Why is light important?

Light is the only energy source. Therefore, plants are dependent on light, if they are to survive for a long time. Some plants, however, need more light than others. Here you can read more about why it would be optimal to consider the location, if you want your indoor plants to grow and live longer.

In contrast to humans and animals, which retrieves energy from carbohydrates, protein and fat, produces plants these substances by means of the energy from the light and from the carbon dioxide in the air. The remaining product from this process is oxygen, which we people take advantage of, when we breathe. The biggest challenge to get plants to thrive in an indoor environment is to provide them with sufficient light.

Most stueplanters natural habitat is in the tropics, where there is ample light. The light changed more significantly in our latitudes, especially in the winter months when light levels are significantly lower than in the summer months. F. eks. represents the total amount of light in december in Denmark is only about 4% of the total light in June. And the lighting conditions are not getting better, when we move indoors. Depending on the size of the windows is the light intensity is approximately halved for every meter further away from a window. In other words, only two meters from a window in the winter months, there is only 1-2% of light available for a plant, compared with the light that is available outdoors on a fine summer's day.

To the human eye it is difficult to see this huge difference, but because the plants live of energy from the light, they should not be placed very far away from a window. In general, therefore, it is important to keep the plants as close to windows as possible. The electric light is rarely sufficient to compensate for the lack of sunlight. First, the light color scheme adapted to the plant's needs, which rarely is the case with ordinary light bulbs for lighting of the home, and secondly, the light must be right hard to have any effect on the plants.

If you want to place a plant on a poorly lit place, you must either accept a limited lifespan of your plant, or choose a hardy plantetype, which is able to cope with a very low light level over a longer period of time. EasyCare plants are specially selected from among the most robust planterstyper that nature has to offer, and they are acclimated to thrive in low-light. You can find specific guidelines for each plant by clicking on the plantenavnet under the menu item Planteguide.