What Does Indirect Sunlight Mean for Your Plants—and How Do You Create It?

For many plants, more sun isn't always better. For those that require indirect sunlight in order to thrive, it's important to know how to create the perfect growing environment. We asked experts to explain exactly what indirect light means, and how to position your houseplants for optimum light exposure.

What Is Indirect Sunlight?

"Indirect sunlight is when your plant can see the sky, but cannot see the sun," says plant educator Paris Lalicata. But to really understand indirect sunlight, you have to also understand what direct light means. "Direct sun is when your plant can see the sun from its view to the sky, receiving morning direct sunlight from the east, afternoon direct sunlight from the south—which is the strongest— and direct sunlight as it sets in the west," Lalicata explains. This means a plant in an east-facing window will have direct sun in the morning, then indirect light the rest of the day.

For most houseplants, placing them in direct sun all day long is dangerous. "Direct light sources can burn the leaves of your plant or cause stress," says plant expert Angalena Malavenda. "Indirect light is the most ideal type of sunlight for growing plants because it provides proper illumination without the harshness direct light brings."

The concept of indirect light can be further broken up into bright indirect light, which is on the brighter end of the indirect light spectrum, and medium or low indirect light, which includes softer sunlight and windowless rooms without any sunlight at all.

Why Some Plants Need Indirect Sunlight

Since the plants we now treasure in our homes once started out in the wild, you'll need to recreate their preferred growing conditions from their natural environment in your own home. Plants that require bright indirect light or filtered light tend to be plants that grew in tropical or forest settings, where they thrived in the shade of trees or other plants. For instance, some varieties of orchids grow right on a tree trunk under the shade of the tree.

Do a little research into the plant variety you've chosen to see how they live in the wild, so you can pick the perfect spot accordingly.

How to Position Plants for Indirect Light

There are several tricks you can use to get the light just right for your plants, whether they need bright indirect light or filtered light.

Take advantage of eastern light.

The easiest way to get indirect light is to place your plant in a window where it will get the lightest amount of sunshine. "Most houseplants actually love the morning sun from an east window because it’s just rising and not so intense, so by placing your houseplants in an east window they can get some morning direct sun, but bright indirect light the rest of the day with no obstructions," says Lalicata. Another option is a northern facing window that gets little direct sun.

Measure the light.

If you aren't sure if you're getting the light right, you can invest in a light meter, or use light meter apps (Lux Light Meter is one to try) to measure the light in your chosen spot. Make sure you're testing the light quality at different times of day, since what looks ideal in the morning may be too bright for your plant in the afternoon.

Light measurements are measured in foot candles or lux. (One foot candle is the same amount of light a candle gives off on a square-foot surface set a foot away from it, and about 10 foot candles equals 1 lux.)

Here's what measurements you should be looking for to hit the appropriate light for your plant:

• Direct light: More than 1,000 foot candles
• Bright indirect light: 500-1,000 foot candles
• Medium indirect light: 100-500 foot candles
• Low light: 25-100 foot candles

Use window shades and curtains.

Sheer or light curtains or shades can help filter the light for plants that require indirect light. "If your only option is a direct light source like a south- or west-facing window, you can filter the strength of the incoming light with sheer curtains or blinds to help dampen the amount of light hitting your plants," says Malavenda.

Place your plant further away from the window.

If the light seems too strong for your plant in a certain spot, look for places in your room that aren't so close to the windows. To achieve bright indirect light, a plant can be a foot or two from a window with direct light—such as a window with western or southern exposure. Plants that require medium or low indirect light can be placed further away from the windows, or in rooms that have the curtains drawn or don't have windows at all.

Opt for grow lights.

If your favorite plants are placed in a room with insufficient light, you can keep them happy with a grow light. Grow lights offer adjustable timers and light intensities to create optimal growing conditions.

How to Tell if Your Plant Is Getting Too Much Light (or Too Little)

Your plant will give you signs if the light is too strong or too weak for them, so you can adjust the lighting as needed.

Signs of too much light include:

• Drying out too quickly
• Brown, curling, or scorched leaves
• Stunted growth

If your plant is getting too little light, you may see:

• Stunted, leggy, or distorted growth
• Losing leaves
• Loss of any variegation or pigmentation on new leaves