Light

Let's keep lighting simple.

Aim for bright indirect light. Direct sunlight without windows will burn your houseplants. Doing a bit of research on where your plants originate from will help you to understand why this is important. Most houseplants come from jungles in the tropics. They have tall trees over shadowing them, so most of the plants we enjoy really receive dappled light that gets moved around as wind moves the branches above.

The direction your windows

First find the direction your windows face. This will help you in the long run or your goals. I live in the northern hemisphere, so South facing windows are gold to me. In the southern hemisphere, North facing windows are the best. Unfortunately, my living room and kitchen are on the North side of my house, so gathering sunlight is a bit of a nuisance. I have figured out some small ways of purposing these windows though. The kitchen window is used to help ease plants out of stress from being shipped to my house, and I experiment with propagation there. So far, it has being a terrible idea to use it for propagation.

My living room window that is behind my desk is a bit of a different story though. There is a house next door that is covered in stucco and painted grey, and the sunlight bouncing off that and into my living room. I use that in Winter for plants that I need to keep a closer eye on, and that like more light. Sometimes the refracted light is too much and we have to close the blind for a bit just for our own comfort.

My propagations are usually left to my porch, or my small portable greenhouse in my yard. So far, these have been the better places for them.

Grow lights

If you try to grow in a place that is too dark, your plants will not be happy, save for a few. Grow lights provide a simple solution and they can come in a verity of sizes and styles to suit whatever you are looking for.