Quick Picks — Our Top Recommendations
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The best indoor plants for low light aren’t the ones that look lush in a nursery under 2,000 foot-candles of greenhouse lighting — they’re the ones that hold a leaf or two and keep growing three months later in your north-facing apartment window where ambient light barely clears 50 foot-candles in January and the temperature near the glass drops to 55°F by midnight. That distinction matters more than any marketing label, and it’s the first thing most guides skip entirely.
Before we get into specific picks, one clarification that changes everything: “low light” in plant care doesn’t mean no light. Most species marketed as low-light tolerant still need 25–75 foot-candles of ambient illumination to sustain basic photosynthesis — roughly equivalent to a spot 8–10 feet from a north-facing window with no obstructions, or a well-lit hallway. Below that threshold, even the hardiest snake plant will stall, drop lower leaves, and slowly decline. If your space genuinely reads under 20 foot-candles, a supplemental grow light isn’t optional. More on that below.
Quick Answer: What Are the Best Low Light Indoor Plants?
The best low light indoor plants for most US apartments are pothos, snake plants, ZZ plants, money trees, and prayer plants. These species tolerate 25–75 foot-candles of ambient light, survive irregular watering, and adapt to 50–65% relative humidity typical of heated apartments. ASPCA toxicity status varies significantly across the group — verify before purchasing if you have cats, dogs, or young children.
At a Glance: Low Light Indoor Plants Comparison
| Plant / Product | Price | Light Requirement | ASPCA Toxicity | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Farms Assorted 3-Pack | $28.02 | 25–75 fc | Varies by mix | Starter collections |
| Costa Farms Baby Fiddle Leaf Fig | $28.02 | 50–150 fc (filtered) | Non-toxic to cats & dogs (ASPCA) | Pet-safe bright-ish spots |
| Barrina T5 Grow Lights (4-Pack) | $28.79 | Supplements 200–400 fc | N/A (grow light) | Genuinely dark spaces |
| Costa Farms Money Tree | $28.02 | 50–150 fc (indirect) | Non-toxic (ASPCA) | Pet households, offices |
| Lemon Lime Maranta Prayer Plant | $19.99 | 25–75 fc | Non-toxic (ASPCA) | North-facing windowsills |
fc = foot-candles. Prices shown are current Amazon listings — see product boxes for availability.
The 5 Best Low Light Indoor Plants (and One Tool You’ll Actually Need)
1. Costa Farms Assorted Houseplants 3-Pack — Best Starter Collection for Low Light Spaces
The appeal of a curated three-pack is obvious — you’re getting three established, rooted plants for roughly the cost of one from a boutique plant shop, and Costa Farms is a commercial grower with decades of production scale. What most buyers don’t fully process before ordering: the specific species in this pack are not guaranteed. The “curated” part means Costa Farms selects what’s ready to ship that week. You might receive a pothos, a dracaena, and a spider plant — or you might get three varieties you weren’t planning for.
That variability creates a real problem for pet owners. ASPCA toxicity status shifts completely depending on which three plants land at your door. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is listed as toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA, causing oral irritation and vomiting if ingested. Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are listed as non-toxic. Dracaenas occupy a middle ground — listed as toxic to dogs and cats, causing vomiting and hypersalivation. Until your box arrives and you can identify each plant, you genuinely don’t know what you’re working with from a pet-safety standpoint. If you have animals, the guessing game isn’t worth it — pick a species-specific listing instead.
For the low-light performance question: the assortment is marketed toward dim conditions, and most of Costa Farms’ typical filler plants in this category (pothos, dracaena, ZZ plant, snake plant) do handle 25–75 foot-candles reasonably well. In a north-facing apartment window at 60% relative humidity and 65°F, pothos-type plants in this range typically push one new leaf every 2–3 weeks during the growing season — growth slows to near-stall below 55°F or when watering extends beyond 12–14 days. Whether you’ll get a pothos or something with narrower tolerances is the gamble.
Soil condition on arrival is worth checking immediately. Commercial nursery mix used by Costa Farms tends to be peat-heavy, which retains moisture well in transit but can cause waterlogging if you continue watering on a standard schedule. After receiving, I’d recommend letting the soil dry 1–2 inches deep before the first watering, then transitioning to a well-draining mix with 20–30% perlite added at the first repotting.
Who this is for: First-time plant owners who want to fill a shelf quickly, don’t have pets, and are comfortable identifying plants after delivery.
Who should look elsewhere: Pet owners, anyone who needs ASPCA-confirmed toxicity status before purchase, or buyers who want control over which species they’re maintaining.
