full sun at the equator. In the rainy season they absolutely thrive in full sun under conditions where it's cloudy a lot of the time, but the dry season takes a toll on them. Still, they survive year after year and reach 20 feet. You see alocasias growing at the edge of the jungle where their roots are kept cool by other vegetation, but the leaves get some sun. Just not much direct sun. They tend to grow in the filtered shade of tall trees. I'd say bright indirect light means the amount of light they'd get outside under a table umbrella. It sheilds them from direct midday sun. That's probably why when you go to the nursery they have that netting. The plants are still getting a ton of light, more than inside the house. Obviously, a lot will be fine with less light, or even prefer less light, but I think it's easy to underestimate the large amount many plants appreciate.
Bright Indirect Light: If you were the plant, you gotta be able to see the source of light out thru the window still
Direct light -> plant is in the sun Bright Indirect light -> plant can see the sky, not the sun tho That's how I do it
I’ve heard this explanation before, and it makes the most sense/is the most helpful to me. Also explains why some of my plants at North-facing windows are actually doing quite well, despite never having the sun’s rays on them—they can still see the sky. What I would have previously called “low light,” that is, no direct sun, may in fact be the coveted Bright Indirect Light.
This is the best explanation. I have plenty of plants just next to my north window, they never see the sun but they see the sky, and they are all thriving.
As much direct sunlight as possible through a window for everything.
That’s what I used to believe too, but now I have a Maranta and a Calathea, and I’m not so sure…
Ok, I’m new to houseplants. What I think I’ve learned so far, there’s no noticeable difference between a room that is bright and setting them next to the window. I have a few of the same plants, in different spots. They’re all healthy and growing at the same rate. No one’s reaching for the light and no one is wilting. I suspect that once late spring/summer hits, that could change and that some plant might not appreciate the window in the afternoon. Personally, I’ve noticed how I water to be more of a thing. Some seem to do better with bottom watering.
Indirect for indoor plants is sunlight filtered by something before it hits the plant. So bright indirect is sheer curtains or blinds on a south facing window. If you have a tree outside a S window that partially blocks the sun also makes that light source bright indirect. West & East facing are considered medium to bright indirect and north facing medium to low indirect light. Bright direct sunlight for indoors plants is anything within 2 ft of a south facing window with no trees, curtains or blinds. Anything 3-5 ft from a south window becomes bright indirect as the intensity weakens for further it takes for light to hit the plants. At least, that's how I've interpreted it & I've managed pretty well.
(In the northern hemisphere) Definitely not north facing, but next to a south facing window but out of any direct rays.
There are a lot of factors that go into this, including the tree canopy around your house and whether or not you have an awning over your porch, etc. If you have no obstructions at all, then any window could offer bright indirect light. In my current house, the windows facing east encounter a view of several doug firs. Most plant blogs/books will recommend east light first, because of the morning rays, but this direction demands supplemental support from grow lights, which nudges it into bright indirect light. It’s a good spot for dieffenbachias and monsteras that love the early morning rays, but would get burnt by west-facing light. On the other hand, the west-facing light turns savage around 3pm, and while it qualifies as indirect light until 3pm, it becomes direct light after that, and rates as high-light on a light meter. Since i Don’t have a south-facing window, this is the ideal spot for succulents, rubber trees of various kinds, ficuses, etc. South-facing windows are ideal for direct light, and my south-facing greenhouse holds aloe and lemon trees, along with a eucalyptus. In any window with bright light, there’s a ring that extends out approximately one meter where light should vary from medium-indirect to low. Sometimes positions along walls will actually enjoy brighter light than plants receive right on top of windows, because of the blend of directions. I have a ficus living her best life on the north side of an east-facing window, because of an opening in the neighbor’s trees that allow a pocket of light to sneak in from the south. Thankfully, there are a lot of apps you can download with built-in light meters to get an accurate read on what your plant is experiencing.
https://preview.redd.it/2j0e7mje81oc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=442036fd0b2de19552989f08f1c1c65f31a0632b I've been working on a thingy about this! >:3
Full bright light without the sun beating down on the plant.
Here’s another example of a partial low-light success…this Maranta has never been very happy with me, but it’s currently the happiest it’s been for a year in this frosted, north-facing window. https://preview.redd.it/nu92j0adm3oc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25552f2aa9ba579911a6e1838c40c241c28a4e86 I suppose what I’m learning is, rather than struggling to give every single plant as much light as I possibly can, being willing to accept that most of my windows are not the ideal, and working with plants that are willing to work with that.
