Even though your plant probably came labeled with the best type of lighting conditions for it, it’s still tricky to figure out exactly how much light your type of plant really needs. Luckily, your plant is a great communicator and lets you know visually if it’s in any distress. Here at Uniontown’s top local florist, Neubauer’s Flowers we’ve put together a list of signs you need to look for to determine if your plant is getting enough light to thrive.

Plant Symptoms of Inadequate Light

Leggy 

Leggy is a term used to describe plants that have skinny stems with sparse leaves. Plants need light to become lush, full, and thriving and, in turn, 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 it’s a clear sign of insufficient light.

Smaller Leaves

Plants will grow significantly smaller leaves in an effort to conserve energy when they don’t get enough light. Improve the lighting conditions and watch your plant thrive.

Leaning

A visibly leaning plant is desperately trying to absorb as much light as possible because it’s not getting quite enough. The plant could end up lopsided or one-sided with leaves all on one side and the other side bare. To prevent this, place the plant in a room with better light and rotate it a quarter-turn at least once a week so the entire plant benefits from light and not just one side.

Abnormal Leaf Color

Pale green and yellow leaves that drop off are signs of light deficiency. When there is not enough light to produce chlorophyll, the green begins to fade, turns yellow, and will then fall off.

Slowed Growth or No Growth

The sun is what gives a plant the energy to grow and thrive so a plant with no demonstrable growth is likely light-starved. Plants can survive with little to no energy but they will not thrive or grow to become lush and beautiful.

Getting the Light Right

Making sure your plants get enough sunlight is a bit more complex than just moving it as close to a window as possible. There are only a few plant varieties that can handle hours of direct sunlight, like palm plants, cacti, and succulents.

Indirect bright light is the best type of lighting for most indoor plants except shade-loving ones like ferns and orchids. It may take a bit of trial and error before discovering the perfect balance of light for your plants, but paying attention to any signs of poor lighting they exhibit will help make the correct adjustments.