What Reflects Light Best in an Indoor Garden?
Proper lighting is vital to good indoor plant health. Since plants need light to manufacture food in their leaves, providing ample and correct light levels to vegetation prolongs houseplant life. Light from windows is reflected at different levels by objects in the room. Does this Spark an idea?
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Effects
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Plants grown in a home often look like they lean or stretch toward the light streaming in from the window. This is called phototropism. Balancing out the light across all sides of the houseplant diminishes phototropism.
Types
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To best reflect light around the room, use mirrors. A large mirror immediately behind a plant opposite the window bounces wavelengths back onto the plant. If mirrors are unavailable or impractical, a sheet of aluminum foil or a smooth-textured, white wall reflects light better than bumpy, dark-colored walls and curtains.
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Considerations
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The size of the reflective object also affects the amount of light reflected. A room with smooth, white walls reflects more light than a singular small mirror placed directly behind one plant. A white wall reflects 90 percent of natural light while a medium gray or beige wall only 50 percent. Mirrors reflect 90 percent of light but are more expensive to cover an entire wall.
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