What Window is Best For Growing Healthy Succulents?

Succulents are desert plants that are mostly sun-loving plants. The amount of sun it gets should be optimum as underexposure as well as overexposure to the sun can be stressful for the plant. So in the case of indoor succulents, you should carefully choose the right window as every succulent is different and their needs also vary to some extent. So,

What window is best for succulents? Succulents grow best when kept on Eastern and Southern(for Northern Hemisphere)windows as the plants thrive best under the indirect influence of the morning sun and the afternoon sun respectively.

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Why do succulents need to be by a window in the first place?

Succulents like all green plants need a proper dose of sunlight for photosynthesis. However, the majority of the succulents prefer indirect sunlight rather than being kept under the full sun.

So you need to place them in a location that gets a proper dose of indirect sunlight. It can be on your balcony, rooftop, or even in the garden(you can put up a shed for these varieties).

However, keeping them beside a window is a much more suitable idea as by doing that you will instantly change the ambiance of your home.

Without proper sunlight, the succulents won’t be able to produce the necessary energy they will need for their growth, hence:

They will Grow up to be leggy
Their growth will be stunted
Discoloration of the leaves will occur
The succulent will look malnourished and will shed off leaves frequently.

Keeping the succulents beside the window ensures that they get the maximal dose of sunlight that is available while growing indoors.

What facing window is best for Succulents in general and why?

The sun rises in the east and passes through the southern direction and then finally sets in the west. So if you are in the northern hemisphere, the eastern wing of your house will get the morning sun and in the afternoon the southern windows will be showered with the mid sky sun.

Slowly late in the afternoon the sun will shift towards the western windows and ultimately set there. (In case you are in the southern hemisphere, the sun will rise in the east, travel through the north, and set in the west) (source).

Hence you should try growing succulents in the southern and eastern wings of the house as the windows in these locations will be flooded with bright indirect sunlight.

The western windows also get a fair dose of the setting sun and it can be quite warm here.

How Will You Decide to Place Which Succulent Where?

Different succulents have different sunlight needs. The majority of the succulents do well with 3 to 4 hours of sunlight whereas many require more than 6 hours of sunlight to grow properly. Also, there are some succulents that can grow even in low light conditions (Check out the list of succulents to grow in windowless rooms and offices).

So you should grow the high sunlight loving succulents(cactuses, agaves, Sedums ) in the southern windows as these get the maximal dose of the bright sun if you are in the northern hemisphere.
Next, you can grow the moderate sun-loving ones in the eastern windows as these get the first touches of the soft sun rays for about 3 to 4 hours.

Also Read: 8 Beautiful Indoor Succulents for East Facing Windows

The western windows get the warmness of the afternoon sun for an hour or so and then the sun slowly starts to set so the vibrancy of the sunrays decreases. However, succulents that like warmer temperatures and also prefer 3 to 4 hours of sunlight can easily sustain here. These include the majority of the cactuses.

Also Read: 8 Beautiful Succulents For West Facing Windows & Gardens

In the northern hemisphere, the northern windows get the least amount of sun so you should aim to grow low light friendly succulents here ( In the southern hemisphere this side gets the majority of the sun).

Should You Always Stick With This Guide? Can there be exceptions?

There is no hard and fast rule that you need to stick with this guide only.

The aim of this blog post was to let you know about the dynamics of sun movement and how it influences your decision of choosing the right window for your succulents.

The kind of window you need to choose for growing your succulents depends completely on your location and the kind of sunlight you get. Southern windows get the best sun normally however maybe your southern windows are blocked by high rises or by trees, so in this case, it is logical to try growing them in other windows.

The main thing is to keep your succulents near the windows that get the most sun.

Also, succulents are superbly adaptive plants. So you can easily find even the high sun-loving succulents growing with ease in the eastern and western windows without any issue.
Long story short, keep the succulents near the window that gets the most sun and keep an eye over it for the next few weeks.

You can then always adjust its location as per need.

If you see them stretching out more towards the window, it is having a deficiency of light. You can then put it directly on the windowpane or put it on another window. You can even consider using grow lights if your home doesn’t get proper sun.

You can rarely find succulents showing symptoms of receiving too much indirect sun while being on the window pane.

In most cases, you dont need to worry at all as they will take care of themselves just fine if the windows receive sufficient sun.

Conclusion

Succulents are xerophytes that love getting 3 to 6 hours of bright indirect sunlight on a daily basis for optimal growth. However, while growing them indoors this can become an issue as it’s not possible to provide them with this much sun.

So you need to get more crafty and place the succulents craving for more sunlight near south-facing or eastern windows and the moderate sun-loving ones to the eastern and western wings of the house. The key is to experiment a little with their placement and to keep an eye on their health.