Perhaps the most important environmental indicator for normal plant life is sunlight, which is used to build the primary organic matter. That is why almost all representatives of the flora need sunlight.
However, there are those for which not necessarily full coverage. Accordingly, the requirements for light in plants are different, which creates certain difficulties when they are correctly placed in an apartment, house or office. Based on this, they can be divided into photophilous, shade-tolerant, and also tenindifferent.
Light-loving indoor plants are usually placed on windows with a southern orientation, shade-tolerant should be in the north direction, and those who prefer partial shade on windowsills facing east or west.
These recommendations are general, because sometimes even the most light-loving plants need to be protected from the scorching sun, and for the shade-loving ones, the southern window may well come up if it is obscured by a nearby house or a tree growing next to it.
Light for plants has the same meaning as air for human life. Indeed, it is thanks to him that photosynthesis takes place, and “building” organic materials are produced.
Like all other living organisms, plants also have the ability to adapt to changing conditions, while this is expressed differently in different species.
For example, light-loving plants are quite easily accustomed to excess light, however, there are those that feel good only under certain lighting conditions. And if this is not enough, then their appearance is somewhat modified: the leaves become larger and somewhat elongated, the strength of the stem is lost, the internodes are stretched, the color of the foliage changes. And then their growth decreases, i.e. the number of products produced during photosynthesis decreases , flowering stops.
On a scale of illumination, green spaces can be divided into the following three groups:
- The first group includes photophilous plants, for good growth which need from 5,000 to 10,000 lux of illumination. These include all citrus fruits, succulents, abutilon, oleander, cyperus, passionflower, etc.
- The second group includes aroid, chlorophytums, ivies, bilberia, etc. For them, the need for light is up to 3000 lux.
- Ferns, fatsia, drimeopsis, ophiopogon, etc. grow well when illuminated at 500 lux, so they are considered shade-tolerant.
Experienced growers can determine the degree of illumination of a room even “by eye”. But for amateurs, it’s enough just to pay attention to the fact how long the sun has “stayed” in the room in order to choose the right place for a certain representative of the flora.
About whether they have enough light, the flowers themselves will say well. And if the level of illumination is insufficient for them, then they have the following symptoms for almost a few days: photophilous plants slow down their growth, the lower leaves fall off or turn yellow, the distance between shoots increases, the colored foliage turns dark green. In such cases, it is enough to move the pot closer to the window and remove the dust that accumulates on the leaves with a soft cloth.
Of course, in modern apartments, plants are more likely to suffer from a lack of light than from its excess. But you need to know that direct sunlight also has an undesirable effect on many green spaces, moreover, they can burn leaves. And if shade-loving plants placed on the sunny side begin to droop, yellow or dry leaves even with moist soil, then keep in mind this is a real “burn”. The simplest and most necessary solution in this case is a rearrangement of the pot.
Subject to all these conditions, plants will more than thank their owner with lush foliage and beautiful flowers.