Did You Know? Not All Plants Need Sunlight

Sun exposure is one of the most important factors in growing plants. Most plants need sunlight for photosynthesis, the process plants use to make sugar and starch, or carbohydrates. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water combine to produce glucose.

Even so, each plant species has adapted to a certain range of light intensity that allows photosynthesis to happen efficiently. Some plants need a lot of sunlight, while others can survive with very little sun exposure or none at all.

If you want to start keeping plants but don't have much time to look after them, plants that can grow without sunlight are a great choice. Most of them are ornamental plants that work well indoors to brighten up a room.

Here Are 7 Plants That Can Grow Without Sunlight

1. Golden Pothos
   Golden pothos is one of today's favorite indoor ornamental plants. It's easy to care for because it can grow with almost no sunlight at all, and it also helps clean the air around it. One study found that golden pothos can absorb 17.10% of the carbon dioxide in a room. Not only does it not need light, it also doesn't need to be watered very often.
2. Snake Plant
   This plant is also a favorite among city dwellers who enjoy keeping plants as a hobby. Unlike other plants, it actually grows best in low light.

Its ability to adapt to dim light is part of its appeal. If a snake plant gets too much sunlight, its leaves can dry out or even burn. That makes it perfect for indoor spots, even in corners that get very little light.

3. Anthurium
   With its bright red flowers and prominent white or yellow spadix, the anthurium, or painter's palette, is the perfect plant to add an accent to a room. Native to Ecuador and Colombia, anthuriums need only a little light to grow well.

A healthy anthurium has deep red flowers and dark green leaves. Too much direct sunlight will only burn it.

4. Maidenhair Fern
   Also known as the maidenhair fern, this lush plant with small leaves is another indoor ornamental plant that doesn't need much sunlight. As a member of the fern family, it can adapt to low light.

The main thing to watch out for is overwatering. Maidenhair ferns need soil and conditions that are moist, not wet. That's also why they don't need much light.

5. Philodendron
   Philodendrons look similar to the popular monstera, since both have wide leaves in many different shapes. There are several common types of philodendron, and at least seven of them are easy to find.

To stay fresh, philodendrons don't need direct sunlight. They can even survive in air-conditioned rooms.

6. Lucky Bamboo
   This plant goes by quite a few names, including fortune bamboo and lucky bamboo. It's believed to bring good luck when you receive it as a gift. Chinese tradition also says it brings positive energy, or chi.

It's also fairly easy to care for because it doesn't need much sun. Lucky bamboo adapts more easily to dim environments, since too much sunlight will dry out its leaves.

7. Peace Lily
   The peace lily is a real eye-catcher. Among its lush leaves are wide white flowers with a spadix sticking out from the center. It's another plant that doesn't need much sunlight to grow.

Peace lilies live in humid habitats and don't need special attention or care. Besides being beautiful, they also help clean the air around them.

The Risks of Sun Exposure
The plants above have adapted to low-light environments. Leaving them in direct sunlight for too long can actually harm their growth. Plants that get too much sun can suffer from problems such as sunburn, which causes their leaves to dry out, wilt, and die.

Here are some signs that a plant has been burned by too much sun:

1. White Patches Appear on the Leaves
   Raffaele Di Lallo, a plant doctor and expert from Ohio Tropics, told Apartment Therapy that plants can get sunburned very quickly, within just a few hours. A common early sign is white patches on the leaves, as if they had been washed with bleach.
2. Leaves Turn Brown
   Besides turning yellow or white, leaves with severe sunburn can turn slightly brown and dry at the edges. However, this depends on the type of plant and how long it was exposed to the sun.
3. Only the Top of the Plant Is Affected
   Leaves can also lose their color from too much water or too little light. But with sunburn, only the upper leaves that are exposed to the sun change color. Leaves closer to the soil, shaded by the higher leaves, usually don't change color in the same way.

If the leaves have already changed color from too much sun, cut off the damaged leaves and move the plant to a shadier spot.

Fertilize So Your Plants Don't Wilt
Even though these plants don't need direct sunlight, they still need extra nutrients to keep growing well and avoid wilting. Indoor plants can only get the nutrients in their potting soil, so they need extra nutrients from fertilizer.

When the potting soil is still new, the plant doesn't need fertilizer yet. Many potting mixes today already contain fertilizer and other additives. But after about 2 months, the plant will have used up all the nutrients in the soil, so it will need extra fertilizer to stay healthy.

One type of fertilizer that works well for indoor plants is foliar fertilizer, because it's easy to apply. Here's how to apply foliar fertilizer to your plants:

• Mix the foliar fertilizer according to the instructions on the package. Adjust the amount of solution to suit the plant you're fertilizing.
• Pour the fertilizer solution into a spray bottle. Then adjust the nozzle so the spray comes out as a fine mist.
• Spray the undersides of the leaves, not the tops. The undersides have stomata, which are ready to absorb the nutrients from the fertilizer.
• Spray the foliar fertilizer thinly and evenly, just enough to wet the leaves. Turn the pot so every part of the plant gets an even coat of fertilizer. (*)