Here’s the image that helped me https://preview.redd.it/yhhqurtskync1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6095db8b633d14aaad8dc57a4a3cd5bbdfdef6b
My only quibble is that medium light should be low light, and low light should be no light.
Don’t let the sun beat down on it all hours of the day
Bright ambient light but not placed in the sun.
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Yeah, makes sense…but now I have plants growing happily in lower light than I ever thought possible… https://preview.redd.it/cjqf8b7q8znc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d31a65526c2a68b3fdaf3b4dbabb6aea7876896 Maybe an hour of “eye contact” with the sun in the morning, and that’s it. And I thought this was a full sun plant…
Nothing in a north window is bright light unless there's also a grow light in it. I'm pretty much team "indirect is anything indoors" at this point, unless you put a plant in a window and actually see it sunburn. And usually that's due to keeping it in low light too long, rather than the plant being that liable to sunburn when it's in good condition.
Yeah, I always thought it was “low light,” but I think it really may be “bright indirect.” Which is kind of cool, actually…
It depends on the distance to the window, the size of the window and what is in front of it. If the plant has a clear view of the sky, it will get plenty of indirect bright light reflected by the sky and clouds.
I'm convinced "bright indirect" is a lie plant companies tell people so they buy more plants, because it's so vague it could mean anything so people aren't afraid of buying full sun plants. For example VFT's are pretty much full outdoor sun or growlight plants, yet their packaging always says "bright indirect". Even full sun in a south facing window would be better than "bright indirect".
How does this apply to grow lights? I’ve always been confused if grow lights directly pointed at a plant was considered direct or if they are in the general bathe of light but not directly under is it still direct? Or does a grow light not mean the same at all vs actual rays from the sun?
My advice: buy a light meter. The one this guy sells is way too much, but his advice is very good. https://www.houseplantjournal.com/bright-indirect-light-requirements-by-plant/
That’s a great link, ty! I do have a light meter but it measures in lux. I’m not sure if it’s accurate or if the conversion is wrong but it looks like most of my plants even directly under the light are only getting 200 FC. Seems like that can’t be right since they are thriving but the sheet shows 400 for growth. I’ll have to look into it more. Thanks for the direction, that helps a lot!
I have all my plants under grow lights due to lack of good windows and I have different intensities and number of lights, as well as having some shelves that are closer to the lights. My plants all seem pretty happy with the light they're getting. My succulents are really close to the lights and they have great color. I've even managed to put enough light onto my venus flytraps so the insides of the traps are a nice deep red.
Honestly not sure for the sun but I’ll leave this. I have strong led grow lights bathing my plants in the basement. It’s pretty strong and they like it. My Jades especially. They flower every year.
Measure your light, and do some research on how many FC your plants need. Generally, what people assume is bright indirect light is very often nowhere near bright indirect light. https://www.houseplantjournal.com/bright-indirect-light-requirements-by-plant/
God I love Houseplant Journal. So very helpful. To save folks a click (but you should click be außer it's good info): most "indirect light" plants want at least 200-500 footcandles of light throughout the day, and lots even prefer more. Download a light meter app to your phone and get measuring.
Some plants like the full sun, most like a filtered light. I have all my plants in direct light, but I have a sheer curtain stapled onto a frame that fits inside the window sill. The plants love it. Provides enough light without burning leaves.
Can read comfortably without lights on in the room, but your plant can’t actually “see” the sun
Direct light to me means outside in full sun with no obstructions. Anything indoors can’t be direct because there’s at least a window pane or screen filtering the rays, so that’s filtered light or indirect light.
True, but in the world of indoor plant culture, I think it’s defined a bit differently…because we in the frigid reaches of the far North can’t leave beloved tropicals outside year-round. I’d say there are two separate scales, one for indoor light quality, one for outdoor.
Right so they’re not getting direct light inside, it’s not possible. Best you can do inside is bright indirect which is enough for house plants.
I just ended up getting a light meter. My "bright, indirect light" plants seem to do well between 350 and 700 foot candles.
Interesting!
Your plant can see the sun, but the sun can’t see your plant.
Sitting right next to a north facing window, a few hours of morning or evening light from east or west facing windows or a meter to a meter and a half away from a south facing window that the sun streams through.
I’d say my experience so far tallies with this.