2. Costa Farms Baby Fiddle Leaf Fig — Best for Filtered Light (Not True Low Light)
Let me be direct about something the listing sidesteps: the fiddle leaf fig is not a low-light plant. It appears in “low light” searches because it tolerates less than direct sun, but its actual light requirement — 50–150 foot-candles of bright, filtered light — is meaningfully higher than what a north-facing window in most US apartments delivers in winter. If your space reads under 50 foot-candles, this plant will drop leaves within 4–6 weeks and decline from there.
Where the fiddle leaf fig fits: east-facing windows that get 2–3 hours of gentle morning sun, south-facing windows with a sheer curtain that cuts direct light by 40–60%, or any room where ambient light stays above 80 foot-candles for most of the day. If you’re already thinking about adding a grow light — which I’ll cover below — the fiddle leaf fig becomes a viable option even in shadier spots, provided the supplemental light runs 12–14 hours daily.
The ASPCA listing is one genuine advantage. Ficus lyrata is confirmed non-toxic to cats and dogs by ASPCA, which makes it one of the few statement-foliage plants that’s safe in a multi-pet household. That’s a real differentiator over comparable large-leaf tropicals like monstera (Monstera deliciosa, ASPCA toxic to cats and dogs) or philodendron (ASPCA toxic).
The decorative pot that ships with this plant deserves scrutiny. Most decorative pots in this price range lack drainage holes, meaning excess water has nowhere to go. Fiddle leaf figs are extremely sensitive to root rot — the roots sit in waterlogged soil and begin decaying within a week in a no-drainage situation. If you keep it in the decorative container, water in small increments (no more than 8–10 oz for a plant this size) and check that water isn’t pooling at the bottom. Better approach: treat the decorative pot as a cachepot and keep the plant in a separate nursery pot with drainage holes nested inside.
In terms of watering rhythm in a typical apartment: at 65–70°F with 40–50% relative humidity, the soil in a 4–5 inch nursery pot dries out in 7–10 days. Stick a finger 2 inches into the soil — if it’s still moist, wait. Browning leaf edges suggest underwatering or low humidity; yellowing lower leaves almost always point to overwatering.
Who this is for: Pet households with east or south-facing filtered light, buyers who want a compact statement plant that’s safe around animals.
Who should look elsewhere: Anyone with a genuine north-facing or dark space expecting low-light performance — this plant won’t sustain itself below 50 foot-candles.
3. Barrina T5 Grow Lights (4-Pack) — What You Actually Need If Your Space Is Truly Dark
This one is a tool, not a plant — but it belongs in this guide because it solves the problem that no amount of careful plant selection can fix: genuinely dark spaces. If your apartment hallway, bathroom, or interior room doesn’t reach 25 foot-candles of ambient light at any point in the day, no plant on this list will sustain itself there long-term, regardless of what the marketing says.
The Barrina T5 4-pack outputs a 5000K spectrum, which sits in the blue-to-white range that supports vegetative leaf growth effectively. At 6–8 inches above the plant canopy, this spectrum encourages compact, healthy growth in low-light species like pothos, ZZ plants, and prayer plants. At 12 inches or more, intensity drops to the point where you’re essentially maintaining stasis rather than promoting growth — the plants won’t die, but they won’t push new leaves at any meaningful rate either.
The practical coverage: four 1-foot bars linked in a daisy chain cover roughly a 12×24-inch shelf footprint adequately for 2–3 small plants (4–6 inch pots). If you’re running a more ambitious setup — a 4-foot shelving unit with 6–8 plants — you’d need two 4-packs or a longer T5/T8 strip system.
One gap in the package that catches buyers off guard: there’s no built-in timer. Running grow lights on a consistent 12–14 hour daily cycle is important — inconsistent photoperiods stress plants and can trigger premature dormancy in some species. A simple outlet timer (widely available for under $15) solves this entirely and should be considered a required accessory with this purchase.
For connecting low-light plant care and supplemental lighting, see our complete guide to grow lights for indoor plants — it covers μmol/m²/s output benchmarks, Kelvin spectrum comparisons, and shelf-mounting techniques in more detail.
Who this is for: Anyone trying to grow plants in a genuinely dark room, interior bathroom, or windowless office — this is the missing piece, not a different plant species.
Who should look elsewhere: If your space gets 50+ foot-candles of natural light, this is unnecessary overhead. Spend the budget on a better pot or a quality plant.
