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Plant Interiorscapes and Interior Plants for Indoor Lighting

Posted by Southern Botanical, Inc. in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on May 17, 2012

Attractive and constantly changing, plant interiorscapes and interior plants for indoor lighting add a softness of line and provide a bit of nature indoors.

Article Reference: Lighting Indoor Houseplants
David Trinkle in the Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri

Interior plants are popular indoor decorations. However, the ideal location of a plant interiorscape or interior plant for indoor lighting or for decoration may not be the ideal spot for plant growth. Lack of adequate light is the most common factor limiting the growth of plants in many areas of the home. Supplementary electric lighting is usually the easiest and least expensive way to provide enough light for plants that do not receive adequate natural light.

Why do plants need light?
Light provides the energy that green plants need to make the food required for them to grow and flower. Green plants are the only organisms able to use light to produce sugars, starches and other substances needed by them as well as by other living organisms.

Is light color important to plants?
Certain colors in light rays are important for proper interior plant growth. Leaves reflect and derive little energy from many of the yellow and green rays of the visible spectrum. Yet the red and blue parts of the light spectrum are the most important energy sources for plants, and plants require more rays from the red range than from the blue.

Green plants growing outdoors, in greenhouses or close to windows are exposed to a natural balance of the blue and red light rays that plants need. Where plants receive little or no natural light, you must provide additional light from artificial sources.

Which types of lights are best?
As a single light source for plants, incandescent light bulbs are not particularly good. They are a good source of red rays but a poor source of blue. They produce too much heat for most plants and, if used, must be located some distance from the plants, thus reducing the intensity of the light the plants receive. They are also about one-third as efficient as fluorescent tubes in converting electrical energy to light. Furthermore, a standard incandescent bulb's life is often only about 1,000 hours, whereas a fluorescent tube's life is normally 10,000 hours or more.

Fluorescent tubes provide one of the best artificial light sources available for plants in the home. Other light sources such as sodium-vapor and metal halide lamps may be used but are not as readily available or adaptable for home use.

Fluorescent tubes are made in many sizes and shapes: circular, U-shaped, square or straight. Straight tubes in 2-, 4- or 8-foot lengths are used most frequently.

What is the best balance of artificial light?
Many indoor gardeners use cool-white fluorescent tubes. Warm-white fluorescent tubes also seem fairly effective, but fluorescent tubes listed as white or daylight are less desirable for indoor plant growth. Cool-white tubes produce a small amount of red rays in addition to orange, yellow-green and blue rays. However, the red light produced usually is not enough for interior plants unless windows or other artificial lights produce additional red rays.

A few incandescent bulbs in the growing area can furnish needed red rays. A general ratio of incandescent to fluorescent light is about 3 to 10, so for every 100 watts of fluorescent light, you should provide about 30 watts of incandescent light for a better red-to-blue light balance.

Special fluorescent tubes also have been developed for growing plants. These have a higher output in the red range to balance the blue output. Many indoor gardeners have found that these tubes can be used in combination with cool-white tubes. Use one special plant-growing tube to each one or two cool-white tubes. This method is more economical than using all special tubes, since cool-white tubes cost less than the special plant-growing tubes. Also, fluorescent plant-growing tubes use less electricity and produce less heat than incandescent bulbs, and you will not have to provide fixtures for both incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes.

May I use spotlights or other special bulbs?
Yes, although they are less effective than fluorescent lights and the combinations described previously. However, fluorescent fixtures may not be suitable for some locations. Reserve these special light sources for situations where supplementary light is essential. Self-reflectorized spot lamps coated to emit more blue light are now available.

How much light should plants receive?
The amount of light necessary varies with each plant. In general, the light fixtures available for home plant lighting make it practically impossible to produce too much light for most plants.Plants that can adapt to interior settings usually are divided into three general categories: those suitable for low, medium and high light intensities.

The categories generally indicate the minimum light required. Plant growth is often best at the higher end of these suggested light ranges.

Low-light plants
Plants referred to as low light intensity plants generally should receive between 50 and 250 foot-candles. (A foot-candle is a measure of light intensity. A foot-candle is defined as the amount of light received by 1 square foot of a surface that is 1 foot from a point source of light equivalent to one candle of a certain type.) Under artificial light, a few plants in this group can be maintained at as little as 10 foot-candles. One way you can estimate the amount of light available is to calculate the number of watts available per square foot of plant area. Low-light plants should receive between 10 and 15 watts of fluorescent light per square foot of growing space. A single fluorescent tube, such as a 2-foot 20-watt tube or a 4-foot 40-watt tube without any other light provides only enough light for plants in this category.

Medium-light plants
These plants prefer 250 to 1,000 foot-candles. Best plant growth occurs above 750 foot-candles unless plants also receive extended periods of direct sunlight. Give the home or office plants artificial light in the 500 to 1,000 foot-candle range or 15 or more watts per square foot of growing area. While plants in this group can be held in the 250 to 500 foot-candle range, growth is best with more light. A fixture containing two fluorescent tubes is sufficient for home or office plants in the low to medium light range. Adjustments in the number of tubes used may be made if you regulate the distance between the tubes and plants.

