Author: Audrey Stowe Smith | Published 12:12 PM, October 22, 2021

Many modern indoor plants originate from the floor of tropical rain forests, where the canopy of leaves shelters them. Therefore, they are not used to direct sunlight, which will burn their leaves.

However, because the rainforest canopy is high, the plants below it still receive bright indirect light. So vignetting is not suitable for them. Therefore, you need to strike an intermediate balance to grow plants commonly referred to as medium light indoor plants. Indirect sunlight refers to the natural light that reaches plants through reflection from other surfaces, while filtered sunlight is filtered through trees or diffused through transparent curtains.

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In order to clearly understand what bright indirect light means, it helps to see all three types of light requirements that various plants may need. Light measurement is in foot-candles, which initially means the amount of light 1 foot away from a specified number of candles; you can measure foot-candles using some mobile apps or photometers.

Bright light, without the adjective "indirect", usually refers to sufficient sunlight near the window that is not blocked by nearby trees or buildings. This light is generally considered to be equivalent to 1,000 foot-candles or more-up to 10,000 foot-candles at noon on a cloudless summer day and 4,000 foot-candles in sunny winter. If you place your hands on a surface illuminated by this light, your hands will cast clear shadows.

Indirect light at noon is in the range of 25 to 1,000 foot-candles, although most plants will not thrive in the dim conditions at the lower end of the range. If your hand still casts a fairly noticeable shadow, but the edges are a bit blurry, you may have bright indirect light. 500 foot candles are a good choice because according to the University of Florida chart, it can accommodate indoor plants that like high and medium indirect lighting.

The low light is actually at the lower end of the indirect cursor, the brightest time of the day is in the range of 25 to 300 foot candles. In this case, your hands will not cast too much shadow. If you cannot read a newspaper somewhere in your home without supplemental lighting, the light may be too low for any plant.

Related: 10 trees can tolerate indoor low light

All in all, bright indirect light is enough to cast a shadow—though not a dark, clear shadow—and it can be read. It can be found near windows facing north and east or near windows facing south and west, and it can also be found a few feet away from shadowless windows facing south or west. It can also be created by using diffused transparent curtains—the white curtains you can see—between the panes and the plants on the windows that receive direct sunlight.

In a room or hallway without windows, or if the plants are located at a corner more than 5 feet from the window, you may not find enough bright light for indoor plants. For these areas, you can use fluorescent lights or LED grow lights to create bright indirect light.

The amount of light your plants receive usually depends on which direction your windows face and how clear these windows are. Keep in mind that white walls will reflect more light back to the plants compared to dark colors.

South-facing windows: If the south-facing windows are not shaded by nearby trees or buildings, and there is plenty of sunlight during the day, please place plants that need bright indirect light about 3 to 5 feet away from the window or far enough from the sun The light never reaches them completely. If the window is shaded or covered with light-transmitting transparent overhangs, you can place plants as close to it as possible, as long as the overhangs are kept between them and the glass.

West-facing windows: The recommended unshaded south-facing windows usually apply to unshaded west-facing windows—especially windows facing southwest. The afternoon sunlight it receives is often hotter and brighter than the sunlight received by the east-facing windows. Therefore, in these west-facing windows, you can also place plants 3 to 5 feet away from the panes, or insert transparent curtains between them and the windows.

East-facing windows: Even if the east-facing windows without shading receive direct sunlight in the morning, the light is milder than the light later in the day. Therefore, most plants that prefer bright indirect light can be placed close to or even placed on the window sill of the east-facing window without diffuse overhang.

North-facing windows: Since north-facing windows rarely receive direct sunlight, you can usually place plants that like bright indirect light on the window sill so that they will get the maximum amount of light in that location. Because even this may not provide enough lighting for them, especially in winter, you may need to place a mirror opposite the window to reflect more light back to the plants. Or, consider buying fluorescent or LED grow lights.

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Of course, on cloudy days and early in the morning and evening, the amount of light your plants naturally receive will dim. In addition, in the shorter days of winter, plants will get less light. Therefore, those who cannot tolerate full sun during the rest of the year may handle well in the coldest months. However, some windows—such as south-facing windows hanging under wide eaves—may actually receive more direct sunlight in winter because the sun stays lower in the southern sky during these months.

Since each family will be different, please pay attention to the color of the plant. If they look unnaturally dim, yellow, or elongated, they may not receive enough light. On the other hand, if they look burned and then turn white again, as if they were trying to shrink themselves rather than grow, they accepted too much.

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