What does it mean to acclimate your houseplant?

Recently I went to a friend’s office for some computer help. When I walked into her office and saw the Ficus benjamina in the corner, I was astounded! Why? Because there are no windows in her office and the Ficus benjamina or weeping fig is a high light plant. It isn’t the fullest plant I’ve ever seen, but it looks amazing for living in an office without windows.

How is this plant surviving?

So how can this high light ficus survive in this situation? It has been there for over 5 years and hasn’t changed too much. The fluorescent lights are on 5 days a week for approximately 10 hours a day. Yet, the plant itself is quite far from the light. So why is it doing okay? Because it hasn’t been moved and has become acclimated to the light it is receiving.

This plant is not right under the light but not too far away. You can see the plant is thin and by that I mean there aren’t a lot of leaves. It isn’t “thick” and full of leaves. Why?

Acclimating naturally

A plant will only keep the leaves it can support with the light it receives. What does that mean? Have you ever brought a fern into the house because you couldn’t throw it away at the end of summer? It immediately drops almost every leaf, making a mess on your floor. Usually, it gets thrown back out the door. When a plant comes from high to low light, it will drop leaves or react somehow. Light is the food for your plant. If it isn’t receiving enough “food”, it will decline after some time.

Acclimate your houseplant

The only way to make that loss less extensive is to acclimate your plant first. If the fern had been moved to a lower light area outside before moving it inside, it may have adjusted better.

Most houseplants you buy have grown in tropical areas in fields with high light. Before being shipped to retailers, they acclimate them under shade cloths. This helps them become accustomed to lower-light situations. When they hit the garden center and your home, the plant won’t lose as many leaves.

I was amazed to see that her ficus even had new growth. Plants that aren’t receiving the optimal light will not grow in leaps and bounds or even much at all.  This plant is not being up-potted regularly, because it doesn’t need it. It will never become a huge tree, because it is maintaining, not growing a ton.

How can you help your houseplant acclimate?

Even though acclimated by the growers, plants go to a garden center that has more light than your house. So, if you are placing it in a low-light area, put it in a brighter place for a bit if you can. Gradually move it towards its final low-light place where you want it to live. That way it can adapt to the light it will be receiving.

The point is, this plant is doing well because it has become acclimated to the light level it is receiving. It has learned to live in that environment. If it were in higher light its leaves would not be so sparse on the lower part of the plant

As the light only comes from above, the highest leaves get the most light. That is why the leaves are thickest at the top of the tree. They shade the lower part of the plant, it receives less light and cannot support a lot of leaves.

Houseplants can acclimate

Plants can acclimate to their environment. That is not to say that if a plant is in too low a light, it may decline and die. It has to have enough light to photosynthesize and support itself, even if it isn’t growing too much. 

This plant is doing well in its situation but would look fuller and healthier with more light. It is doing great for the area it is in and I would rather have a living plant over a faux plant any day. How about you?

Acclimate your plant with lights

If you want a high-light plant and want it to look amazing, you can use grow lights. I have a single Soltech light hanging in my home and LED shop lights on shelves. Using grow lights will help your plants get the light they need. But, they will acclimate to lower light levels if you prefer not to use lights. You choose.

Have a great week, plant friends!

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