High-light plants
These home or office plants generally are less satisfactory for growing under artificial lights in the home. However, if you want to try, use special high-intensity lamps. These plants need at least 1,000 foot-candles, or 20 watts per square foot of growing area, but should have higher intensities for best growth and flowering. Fixtures containing three to four fluorescent tubes are necessary for plants requiring high light.

How far from the light should I place plants?
Most plants should be located with the tips of the plants 6 to 12 inches from the light source. The intensity of light drops rapidly as the distance from the light bulbs or tubes increases. Fluorescent tubes also do not produce as much light at the ends as they do in the center. Therefore, the brightest spot under a fluorescent fixture is directly beneath the center of the tubes.

The light fixture's position should be adjustable so you can keep the distance between the light and the plant fairly constant. Fluorescent shop or workroom fixtures often are hung on chains with S-hooks for easy adjustment. These fixtures are easily raised or lowered from link to link. If the fixture is not movable, you may make some adjustment by raising plants on stands, shelves or boxes.

How long should I use lights?
In most cases, plants receiving no outdoor light should be lit from 16 to 18 hours each day. If some additional light is received, 12 to 14 hours each day may be adequate. Lights should be used at the same time that plants receive window light. Using lights at the beginning or end of the day will not usually be as effective as using lights during daylight unless natural daylight is quite bright.

How can I get the most from artificial light?
Reflectors and reflective surfaces can maximize the available light. Bulbs with self-contained reflectors are helpful.

Porcelain-coated reflectors are excellent and require little maintenance. Keep reflectors clean and free of rust or any coating that reduces their effectiveness. White paint or aluminum foil beneath or around the growing area helps reflect light and makes it more efficient.

Space plants far enough apart to allow light between them. Arrange plants so they do not shade each other. Keep tubes clean and replace old tubes promptly.

How should I light the bottom of a tall plant?
You may want to supplement light placed above the plant with spotlights around the base of the plant and directed on the lower leaves. You can also use fluorescent tubes in a vertical position to provide side lighting from the top to the bottom of a plant. This vertical position also can be used for smaller plants arranged on shelves.

Small, low-light plants (e.g., African violets) are well suited for light gardens.

Do I really need to measure light?
The eye is a poor judge of light intensity because it automatically adjusts to different light levels. Light measurements are helpful in setting up a plant growing area but should be used only as a guide.

Light meters that measure foot-candles may be used if available. Photographic light meters normally do not read in foot-candles, but some manufacturers supply a conversion table. When available, these may also be used.

Calculating wattage per square foot of growing area is a useful and easy way to estimate light required. With this approach, light measurements are unnecessary unless problems develop.

How can I tell if there is enough light?
The growth pattern of the plant can be a good indication. No growth may indicate poor light but could be a sign of other problems as well. A healthy plant under poor light may develop long internodes (length of stem between leaves). Leaves may develop smaller than normal on some plants. Color of many plants in poor light may be pale green, and lower leaves may yellow and drop.

What window produces the best light?
Consider size, direction, overhang and shade from trees or buildings. Large windows provide the best growing conditions and allow plants to be placed fairly far back into a room. But even low-light plants usually do not receive enough light at distances greater than 10 feet from an average window. The best windows for plants are those not shaded by a large overhang, trees or structures.

Windows facing south provide the brightest light conditions for the longest duration. In winter, any houseplant benefits from the light of a south window. However, houseplants that do not need bright light may be sunburned by the bright light at south windows in late spring, summer or early fall. Place houseplants requiring less light, such as African violets, at a north window or to the side or interior of a large south window during these times. South windows are most appropriate for plants requiring bright light and some direct sunlight.

East and west windows are well suited to many plants in the medium light range, while north windows are satisfactory only for plants requiring the lower light levels. These plants should not receive direct sunlight.

Can lights keep plants from blooming?
Some plants, generally known as short-day plants, can be kept from flowering under the light durations normally used for artificial lighting. Best known in this category are the poinsettia and chrysanthemum. To induce flowering indoors, give these plants only about 10 hours of light each day until flowers become visible and color shows.

Will artificial lights start seeds?
Vegetable, annual flower and some perennial flower seeds may be started successfully indoors under lights for later planting in the garden. For stocky growth, place seedlings within a few inches of the tubes as soon as germination begins.

Is a light timer necessary?
A timer is a valuable asset because lights should be turned on and off regularly and consistently. Twenty-four-hour timers available from electrical supply houses are adequate. The electrical cord from the timer should be the three-prong type, or you should use a grounded adapter. The use of water around plants makes grounding electrical fixtures important.

Plants for indoor lighting
African violet - Saintpaulia species
This is one of the most satisfactory flowering plants for growing under lights; it grows and flowers well between 500 and 1,000 foot-candles. Light 16 to 18 hours each day.
Aluminum plant - Pilea cadierei
This small plant with colorful leaves tolerates a low light level but needs high humidity. Other suitable related plants include artillery fern and moon valley pilea.Arrowhead vineSyngonium podophyllumThese small plants are bushy and later, creeping or climbing. They may be kept at a low light level, but they are denser at a medium level.

Southern Botanical Interiors in North Texas can help you with any lighting questions you may have relative to your plant interscapes and interior plants for indoor lighting! Just contact us for a free consultation relative to plants for your business!