How to Determine Light Requirements for Houseplants
- 1). Understand that low-light plants require at least 25 foot candles of light. That is equivalent to the amount of light shining through a north-facing window.
- 2). Understand that medium light plants require 75-100 foot candles. This is equivalent to an east- or west-facing window.
- 3). Understand that plants with high light requirements need at least 200 foot candles. You can get this amount of light from a south-facing window.
- 4). Understand that very high-light plants need at least 2000 foot candles of light. To achieve that amount, you will need to grow your plants under fluorescent lights.
- 5). Place a piece of white paper near the location you wish to set your plant.
- 6). Put your hand about 12 inches from the paper between the light source and the paper. If you see a distinct shadow, the location has high light. If you see a shadow, but the edges are fuzzy, you have moderate light. If you barely see the shadow at all, the area has low light.