Give Me Light… or Give Me Death…

As owners of houseplants, we’ve all done this. (Okay, maybe not ALL of us—but if you read further, you’ll probably recognize yourself. I know I’ve done this.)

You’re out and about shopping, and there it is—the perfect houseplant for your living room. The colors are just right, and the plant is the perfect size and shape. The only trouble is your living room has a northern exposure and not all that much light. You’re pretty sure the plant beckoning you to take it home requires bright light.

A moment’s hesitation, and then you smile. Maybe for other indoor gardeners, this little light problem would be an issue, but you are an incredibly gifted indoor gardener. With some of your brand of TLC, this new houseplant will do perfectly well. So you lug the plant to the cashier, plunk down the payment, and leave with your prized possession.

When you put your new indoor garden addition in the living room, you’re not surprised when the oohs and aahs begin. Everyone loves your new plant and comments on how good it looks in the living room. And it does look good for a while. As a matter of fact, after a month, when the plant is still looking good, you reach around to pat yourself on the back. You did it! Other indoor gardeners couldn’t pull such a feat off, but you did. Your favorite houseplant is thriving despite the dim light, and it’s all because of your incredibly green thumb.

A couple of weeks later, your smile fades a bit when you find that your houseplant has shed a few leaves. You’re really frowning a few days later when every morning you must pick up leaves and rush them to the trash before anyone sees. And then comes the awful day when your once thriving houseplant is so bare of foliage that it’s embarrassing. So, when everyone is away, you scurry to the trash out back, stuff the poor thing in the trashcan, and slam the lid.

The truth? Houseplants that require bright light must have bright light. The only reason that plants do well for so long in dim conditions is due to the fact that plants store up light energy when they get sufficient light. When they are exposed to poor light conditions, they begin pulling from the stored light to live. Eventually, the stored light energy is gone, so they start dropping leaves to survive, eventually dropping just about all of their leaves.

So, yes, you are an awesome indoor gardener. Just make sure that along with your awesomeness, you give plants the right amount of light. They’ll reward you with lush growth.