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Your Plants' Light Requirements – The Basics
Sunshine is wonderful. We all need a little bit of vitamin D in our lives in order to thrive. Of course, our plants need light in order to thrive, too.
But meeting your plants' sunlight requirements can be tricky when you rent an apartment instead of own a home. You likely don't have a yard full of sunny & shady spots to work with. Instead, you might just have a balcony – possibly a covered balcony – that faces whichever direction was available and inexpensive. Maybe you have a nice view from that balcony; maybe your only view is another building that you can practically touch, blocking any direct sunlight for 23 hours of every day. So how can you deal?
In this post, we break down everything you need to know about your plants' light requirements. It's not too complicated – you can work with what you've got to help your budding apartment garden bloom to its full potential.
When a Seedling Lacks Light – Why You Should Care
Here's the deal: Seedlings that don't get enough light when they're growing become "leggy". When a plant is leggy, it means that it's literally reaching toward the sun. It almost stretches, focusing all of its energy on growing tall enough to get closer to the light source, rather than on growing sturdy and bushy. Its stem is pale-white, tall, and very thin, as opposed to the medium-green, short, thick stem you want. Its leaves are usually undersized, too, since the seedling spends all of its energy growing tall and saves little for growing leaves.
So what's the big deal with being leggy? Well, it depends. If you're growing fruits or vegetables, a leggy seedling won't produce as big or as bountiful of a crop as his non-leggy brother will. The same goes for flowers and greenery – you'll get less blooms and less leaves due to stunted growth. The real issues arise with their fragility, though. Leggy seedlings are less sturdy when it comes to holding up against wind and rain. Further, if your plant is supposed to grow to be very tall, a leggy start might mean that he's not strong enough to support himself later in life, and could need help standing upright. The most heartbreaking part of leggy seedlings, though, is if their stems become so weak that they're unable to support their heads, causing them to fall over and die early on in their lives.
But that all sounds much scarier than I've found it to realistically be. When I first started growing my own seeds, almost all of them could be considered leggy. And while my plants weren't as big or bountiful or bushy as they had the potential to be that first summer, none of them actually died because of it. It all depends on the severity of the "legginess" and on how you try to help them.
What Can You Do About It?
The reality is that it's really hard to grow a non-leggy seedling without a grow light, even in a bright windowsill. The challenge doesn't end after he's matured a little, either. Throughout your plant's entire life, it's important to be mindful and proactive about how much light he's getting. Because when it comes down to it, if your plant isn't getting enough sunlight, he won't be fully happy. To help, keep in mind some of our tips below.
Essential Tips for Ensuring Your Apartment Garden Has a Bright Future
Consider What You Can Offer In Advance
A little foresight goes a long way when it comes to raising healthy plants & a hearty garden. The key is to look at where you want to eventually place your plants outside & determine what light conditions that spot has to offer. Maybe you have a perfect, luminous, always-sunny window to start your full-sun seedlings in. However, if the balcony you plan to move them to is basically a dark cave of shade, you're going to be kicking yourself a few months down the line. So think about it in advance. Choose plants that will thrive in the conditions you ultimately want to put them in, and adjust in the meantime. It's much easier to cater to a plant's needs when it's indoors than when it's outdoors.
Direction Matters
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, south-facing windows & balconies will get the most direct light. Those will be your perfect, luminous, always-sunny spots to capitalize on. Meanwhile, north-facing windows & balconies will get the least direct light.
Locations that are east-facing and west-facing both get moderate light, but they tend to be very different kinds of light. East-facing exposures, with the morning sun, are generally mild and cooler in temperature. On the other hand, west-facing exposures have to battle the hot, intense afternoon sun. These areas are great for part-shade and part-sun plants.
What Does Part-Sun Mean, Anyway?
There are four basic terms used to classify the different amounts of sunlight needed:
1. Full-Sun
This one is common and straightforward, but difficult to accomplish on a covered balcony. It means that the plant needs 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day. That requires the good ol' sun to be shining on your plant's leaves for most of the day, just like it would in a large, open field. It implies that the light is not filtered or blocked by another building, a privacy screen, a railing, or even another plant.
2. Part-Sun &
3. Part-Shade
These classifications are a little less straightforward. Of course, if you get partial sun, you probably get partial shade, too. Some people use the two terms interchangeably, but there is actually one subtle distinction. The difference is that while both part-sun and part-shade plants require 3-6 hours of sunlight each day, part-sun plants can handle the intense afternoon sun on a west-facing balcony, while part-shade plants can't. Part-shade plants do better in the softer morning sun of an east-facing balcony. This is because part-shade plants can be dramatic and wilt when the temperature gets too hot (even if they're getting their much-needed light). Their leaves and flowers can droop to the point of looking like you've starved them of water for weeks, when really, they just can't handle the heat. For a lot of apartment balconies, 3-6 hours of light is fairly attainable. Just be mindful of which 3-6 hours your balcony gets – morning or afternoon.
4. Shade
This is when you don't get any (or barely get any) direct sunlight on your balcony. It's actually less reminiscent of the dark cave of shade we mentioned earlier and more reminiscent of being under an umbrella at the pool. It's not pitch-black and it's still a really enjoyable place to relax. It just means that you can't see your shadow and you can't get a tan.
Many plants that look beautiful and easy require full-sun, like sunflowers, strawberries, marigolds, and tomatoes. Unfortunately, your chances of getting a full 6-8 hours of sunlight on an urban balcony are slim. If you do, I'm jealous – plant away! But if you don't, you still have lots of options.
There are tons of part-sun and part-shade plants that will do OK as long as your balcony provides some sort of sunlight. Try pansies, petunias, beets, or spinach. And if you have that shade cave? Coleus and impatiens are my go-to's. You can always Google to get more quick suggestions of what grows best with the light conditions you have.
Don't Be Afraid of a Little Artificial Help
Grow lights seemed so advanced to me when I first started out. Heck – I wasn't a florist or a farmer. I just wanted to grow a plant that lived!
However, I quickly shifted my mindset when it came to grow lights. They're cheap, they don't have to be a fluorescent pink color, and you can easily screw them in to that desk lamp you still have from your freshman year of college (this helps you adjust as your plant gets taller). If you have a timer, you can program it to act as a pretend sunrise-sunset, and it takes absolutely no extra thought or effort. It can actually look really stylish & modern, too.
Grow lights aren't just for serious gardeners – they can help a lot with indoor light limitations when seedlings are first starting out. Don't be afraid to give them a shot.
The only bummer is that there isn't an easy way to take your grow lights outside. Last year, I experimented with a little outdoor grow light "supplementation" on my north-facing balcony, but just couldn't figure out a way to ensure it's effective, stylish, and safe. Setting up an indoor task lamp outside – in full exposure of the elements – seemed like a bit of a fire hazard to me. I didn't want to be responsible for burning my entire complex down. That's why it's best to consider your outdoor setup first and work to cater to that.
If All Else Fails, Consider a Swap
When I was first starting out, I had a lot of full-sun plants that I grew. They thrived under my grow light when I started them indoors, but when I went to move them outside, I somberly realized how sad they'd be on my shade-covered balcony. I struggled to find a solution, and when I finally gave up, I decided to give them to my mom. She has a full backyard of sun and always welcomes more flowers for her garden. In exchange, she gave me some cuttings of one of her more shady plants. Ever since, I've gone to her for growing advice, and we reach out to share in & celebrate our little plant successes.
So if your plant needs more light and there's nothing else you can do, see if you can swap or gift it to a friend, a coworker, a family member, or even just your neighbor with the enviously-sunny balcony. Your plant will be happier, and you might just connect in a new way.
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