Do Indoor Plants Need Sunlight? [Guide]

Light is an essential factor for the growth of indoor plants, and they can't simply grow without it.

But the question is, do indoor plants need sunlight, or can you grow them anywhere in your room or at any darker place?

So, let's find it in detail with indoor plants that don't require a lot of sunlight, some tips, and important things you must consider when growing them indoors.

Let's go!

Do Indoor Plants Need Sunlight?

Indoor plants need sunlight just like any other plant grown on the lawn or garden.

As light is the food for plants, they need it to grow taller, wider, and strong.

Keeping indoor plants beyond required light can put stress and make leaning towards sun rays.

As a result, they lose shape and grow weak, thin, and tall.

You can grow multiple varieties of indoor plants with different light requirements.

For instance, some indoor plants require little to no light, and it means they are perfect for a living room or office where there is not plenty of light.

At the same time, many plants love medium or high indoor sunlight.

The key to knowing the light required for your indoor plant is to know where it originates from.

Some plants like succulents or cacti belong to warm areas, requiring a bit of direct sun indoors.
Plants native to shaded areas like Boston fern can grow in somewhat darker or shady indoor places. Thus, always consider their original light requirement and grow accordingly.

In the following section, let's get to know more about the plants that don't require direct sunlight.

List Of Indoor Plants That Don't Require A Lot Of Sunlight

Many indoor plants do not require more sunlight indoors, but these plants do not mind neglect and tolerate low light conditions.

So, let's take a look at them quickly.

ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas) – It can tolerate low light conditions or even areas with no natural light sources. Typically, it needs indirect light around 6 to 8 hours per day.
Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) – It is commonly known as a barroom plant, grows well away from direct sunlight, and is a shade-loving plant. Do not grow it in complete darkness and allow sun exposure for a few hours.
Monstera (Monstera deliciosa) – It is also known as the Swiss cheese plant and is suitable for low-light places. Ensure your plant does not stay in direct sunlight for more than 2 hours of morning sunlight.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) – It needs at least 6 to 8 hours of bright indirect sunlight every day. Remember, keep it away from direct sun exposure.
Pothos – These are trailing plants that do best in low light, and they do better with a few hours of moderate light every day.
Snake Plant (Sansevieria) – It is commonly known as Mother-in-laws' tongue plant, and it prefers bright indirect light and grows well in shady corners and other low light areas of the home where they receive 4 to 5 hours of indirect sunlight.
Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) – It does not like direct sunlight, and you should aim to give your plant 6 to 8 hours of indirect, filtered light each day.
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) – It does not appreciate bright direct sunlight and needs anywhere between 6 to 8 hours of natural sunlight each day.
Silver Queen (Aglaonema) – It is good for semi-shade to medium light areas and requires 4 to 5 hours of sunlight.
Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia) – It is a taller indoor plant that is perfect for both homes and office spaces as it needs 6 to 7 hours medium-light a day.

Well, if you are wondering what the best indoor plants that can survive in low light are, you can surely refer to the above list and get some of them for your indoor places.

Now, let's understand the ways through which you can provide sufficient sunlight to your houseplants.

6 Tips To Ensure Sufficient Sunlight For Your Indoor Plants

Here are some of the tips and guidelines you should follow -

Windowsills are the best spots for indoor plants to ensure sufficient light. You can arrange plants in a row so that taller pots are behind smaller ones, so there is no obstruction of light for any plant.
If there is no windowsill left, you can use plant racks and place them at a location where they can receive abundant light to meet the plant's light requirement.
Use different windows as per the need of plants. In this way, neither plant gets harmed nor lacks light. For instance, if your plant needs more light exposure and keeping it in front of a window that hardly allows 1 to 2 hours can make it yellowish and sick.
You can use reflected light to ensure sufficient light for indoor plants. The reflected light is not any light source. Bounced light strikes a surface and then comes back to the plants. If you hang a mirror near the plant, the light will fall on the mirror first and then come to your plant.
Placing plants near light-colored walls is also best as they reflect light to the plants, which is great to ensure sufficient light for indoor plants.
If your indoor plant is dying due to extremely low light conditions, do not hesitate to move it in outdoor indirect light for a few hours daily until it recovers.

Remember these guidelines and try to implement them as much as possible.

5 Things To Remember While Keeping Indoor Plants In Direct Sunlight

Indoor plants are not tolerant of direct or prolonged sun exposure, and leaving in too much sunlight can harm them.

Your plant may get burned or grow scorched leaves.

Similarly, leaves fall off after drying.

So, it is best to remember these things when keeping indoor plants in direct sunlight -

You can maintain a reasonable distance of plants from direct sunlight to avoid plant burning. Keep indoor plants that prefer medium light one to two feet away from sun rays.
A west-facing window is good for high and medium-light loving plants as it allows more sunlight at the end of the day when the temperature is warmest.
Do not use thick blinds or curtains on windows where plants are placed as they block light. But if your plant is a low or medium-light grower, you can leave blinds half-open. Otherwise, keep windows open and allow sunlight for indoor plants that require plenty of light.
Using semi-translucent curtains on windows is the best idea as it neither allows direct sunlight to burn leaves nor completely blocks them to damage plants.
Do not expose baby plants to direct sun as it can kill them.

Now, let's have a look at the FAQs below.

FAQs

1. Can Houseplants Survive Without Sunlight?

Yes, they can surely survive without sunlight, but not for too long.

At some point, you will have to provide them with a decent amount of sunlight so that they can start producing enough food for the system.

Otherwise, their leaves generally turn dark green.

And some of the plants may not even survive for long.

2. Do Indoor Plants Need Sunlight Or Just Light?

Indoor plants can also be grown in artificial lights as long as the whole setup is desired carefully.

In general, though, it's always a good idea to keep your plants in the sun for a few hours at least.

3. How Often Do Indoor Plants Need Sun?

It depends on each plant.

Some plants need more sunlight than others.

But ideally, you should try to provide morning sunlight to your plants.

The early morning sunlight is not too harsh, which makes it easier for such plants to soak it in as much as they require.

So, you can keep your indoor plants in the sun for at least a couple of hours.

4. Is Sunlight Bad For Indoor Plants?

No, sunlight is, in fact, beneficial for indoor plants.

However, exposing your plants to direct sunlight for too long will indeed affect their growth.

Indoor plants should be kept in light to moderate sunlight.

5. How To Create Sunlight Indoors For Plants?

You can place the plants near a window or a place where they can receive moderate or impartial sunlight.

If it's not possible, you can even place them in a bright location.

This is ideal for them, especially when direct sunlight is not possible.