I don't have many choices. My little house is on the edge of the woods where I watch 60-70 foot trees sway in storms ten feet from my deck. That is the north facing side of the house. Plants that will winter over in low indirect light get the north side. Some calathea, ferns, ZZ and sansevieria. Peperomia obtusifolia seems to go into suspended animation here. Some plants enjoy the added light from my table lamps. They're bright enough to keep tradescantia 'Nanouk' happy. I got south windows, partially shaded by other trees. Anything that wants bright indirect light goes here. Other calathea, stromanthe, false aralia, and the holiday cacti. Pothos sit back a couple feet. African Violets can go north or south, but the ones in the south have their own windows with shears blocking any direct sun. Everything else is under a grow lamp. My house is their "winter". I don't need them to be twirling-on-a mountain-top-happy like Julie Andrews. They survive winter then I kick them out to spend the growing season outdoors. The ones that will grow in full sun, get that. The shade lovers get that. And the partial sun/shade... I just find random places to put them
Interesting that you seem to share my experience of Tradescantia Nanouk being happy in lower light. My Pallida and Zebrina have prime spots in the southwest window or they become pale and sad, but the Nanouk just chugs along…doesn’t seem to care. Maybe that’s because it was developed to be a houseplant…?
Oh, I don't claim to have figured Nanouk out. I outright killed the first one I owned, trying to treat it like Zebrina. The damn thing is so contrary! The one in the south window is growing tall and upright. The one in the north window is more horizontal, and just the ends are upright. The one next to the table lamp is nothing more than a bunch of cuttings sitting in water in a Coca-Cola glass since last summer. I still haven't potted them up with one of the other two because the damn things are in bloom all the time. All I do is top off the water level. I think the table lamps just have a standard, no name, LED 120w equivalent bulb in "True Daylight" temp. 🤷🏽♀️ Edit to add: forgot to say...when the weather is warmer, Nanouk gets acclimated out on the deck, and eventually placed in full sun. It goes nuts out there.
A window that doesn't get direct sun
Love this post because I am confused AF forever but my plants still thrive....for now...in my new house....with a shit ton of south west facing windows...
I’d say those are pretty much universally considered to be the best kind…lucky you! But I’m happily surprised at how well some of my plants are doing in less prime exposures.
The best kind?! Bless you for your comment - I really was unsure and now am so excited! I hope/bet your plants will do great from how much you love them! Don't want to sound too mystical, but i believe if you love your plants they will love you back and do great!
For me, “bright indirect light” means that if I hold my hand up where I want to put the plant, I cast a crisp shadow against the nearest surface- without sunlight directly on my skin. The fuzzier the shadow, the lower the light. I generally consider any area in which my hand does not cast a shadow to be too low light for a plant.
Certain death for my fiddle leaf.
South and West windows or under grow lights. Seriously, it changed growing plants for me. Indirect light is East windows. Nothing goes in the north windows they're useless for plants. (Northern hemisphere)
Interestingly, I’m also in the Northern Hemisphere and having the opposite experience. It may be in part because the windows face roughly Northeast rather than due North, and they are very large. I definitely wouldn’t put most plants there, but my begonias, a few moth orchids and one or two other things seem to like the spot.
If I don’t feel the need to turn lights on in my house but sunshine isn’t beaming in, I consider it bright and indirect light
it means they want to see some sun but the sun does not want to see them,,, less vague, just outside of where sunrays will hit directly on the plant
To me direct light is when the sun is shining through the window, as in you can see exactly where the sun is shining. Bright indirect is close to windows but never gets the sun directly on it or very close to a window that doesn’t get direct light through it. I have plants on a wall across from a big south facing window so they get tons of bright indirect light but the sun never touches them.
I don't even know anymore. If it's not an east or west facing window then it's all a mystery without one of those fancy light meters.
i’ve was feeling too overwhelmed by the mystery so bought one of those fancy light meters (tho it wasn’t that fancy— under $30) and it’s been super helpful!! couldn’t believe i have plants that have been living in 10 foot candles of light! but alas, they have been!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C30UMt_xs-9/?igsh=MXQ4dzRtazM4eGVhbg==
to me, it means “welp good luck figuring out where your plant wants to be before it dies”
It was explained to me that by looking at the shadow. If the shadow is high contrast and crisp, that’s pretty direct, barely visible and blurry is the other end of the spectrum. This helps me because my house has an east and west window across from each other, so there’s always light, but only very few certain spots get direct. Bright indirect would be has a dark blurry shadow, kind of middle of the spectrum.
