It’s well-known that plants need light to grow. But are there plants that thrive in little or no light? Surprisingly yes, there are quite a few. We’ll discuss several house plants and edible plants that grow in the dark.
Dark-Loving Houseplants
Philodendron – It’s native to dense forests, where it grows in the shade of thick leaves and trees. Because of that, it prefers low light. It thrives in humid climates and can grow in lightless or windowless rooms.
Dracaena
This plant is also called the corn plant. Initially, it looks like a palm. Keep it away from bright light. It tolerates darkness, so it can light up a dark room. The only problem with this plant is that it can’t resist overwatering and it is toxic to pets.
Peace Lily
This plant is versatile. It can stand in bright or dark rooms. It has glossy, lush, deep green leaves, and delicate white flowers. It also purifies the air, so transplant it as much as possible. Water it regularly so it stays lush.
Snake Plant
According to NASA research, the sansevieria plant is one of the best air-purifying houseplants. This plant grows more vigorously with less light. It produces a lot of oxygen at night, making it ideal for bedrooms or kitchens. It is also low maintenance. You could neglect it, and it would still grow lushly.
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia)
This plant has glossy green foliage and sturdy leaves. This houseplant is easy to grow. Maintaining it doesn’t require a green thumb. It likes bad soil, low light, and little water. Since it lives in low light or darkness, it grows greener every day.
Parlor Palm
This tropical houseplant can survive in complete darkness with enough moisture. Bright green leaves brighten even windowless rooms.
Maidenhair Fern
Since it grows fast, it’s great for container gardening. They thrive in dense rainforests, so they like low light or complete darkness. Their strong leaves are indestructible even in heavy rains and winds. It only needs soil.
Chinese Evergreen
It has beautiful silver-green foliage and needs little care. It thrives in dim light. Unfortunately, the waxy leaves attract dust. Wipe each leaf once a lot of dust has accumulated.
Pothos
It’s also called devil’s Ivy. It not only adapts to growing spaces and care requirements, it also won’t wilt in low light to dark rooms. It also purifies the air. Water propagated pothos are common in comfort rooms and basements.
Spider Plant
This is like a philodendron and snake plant. They thrive even in complete darkness. At night they emit oxygen so that the air is cleaner. Despite their narrow and thin leaves, they are hard to kill.
Dark-Loving Edible Plants
It’s always good to know which edible plants thrive in low light so you know which ones grow indoors. Here are some herbs and vegetables that grow in the dark.
Mushrooms
They’re technically not plants, but they’re edible and a kitchen staple, so we’re including them here. Mushrooms prefer dark, humid environments. Photosynthesis uses sawdust, wood, and straw instead of light. This is one of the non-plants that grow in the dark.
White Asparagus
We are familiar with green asparagus, but it can also be white. Its color comes from the presence or absence of light. Plant asparagus crowns deep in a dark spot. Harvest and use them like regular asparagus after a year. It contains a lot of iron, potassium, niacin, thiamin, and vitamins A, B6, C, and E.
Forced Rhubarb
Did you know you can make rhubarb crowns grow in a dark room? This is common in areas with long winters. After the roots have become chilled by frost, heat them in a room with candles or artificial light. Cover them in soil, sawdust, or peat. During the long winter days, forced rhubarb is a valuable source of potassium, vitamin C, and calcium.
Chicory
You probably haven’t heard of this one because it’s the lettuce of Europe. Often called Chicon, Europeans use it to make salad greens. Like forced rhubarb, harvest chicory roots in the winter and store them in a dark place. Harvest them after a month. After you transplant the forced roots to the garden bed, their foliage will be different in spring and summer.
Beansprouts
This Asian staple grows easily in complete darkness. It’s also a stir-fry staple. To preserve them, soak them overnight and lay them in an absorbent cloth. Place it in a dark carton or cupboard and wait a few days. Don’t harvest the first bean sprouts because they’re still bitter.
Mint
This herb grows indoors. It tolerates low light, but not continuous darkness. It’s still worth listing since it’s hardier than other greens. Because it’s a natural insect repellent, it’s useful outside the kitchen.
Kale
This superfood can grow indoors in low light. Plant some kale seeds in a pot and let them adjust to the light in your home. You can grow it in very low-light areas. This is an easy way to add kale to your diet.
Ginger
This robust spice grows indoors in low light. It sprouts in a few days if left in the fridge. It doesn’t need much light to grow, just these two things. Make ginger tea or salads out of the leaves.
Chameleon Plant
This plant supposedly thrives where nothing grows. It’s part of Vietnamese cuisine. It grows in wet, shady, or dark habitats. When cooking with it, grow it in containers since it spreads quickly.
Fiddlehead Fern
This fern loves shade and low light and can stand total darkness. Many native cultures consider it forage food. You can also add it to salads. It grows easily in neglect. Plant them with hostas and other shady perennials.
These are just a few plants that grow in the dark or low light. Put plants in places where they will have enough light and water to thrive, and no matter what your conditions are like, you’ll have healthy plants.