Full sun, partial shade, bright indirect light: how many hours is that?
Full sun means at least 6 hours of direct sun a day, partial shade means 2 to 6, and bright indirect light means less than 2 with plenty of light from the sky. Shade means little sun, and not much light from the sky either.
Updated 11 October 2026. How we write these pages
The four light labels on plant tags
Full sun
6 hours or more
Full sun means the sun shines on the leaves for at least 6 hours a day.
Partial shade
2 to 6 hours
Partial shade means sun for part of the day, in the morning or the afternoon, and light without sun for the rest of it.
Bright indirect light
Under 2 hours, with plenty of light
Bright indirect light means a bright spot where the sun reaches the leaves only briefly, or not at all.
Shade
Under 2 hours, with little light
Shade means a corner the sun hardly ever reaches, where the light from the sky is weak as well.
The hours are counted over the months when the plant is growing, from spring to the end of summer. In winter the sun sits lower and almost every spot gets less of it.
How much light does your window give?
That depends on which way it faces, how far the plant is from the glass and what stands outside. The app shows it for each plant: you draw the room with its windows, and LINFA estimates roughly how many hours of sun reach the plant.
Questions about light for plants
Does bright indirect light mean shade?
No. It means a bright room where the sun reaches the leaves only briefly, or not at all. In shade there’s much less light.
Does sun through a window count as direct sun?
Yes. A curtain filters it and makes it gentler.
For partial shade, is morning or afternoon sun better?
For many plants the morning sun is gentler than the afternoon sun, which comes when the day is at its hottest.
Read next
Every plant has its own rhythm. LINFA keeps track for you.
In the app you see how much light actually reaches each plant where it stands, and when to check it.
Coming soon to Android
