The Effects of Translucent Curtains on Plants

Plant Light Categories

• Indoor light categories are sunny light, high light, medium light and low light. Since houseplants do not grow naturally indoors, gardeners compensate by manipulating growing conditions giving plants environments similar to their native habitats. Tropical plants need bright light to thrive. Other plants grow in dense shade under tree canopies and need low-light conditions. Translucent curtains protect shade-loving plants from intense sunlight but provide too much shade for high-light plants.

High-Light Plants

• Gardeners living outside tropical regions must bring their tropical plants inside during winter. Some flowering plants, such as bougainvillea, hibiscus and kalanchoe, need high-light conditions inside. Optimally located within 4 feet of windows with eastern, western or southern exposures, these plants fail if curtains prevent sufficient light from reaching them. They become leggy in their attempts to stretch upward to find the sun. Flowering declines or ceases entirely, and many plants drop their leaves because of reduced photosynthetic activity.

Medium-Light Plants

• Ficus trees (Ficus benjamina) are common interior plant staples in many homes and offices. These easy-care houseplants like medium-light conditions and may decline if placed in front of windows with direct sun. Long periods of sunlight, intensified by windowpanes, burn ficus leaves and create unsightly leaf litter on floors from dropped leaves. Jade plants (Crassula spp.) and ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata) have nutrient storage areas sustaining them during periods of infrequent watering. They enjoy medium-light areas and benefit from translucent curtains at direct-sun windows. Sheer curtains allow light to reach plants while shielding them from direct sun.

Low-Light Plants

• Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema spp.) and the peace lily (Spathiphyllum spp.) are houseplants with low-light requirements. These plants' leaves turn yellow or scorch if they receive too much direct sun. Sheer curtains help buffer the sun's rays but may not be enough of a barrier to prevent injury to these plants. Thicker, translucent curtains provide better protection than ultrathin sheers and reduce overexposure damage to low-light plants. Windows with northern exposures provide low-light plants greater protection than other interior exposures.