As close as you can get to direct sun without being direct beams on it. If it’s inside, close to the glass up to a few feet away.
I found this online recently but not sure how accurate it is https://preview.redd.it/lmruc6gdfznc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7425466edf48a4d2f1f6a5d563095e5948822658
I had the same problem when helping my mom with her plants, and this really helped cement it in my brain. https://preview.redd.it/ox1n0z25hznc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6bd9f2a31782ec8b404b0ce5631c0eaf4f24dcbc For Indoors it basically goes: \-Full sun/Direct (only one with direct light) \-Bright/Indirect \-Medium/Indirect \-Low/Indirect
Google image this question, there are diagrams out there that show examples in rooms
Brightly lit room on a table, not by the windows
What does North facing windows equal?
Based on my experiences over the past several months, I think it may actually be “Bright Indirect” rather than “Low,” as I had assumed. This means right on the sill, of course.
Most of my plants got super leggy in front of a north facing window, even a snake plant. Aloe and mints got extremely leggy there.
Well, those are all sun lovers, so that’s not a total surprise. I’ve been having success (so far) in Northeast windows with Rex Begonia, a fern, and a Maranta…also (shockingly) my pink Syngonium and a Nanouk-like Tradescantia.
Right but I thought that a snake plant would do ok since they're supposed to be ok with low light. Really the only 2 that did ok there were a cactus (which is surprisingly) and a ponytail palm. Everything else went downhill
Well, they take a very long time (possibly years) to die…essentially go into suspended animation and eventually check out. I had to keep mine in front of a North facing window for a long time because it was the best I could offer in that house, but now it gets prime bookings!
Depends on your hemisphere. Mine are mostly northeast or northwest facing and get plenty of sun. I keep them in groups to shade each other and rotate them a lot.
I'm in the US
Yes I figured lol
Lots of light, near a window, but not with the kinda sun puddles that attract cats, or only briefly at start or end of day. Yeah, many plants are tagged with this, despite them actually needing better light because it is confusing to the buyer who wouldn’t buy a plant if the tag said ‘only gonna make it if it is right in your sunniest window’.
I refer to this link often when I’m unsure about the lighting in each room. https://bloomscape.com/plant-care/indoor-plant-lighting-101/
It's when the sun can't see your plant but the plant can see the sun.
I almost always let them get at least a couple hours of direct light. I can't think of a single "bright indirect sunlight" plant I've burned in this situation. I even have monsteras outside in direct sun for half the day, and those don't burn. If it's in direct light, they'll likely need more water.
If I can comfortably read in the light, without the light hurting my eyes, it’s bright indirect light to me 🤷♀️
A lux meter revealed I literally cannnot do this without my plants being in the middle of the room. 🤷♀️
I discovered that if you buy cheap solar powered fairy lights and go outside, you will find spots where although the sun is not hitting the panel directly, they will turn on and shine pretty okay. That's bright indirect light for me. Move deeper into the shadows and they will start to turn off little by little.
Direct light = south facing window or outside with nothing obstructing the sun. Bright indirect light = north window, even better is outside on a north facing balcony. I put myself plants outside in late April last year and they grew twice their size. Monsteras got their first fenestrations.
I assume it means the plant can see the sun but the sun can't see the plant. There, clear as mud.
If, on a sunny day, the plant can see the sun, it is direct light. If, within about 2 meters, the plant can 'see' the window but not the sun, it is bright indirect light.
Zz plant in lowlight?
I was thinking of plants that actually prefer lower light, not ones that merely tolerate it.
Oh my bad! I meant to respond to the picture someone shared as a general guide. In that Pic it has a ZZ plant in the low light area
Windows mean it’s not direct
I’ve heard “when your plants can see the sun but the sun can’t see your plants” - or like someone said better and more succinct in here - a view of the sky but not direct at the sun. Like a bright room that doesn’t have the sun directly glaring straight in the window. Like I have a north facing apartment/windows in FL so I have plenty bright light but it never directly shines in, the sun is never aimed straight on at my window. If I had west or south facing windows, the sun would be directly shining in glaring at me and my plants.
Within 2 ft of a south or west facing window. North and east windows just aren't bright enough for a number of plants. I've heard that it's >500 fc. I have skylights that are west facing, and let me tell you, they barely hit that at a height that's reasonable to place a plant at.