The tips at a glance:

• The plant should be able to "see" the sky through the window.
• More light is always better, but beware, risk of sunburn in direct midday sun!
• Succulents and cacti need direct sun, ideally they should be placed directly on the south window, even better outside
• Weakening plants that shoot up indicate too little light.
• Humidity is important, but not everything!
• A humidifier in winter when the air in the room is dry is useful.
• Spraying plants manually does little good.
• Some plants like to be cooler and drier in the winter.
• The plants love to be outside in the summer. But then shaded and above 10 ° C

The location is crucial for a strong and healthy plant. In general, the more light, the better. If a plant has more light, it grows faster and more beautiful, is healthier and consequently more robust against pests and other care mistakes. A good location forgives some care mistakes!

Light requirement

The light requirements of plants are different. It is useful to consider where the plant grows in nature. Does it come from the desert? Does it live in the rainforest on the darker ground? Does it grow up the trees there? Is it a palm tree that grows tall and therefore gets a lot of light?

Unfortunately, we have to consider with our houseplants that the amount of light inside our four walls is much lower than outside. Directly at the window is about 10x darker than outside! And the further you move away from the window, the less light, and quadratically. In practice, this means that even plants that need little light should be placed near a window! From 3 or 4 meters from the window, even these plants begin to weaken. The following rule of thumb is helpful here: the plant must be able to see the sky through the window. Of course, this only applies to plants that need low to medium light. Succulents and cacti (but also some other plants) need a lot of light and direct sun. That's where the orientation of the window is key.

South windows get the most direct sun. This is the ideal place for plants that need a lot of light. They should be placed directly next to the window. West windows are also still bright, east windows are a little darker, and north windows rarely get direct sun.

Caution: Plants can get sunburned in the sun! Especially tropical plants should be protected from direct midday sun in summer. Also succulents and cacti should be accustomed to direct sun slowly, if they were previously darker.

How can I tell that my plant is not getting enough light?

Typical signs are rapid and unstable height growth, unnaturally long leaf axils and small leaves. Plants are programmed to shoot up in low light, hoping to find more light at higher elevations. There is a lot of competition in the rainforest, and light is the food source of all. So if you notice that your plant is growing elongated and the distance between the leaf axils is getting bigger, the plant is not getting enough light.

With many arum plants like philodendron, monstera or similar the leaves get smaller with little light. So if you want your monstera to finally get big leaves with holes, you need to put it directly in front of a window 🙂

Humidity

Humidity is one of the main points of discussion among plant lovers. The fact is that for tropical plants, more humidity is almost always better. However, too much humidity is unhealthy for the building fabric and for us. In addition, lower humidity can be compensated somewhat.

A healthy humidity for us humans in our living spaces is about 40-60%. Above 60% humidity, you risk mold growth, which can be fatal to our health. So if you use a humidifier, which is certainly useful for low humidity in winter, be sure to keep the humidity below 60%. If you cultivate plants that absolutely need higher humidity, you should think about a terrarium or indoor greenhouse.

Humidity is not the only key to success. If you can offer a plant plenty of light, plenty of air circulation, and cooler nighttime temperatures, it can get by with much less humidity. Sometimes symptoms of low humidity are also easily confused with other causes. For example, brown tips can also be caused by chalky watering or moldy soil.

If your humidity drops below 40% in winter, you can set up a humidifier. Not only for the plants, but also for your mucous membranes. Also make sure that no plants are above the heaters, which get very hot and dry air. Nevertheless, ventilate regularly to prevent mold growth and clean the humidifier regularly.

Is spraying plants useful?

Rather no. The water evaporates in a few minutes, so it only increases the humidity for a short time. You would have to spray every 10 minutes. But some plants also absorb water and fertilizer through their leaves, so some hobbyists actually spray their plants with rainwater and a little fertilizer, but they don't do it for the humidity.

In addition, spraying especially the undersides of the leaves can prevent pests, as they like it dry. You can read more about this in the section on plant pests.

Air movement

An often overlooked aspect is air circulation. In nature, plants get a lot of wind! Stagnant air can lead to rotting soil and weaker plants. Therefore, some hobbyists even have fans standing around at home. You don't have to go that far, regular airing (keyword shock airing!) should be enough for most. Too little air movement is usually only a problem in winter in well-insulated new buildings.

Temperature

Most plants feel comfortable when you feel comfortable. Tropical plants come from regions where it stays warm all year round. So room temperature is ideal for most. However, be aware that directly by the window in winter the temperature may well become too cold, or in direct sunlight in summer it may become too hot, especially if the window is closed and there is no air circulation.

Some succulents and many cacti, however, like a cold winter. These plants are called "temperate". They come from regions where it gets colder (and drier) in the winter. To keep them healthy, blooming and not growing too fast, these plants should be kept in a cold room during the winter and hardly watered.

Plants in summer

If you really want to do something good for your plants, put them in a shaded place outside in the summer. Outside, as I said, the light is much stronger, even in the shade. Also, the air movement makes the plants stronger and more stable. It really makes a very big difference! As soon as the night temperatures are above 10°C you can put your plants outside. Some cacti even from 5°C.

Outside you can also water the plants easier (with a garden hose) and shower them. They will also come through the winter better strengthened. Before you bring the plants back inside in the fall, give them a good shower and check for pests.