Bring greenery indoors has been gaining popularity as the proven health benefits of plants have been making headlines. To keep your plants happy and healthy, you need to provide sufficient water and light. Signs of over or under-watering are sometimes more noticeable than signs of insufficient light. Here at Salisbury’s number one florist, Kitty’s Flowers, we’ve listed the following guidelines for making sure your plants are receiving enough light to thrive.

Signs Your Plant Has Insufficient Light

Leggy 

Leggy is a term used to describe plants that have developed skinny stems that have grown tall in their quest for adequate light. This is not an ideal situation. Plants need light to become lush, full, and thriving and, in turn, they will help keep indoor air clean with their air-purifying qualities. If your plant has skinny stems with leaves located far apart from each other, then they need to be relocated to a better-lit area.

Small Leaves

If new leaves on your plant aren’t matching in size to older leaves, it’s likely the plant needs more sunlight. Improve the lighting conditions and watch your plant bloom and thrive as it should.

Leaning

A plant that is visibly leaning is the result of the leaves and stems turning towards what little light is can reach to absorb as much energy/food from it as possible. When this happens for too long, the plant will become lopsided or one-sided. To prevent this problem, move the plant closer to its light source while rotating once a week to ensure the entire plant benefits from light and not just one side.

Abnormal Leaf Color

Pale green or yellow-colored leaves that eventually fall of are signs of light deficiency. When there is not enough light the chlorophyll in the plant’s leaves can not do its job. This causes the green color of a leaf to fade and become yellow and then drop off.

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 food one of the signs no or slowed growth in an effort for it to conserve what little energy it does have. Keeping plants in plenty of light is what makes them grow to become lush and beautiful.

Getting the Light Right

If you see any of the above signs of poor lighting in your plants, you may be tempted to move them as close to a bright window as possible. But that may not be the best solution. 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 or indirect bright light is the optimum lighting condition for most indoor plant varieties except shade-loving plants like ferns and orchids. Changing locations and keeping an eye on your plants to ensure they are thriving and healthy is the best way to keep them happy.