Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants
Indoor plants are a great option to get a beautiful and natural environment inside your home. Normally, indoor plants are easier to grow, and they do not wilt in the absence of proper care. Low-light conditions are challenging for indoor gardeners. Everyone loves indoor plants and they can instantly make space feel prettier, brighter, and greener. In this article we also discuss the below topics about low light indoor plants;
- Fast-growing low light indoor plants
- Plants for apartments with low light
- Low-light indoor plants that can survive in even the darkest corner
- How do you care for indoor low light plants
A Step-By-Step Guide to Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants
Indoor growing plants can purify our air, promote feelings of happiness, inspiration, and wellbeing, and they reconnect us with nature. Not only that, but low light indoor plants that need little water means that even those with a black thumb stand a chance of raising a frondy friend. Though, while everyone loves a good indoor plant, not everyone has the perfect conditions within their homes to cater to the air, light, and water requirements of the most popular indoor plants.
Generally, if you live in a house that doesn’t get a lot of natural light, or if you’re living in an apartment block and trying to make the most of your one window and sliding glass door (neither of which get great natural light). Generally, low-light houseplants will likely do fine in an east- or west-facing room that has a window or two, even if they get no direct sunshine. But a room with no windows or a single north-facing window will make it hard on even the most shade-tolerant plants. Here, you can help out your plants by leaving the artificial lights on for a few hours each day.
Where to Place Your Indoor Plants
Below are general rules for exposure for low light indoor plants.
- North facing – usually no direct sun but still, some light and plants can be close to the windows.
- East facing – you want the plant to be at least 5 feet away from the windows.
- West or south-facing – you want the plant at least 10 feet away from the windows.
- None of these plants (or most houseplants for that matter) will take direct sun so keep them out of windows.
If your home light isn’t flooded with sunlight, don’t worry. Here we consider the best low light indoor plants. Not only will these 10 favorite houseplants do well, but the plants are also low maintenance. These indoor plants are perfect for homes and offices with little or no natural sunlight.
Here are some low-light indoor plants that will do well even if your window doesn’t get bright sunlight.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #1. ZZ Plant
ZZ plant grows well in dry environmental conditions and pushes the low-light limit to its extreme. The ideal plant for the forgetful plant owner, it is a forgiving plant that handles low light and sporadic watering. It is a slow grower, so it won’t need repotting or dividing for years. The thick glossy plant leaves look beautiful in any décor. ZZ plant is a favorite indoor plant in offices because they do well under fluorescent lights. This easy-care plant is very tolerant of low light and it likes partial to full shade. Also tolerates periods of low to no water. ZZ plants do best in bright to moderate, indirect light, but will do fine in extremely low light levels. ZZ plant makes an ideal plant for a window-less office or bathroom where it will only receive small amounts of fluorescent light.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #2. Snake Plant
Snake plant is also called mother-in-law’s tongue. The Snake plant is one of the toughest houseplants on the planet. These architectural beauties come in a variety of leaf shapes and colors and do just fine in low-light conditions.
The Sansevieria species are some of the best low-light plants and they are striking in appearance and strikingly easy to grow. The optimal place to keep this inexpensive and low-maintenance plant is the bedroom because it converts carbon dioxide into oxygen at night. This is a long-lived plant that can thrive for decades. Snake plant is a low-light-loving variety, comes in many different leaf shapes as well as wide and short, even cylindrical plant leaves that look like little spikes. This easy-care plant comes in a wide range of colors from white, yellow, and green striped to green leaves splashed with lighter colors.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #3. Spider plant
The spider plant is considered one of the most adaptable of indoor plants and is one of the easiest to grow. Spider plants can be grown as hanging plants, baskets, or pots. The plants will survive for a long time in less-than-ideal light conditions, including artificial light. Spider plants prefer nice bright light (like a west, north, or east window) but will do fine in lower light conditions. Spider plants love low light conditions and do not require much attention other than occasional watering when the soil feels dry. They send out long spindly plant leaves and small white flowers that will cascade down the edge of their container, making them a great choice for an indoor hanging basket.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #4. Chinese evergreen
It is one of the best low-light indoor plants. It is low maintenance that it can go without water for up to three weeks. It doesn’t need fertilizer and can survive in fluorescent light talk about a plant that’s hard to kill.
There are so many plant species and varieties of this houseplant on the market; it’s tough to pick a favorite. Some plant varieties are solid green while others are variegated with white, pink, red, and even a soft orange. Chinese evergreen plants are super-easy to grow. Green varieties tolerate low light conditions without a problem, but the colorful selections need the medium light of an east- or west-facing window. Don’t over-water this easy-care indoor plant or root rot could be the result. Maxing out between 1 and 3 feet in height, Chinese evergreen plants make wonderful apartment plants for floor display.
