“Low light” is not the same thing as “no light.” The simplest way to think about it is whether the room gives you enough ambient daylight to comfortably read without turning on a lamp.

Start with the window, not the label

Stand where the plant will live at midday. If your hand casts a soft but visible shadow, you have usable indirect light. If the wall stays completely flat and grey, choose a tougher plant or move it closer to the window.

Distance matters faster than people expect

Light intensity falls quickly as you move away from glass. A plant three metres into a room can receive a fraction of what the same plant gets near the window, even when the room still looks bright to human eyes.

Rotate, then observe

Instead of following a rigid schedule, watch the plant for four weeks. New growth that stretches, shrinks or loses variegation is telling you the placement is too dim.

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