7 Best Indoor trees that thrive in low light and 5 that won’t

This article will shed some light on Indoor trees that thrive in low light and also a few plants that do not grow in low light. Not all trees need high-intensity light, some trees like low light to thrive well. Medium to low-intensity light-loving plants can grow with led bulbs as well.

Quick takeaways:

• The low-light-loving trees don’t need sunlight or direct light to thrive.
• The north-facing windows are usually favorable to grow these indoor trees. If the window is facing east that still would work.
• So, don’t be hopeless, you have great options for indoor trees that love low light and would bring elegance and charm to the inside of the house. 

What is low light for plants?

The low light indicates the intensity of light. Direct sunlight has high intensity whereas indirect one has low light. Talking indoors, the window facing north and east gets low light as compared to the other side. Window facing north gets low light but gets maximum noon light and afternoon sun rays are strong. There are some plants that are indoor hanging plants but we have covered that in a different article.

The indirect sunlight is filtered by the medium between the sun and the plants. The medium can be glass windows, lightweight curtains, etc. The indoor plants that like low light will thrive inside our house until there is no direct sunlight. 

7 Best indoor trees that Thrive in low light

Below I am going to explain 7 Indoor trees that thrive in low light, I hope you will understand after this which plants you need to grow Indoors, Let’s get started:

1. Palm trees 

A.) Areca palm

Areca palm, having the scientific name Dypsis lutescens is easy to grow the plant, and who doesn’t love napalm trees that don’t need much effort? The areca palms usually have slow growth but depending on the soil type they show moderate growth too. A good trimming can be easily done without any damage to the plant. They need an indirect amount of light in a day, which makes them a lovable indoor plant. In some conditions, they also yield white and purplish flowers. Easy, west or south-facing windows are all good for Areca palms.

B.) Lady’s palm

Scientifically called the Rhapis species, Lady’s palm has high adaptability to light variation. Yet they are the best plants to cope with low light. In the lucky conditions of springtime, they also bear yellow flowers that look super elegant. Though the plant in itself is a sign of sophistication and elegance with the bottom big brown crown having a bundle of thin fan-like leaves. The plant needs low indirect light and it will thrive to almost 13-14 feet.

C.) Kentia palm

The third popular palm is the Kentia palm, the scientific name of the Kentia palm is Howea forsteriana. The plant is well known for growing in low humidity, growing with fewer efforts, and its slow-growing speed. Ketia needs low light and then leaves everything on Kentia. This beauty will show you its power by growing so well in not-so-ideal situations too. 

2. Dragon tree

Scientifically called Dracaena marginata, is well known for its leaf shapes and leaf margins. The dragon trees have a good ability to grow outside as well as inside. The plants can equally thrive well in low light with a height difference of having more feet if grown outside. The plants in ideal indoor conditions can bloom white flowers. They need indirect low light. The leaves are thin with purplish margins which add an edgy texture. 

3. Corn plant

Dracaena fragrant, commonly corn plants, are African plants that grow with leaves facing upwards from a cane. The name ‘Corn plant’ is due to its resemblance to corn stalks. The plants need indirect low light. Corn plants can thrive well near north, east, and west-facing windows. They need little to very less water. 

4. Rubber plant

The medium-height rubber plant has the scientific name Ficus elastica. Plants are great for making air clean by providing more oxygen to the air. They make the perfect indoor plants with their beauty too. They just make the corner of the room super attractive with shiny leaves. The size of the leaves is short, about 20 cm to 30 cm. The height of a rubber plant is about 3 to 3 ½ meters. They love low indirect light and dry conditions, with little moist soil.

5. Alii ficus

With its scientific name ficus maclellandii, and common name banana leaf ficus is an Asian plant that is native to India, South East Asia, and China. The plant belongs to the Ficus family. The plants are dimorphic having two types of morphology of leaves, with the bottom having broad wide leaves and the top having narrow leaves. They can bear temperature variations as well. The plants will do brilliant work in low light though.

6. Money tree

Pachira aquatica, which is well known by the common name Money plant, is bound to bring good luck and prosperity in life. They are believed to bring money to your house. The plant loves the south or west-facing window that will provide direct low bright light. The plant gets to a height of 2.5 meters which can exceed if grown outside. 

7. False aralia

False aralia is special. Scientifically called Plerandra elegantissima, false aralia is a sign of elegance. They bring prettiness to the house. They are my personal favorite as well. The leaves are a feather-like and slender-looking plant that reaches a height of 7-8 feet. The plant needs well-drained soil, regular watering, and low light of course!

I hope you got the idea from the above-mentioned Indoor trees that thrive in low light, if you need more help in this let me know upon commenting.

Indoor Trees that won’t thrive in low light

The plants we keep indoors seem to be growing well but are they thriving? No! Some plants cannot thrive that well in low light conditions indoors. If they can, other conditions might bother them to be perfect indoor plants. Take also which plants cannot thrive indoor 

1. Fiddle fig(Ficus lyrata)

Fast growers, can’t thrive in dark or shady spots and need bright light  to thrive

2. Parlor palm tree(Chamaedorea elegans)

Also, called Belle’s palms, are prone to getting rot, need more maintenance, need bright light, and demand a lot of movement indoors.

3. Banana tree

Need a lot of care indoors, need direct sunlight as well, and demand water now and then. Some people claim the banana tree plant can grow bananas which makes one confused about whether it’s an indoor plant or not.

4. Yucca

Yucca is so easy to keep, but they love the full sun. though it’s slow-growing, they will scream, for bright sunlight by showing thin lifeless leaves. 

5. Fishtail palm 

This palm reaches a height of 8-10 feet. Fishtail palm needs good indirect light but a bright one, are extremely fast-growing palms.

Wrapping up the context:

It is really important to understand which indoor plant will do best inside the house. Some just grow but don’t thrive. The above plants are also among the best indoor plants for north-facing windows. Before buying indoor plants you should know the light intensity they grow in, safety with the pets, water needs, humidity requirements, etc. we hope that you have got some help in this article in which I tried to explain Indoor trees that thrive in low light. We are happy to help! 

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