"direct sunlight"?
How direct is "direct"? I have several plants that require bright light but not direct sunlight. My house is just not very bright, even though I always keep the shades open, so this is hard. I have a couple good windowsills though. They get direct sunlight here and there throughout the day, but trees get in the way so it's never for very long (I doubt they ever get it for an hour, or maybe even half an hour, at any one time) and in Washington in winter the sunlight seems relatively mild even on a clear day. Can I put plants in these windows even if it says "no direct sunlight"? Should I take them away from the windows in summer?
Direct sunlight is just that, I.e., sunlight that shines directly on the plant. Direct sunlight filtered through a sheer or lightweight curtain is usually the equivalent of indirect light. You can also place a plant a foot or two back from the glass of a window that receives direct sunlight, and it will usually do fine. I usually place "indirect light" plants to one side of a window. An hour or two of sunlight on the leaves shouldn't cause a problem. Also, morning sunlight isn't as strong as afternoon sunlight, so plants in east windows can take more sunlight than plants in west or south windows.
Light passing through a pane of glass is much less intense than sunlight outdoors. It's about the equivalent of "bright shade" outdoors. Some of the light energy is converted to heat as the light passes through the glass, so heat is more of a problem for an indoor plant close to a window than is the actual "brightness" of the light. JMO.
Light passing through a pane of glass is much less intense than sunlight outdoors. It's about the equivalent of "bright shade" outdoors. Some of the light energy is converted to heat as the light passes through the glass, so heat is more of a problem for an indoor plant close to a window than is the actual "brightness" of the light. JMO.
I use a piece of insect barrier fabric or a piece of wax paper taped or tacked to the window frame to block the direct sunlight.
Wax paper fits perfectly into the window panes with scotch tape for a nice clean, tidy look. This will give you the indirect light for growing sun senseative plants like african violets. However, the sunlight is generally too weak to cause damage during the winter months but be careful non the less.
Wax paper fits perfectly into the window panes with scotch tape for a nice clean, tidy look. This will give you the indirect light for growing sun senseative plants like african violets. However, the sunlight is generally too weak to cause damage during the winter months but be careful non the less.
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Hydroponics
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A sure fire way to make sure each plant is getting their light requirement, you can look up the plant species online and try to find photos of what it looks like when it gets the right amount of light, and what it looks like when it gets too much light. From there you should be able to properly judge what you should do.oki wrote: have several plants that require bright light but not direct sunlight. My house is just not very bright, even though I always keep the shades open, so this is hard. I have a couple good windowsills though. They get direct sunlight here and there throughout the day, but trees get in the way so it's never for very long (I doubt they ever get it for an hour, or maybe even half an hour, at any one time)
If you find they need more light, you can always add a hanging fluorescent fixture or place a compact fluorescent light bulb hovering over the plants.