Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care A Guide to Measuring Light for Your Indoor Plants: Best of Growing Joy Replay
Welcome back to part two of our Understanding Natural Light series. We’re bringing this conversation back as part of our Best of Growing Joy episodes because it’s one of the most helpful discussions we’ve ever had about indoor plant lighting.
This episode is a replay of my conversation with Leslie Halleck, a dear plant friend of mine and a horticulture and lighting expert. If you’re a plant parent trying to understand the light in your home, this conversation is a must-listen because the number one mistake I see plant lovers make is misunderstanding their light.
Most people think they have bright light for their plants when they actually don’t. Our eyes are not great at judging how much light indoor plants really receive, which is why so many plants struggle indoors.
So in this episode, we dive into how to measure light for indoor plants. We talk about window directions, the difference between brightness and light volume, and how to use simple tools like a light meter to understand what your plants are actually experiencing. We also break down why plants think about light in energy or calories, not just how bright a room feels to us.
And make sure you grab the free Understanding Natural Light download that goes with this series. It walks you step by step through how to measure light in your home so you can stop guessing and start choosing the right plants for your space.
In this episode, we learn:
- What the most important colors of light are for growing plants
- How to use a free app to get a better understanding of your indoor lighting environment
- What is the difference between LUX, Footcandles and PAR
- What micromoles are
- What DLI (Daily Light Intergral) is
- The results of my homework and how many “aha” moments I had about the ACTUAL light in my apartment
- How drastic the difference in light is within only a few feet from your window
- What area of your apartment is probably low light that you never knew about
- Whether or not you can put plants in a bathroom with no windows
- Whether or not you can put plants in an office with no windows
- Citrus under lights, pests
Mentioned in our conversation:
- Lux Light Meter
- PAR meter
- Soltech Solution Aspect Light (Use code bloom15 for 15% off!)
- Free Understanding Natural Light Download
- Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers
Do you actually know how much light your plants are getting?
Check out the full show notes and blog to learn how to measure light for your indoor plants!
Follow Leslie
Follow Maria and Growing Joy:
Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung
Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!
Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)
Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!
Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria
Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria
Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria
Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com
Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.