When choosing a Chinese evergreen plant, pay close attention to the color of the plant. The older hybrids, mostly green colored, can take low light and also grow well. The newer colorful hybrids require medium light and do well in an east or west window. If placed in low light, the plants will lose their bright coloration.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #5. Staghorn Fern
Staghorn fern plant performs well in high humidity locations. In nature, it grows in trees and requires no soil and little moisture around plant roots. It requires moderate light. Staghorn ferns need bright, indirect, or diffused light to thrive, though they should be protected from the harsh rays of the direct sun.
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Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #6. Pothos
Pothos is a low light lover that makes a good entry point into growing indoor plants. This plant handles a wide range of conditions and still performs well. Ideally, it must have low to moderate light and should dry out between watering. Pothos will tolerate low to high light, although golden and variegated plant varieties will revert to green in very low light conditions, so jade pothos is best for true low light situations. Direct sunlight will burn plant leaves quickly. It is also called Devil’s Ivy. These low light indoor plants are easy to care for as they thrive with little attention and they can propagate easily. Pothos is a very low-light tolerant plant. In a darker space, the Pothos plant will grow slower and need less water, but it will adapt.
Pothos will thrive in any potting mix and grows well in partial to full shade. This plant is drought-resistant, so water when the top 2 inches of soil are dry, roughly once a week then once every two weeks in winter. These popular plants have leaves that change color based on lighting conditions. They grow long vines that may need to be untangled regularly to continue growing.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #7. Dracaena limelight
This plant maintains its color best in low-light environments and is relatively slow-growing. Allow the soil to dry between watering, but mist the leaves regularly. Your Dracaena Limelight plant will flourish in low to indirect bright light. The lower light helps to keep the dramatic lime coloring. When it resides in bright indirect light, the plant leaves will be a bit lighter in color.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #8. Prayer Plant
Prayer plants are tolerant of low light conditions but not so much of cold temperatures. Their ideal is 18-26°C, which mimics their native jungle and forest habitats. It is somewhat tolerant of low light conditions; it does best in bright, indirect sunlight. The plant prefers well-drained soil and requires high humidity to thrive. It should be kept moist, but not soggy.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #9. Arrowhead vine
Arrowhead vines are indoor plants that thrive in low light conditions. The plants look great in mixed containers or a pot by themselves. They’re also easy to multiply, and it’s fun to collect all of the different varieties. Normally, grow arrowhead plants in low- or medium-light spots. The heavily variegated varieties need bright, filtered light. Average light is the norm for solid green plant varieties or those with less variegation.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #10. Creeping Fig
This member of the ficus family is native to the tropics and loves low light conditions and humidity. Creeping fig prefers a bright room, but does not like direct sunlight. It can survive in low-light conditions for an extended period but will grow slowly and perhaps drop leaves. Keep steadily moist, but don’t allow it to sit in water or it will drop plant leaves and suffer from root rot.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #11. English Ivy
Not only does the English ivy plant thrive in low light, but it’s also an air-purifying plant capable of filtering toxins, mold, and fecal matter out of the air. It comes in a wide variety of leaf colors and shapes and thrives in low light. It is the perfect plant to grow on a cool, north-facing windowsill. English ivy plants can be bothered by spider mites, so mist the plants often to prevent these pests from gaining a foothold.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #12. Philodendron
Philodendron plant is a medium- to low-light indoor plant that prefers to be kept dry between watering. These plants are a large family of plants that thrive under low-light conditions, including the popular Heart-Leaf Philodendron.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #13. Lady Palm
This low light indoor plant requires a drink once a week. This plant is slow-growing, so it’s worth buying an advanced specimen to maximize impact. This is a low light indoor plant that will grow in almost any well-drained soil. This plant prefers to be positioned away from the full sun but will grow well in a position that gets light.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #14. Lucky Bamboo
The lucky bamboo plant prefers some light, but will gladly thrive in nearly full-shade locations. Lucky bamboo grows best in low, indirect light. That being said, when you grow the lucky bamboo plant inside, it does need some light. It will not grow well in near darkness.
Top 15 Low Light Indoor Plants #15. Peace Lily
Peace lily plant prefers moderate to low light and consistently moist soil. It reblooms several times a year, even with low-light levels. The peace lily plant is great for people that don’t want to monitor watering all the time. The plant leaves will droop when watering is required. Depending on the space, you can get away with watering once a fortnight. Water this low light indoor plant when the top inch and a bit of soil are dry.
The Peace lily plant is among the best indoor plants to keep the air clean and a very popular house plant. This plant has dark, glossy, green foliage with beautiful white color flowers. They grow up to 65 centimeters and thrive in bright and indirect light. The plants are the best indoor plants for low light, but that might affect the way they bloom.
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