4. Costa Farms Money Tree (Pachira Aquatica) — Best Low-Light-Tolerant Plant for Pet Households
The money tree (Pachira aquatica) earns its place on this list for two reasons that most guides don’t bother to weight properly: it’s one of the few larger-format houseplants that is ASPCA-confirmed non-toxic to both cats and dogs, and it handles the kind of filtered, inconsistent light that apartment living actually delivers — not the idealized “bright indirect” of a greenhouse window.
ASPCA classification: Pachira aquatica is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs. If you’ve been trying to find a statement plant for a living room shared with a pet, options in this size range that are genuinely pet-safe are limited. Monstera (toxic), pothos (toxic), philodendron (toxic), and snake plant (toxic to cats) all come with real risk. Money tree is a legitimate exception.
Light reality: the manufacturer markets this as adaptable to low light, but the practical floor is around 50 foot-candles of filtered light — roughly what you’d get 5–6 feet from a south-facing window with sheer curtains, or in a bright interior room with multiple light sources. In a north-facing apartment window at 60% humidity and 65°F, money trees typically hold their current leaf count for the first 4–6 weeks before gradually dropping lower leaves as the plant redirects energy. Growth essentially stalls below 40 foot-candles. If your space is on the darker end, pair this with the Barrina T5 set above and run lights 12–14 hours daily — that combination produces noticeably more active growth than ambient apartment light alone.
Watering rhythm for money trees in typical apartment conditions (65–72°F, 50–60% RH): allow the top 1–2 inches of soil to dry before watering. In a 4–5 inch nursery pot during the growing season (spring through early fall), that typically translates to every 7–10 days. In winter, with lower light and slower growth, stretch that to 12–14 days. The braided trunk stores some water in its tissue, giving the plant slightly more buffer than comparably sized single-stem tropicals — but don’t mistake that for drought tolerance. Extended dry periods below the root zone still cause stress.
One structural note on the braided trunk: the aesthetic that makes this plant recognizable comes from manually braiding three to five young stems together during commercial production. Over time — typically 12–24 months of home growing — the binding at the base can loosen as the individual stems thicken. This doesn’t harm the plant, but the classic braided silhouette will gradually become less defined unless you periodically re-secure it with soft plant ties.
For placing this plant alongside other low-light-tolerant options, our best indoor plants for living room guide covers layout, lighting zones, and how to group plants with compatible care needs.
Who this is for: Pet owners who want a mid-size statement plant in a filtered-light living room or office without worrying about toxicity risk.
Who should look elsewhere: Anyone with ambient light consistently below 50 foot-candles without supplemental lighting — and anyone who won’t maintain 50%+ humidity, as leaf tip browning in dry heated apartments is a persistent issue.
5. Lemon Lime Maranta Prayer Plant — Best True Low-Light Plant for Small Spaces
The Lemon Lime Maranta is the plant I’d actually recommend first to anyone dealing with a genuinely dim north-facing window or an interior room that doesn’t see direct light at any point in the day. Most “low light” plants on the market tolerate dim conditions for a few months before showing stress — the prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) is one of the few that actively performs at 25–50 foot-candles, which is where real apartment low-light conditions actually land.
In a north-facing apartment window at 55–60% relative humidity and 65°F, a prayer plant in good health pushes 1–2 new leaves per month during spring and summer — not fast growth by any standard, but consistent, which is more than most dim-space alternatives deliver. When light drops further or temperatures fall below 60°F, growth stalls and the plant enters a semi-dormant state. It won’t die, but new leaf production essentially stops until conditions improve.
The nightly leaf movement — called nyctinasty — is one of the genuinely useful features of this plant beyond aesthetics. The leaves fold upward in the evening and open flat during the day. Once you learn the rhythm, the leaf position becomes a quick health check: leaves that stop moving or open only partially are often a signal of inadequate humidity, overwatering, or temperature stress. It’s a more intuitive care feedback loop than what most houseplants offer.
Water quality matters more with this plant than most guides acknowledge. Maranta leuconeura is sensitive to fluoride and chlorine accumulation in soil — both common in US municipal tap water. Over weeks of regular tap water use, the leaf tips brown and crisp in a way that looks like underwatering but doesn’t respond to increased watering. Using distilled water or letting tap water sit open for 24 hours before use significantly reduces this issue. In apartments with hard water, the difference is visible within 4–6 weeks of switching.
Humidity is the other non-negotiable. In a heated apartment running below 40% RH in winter — which is common in US cities from November through March — the prayer plant’s leaf edges will brown and curl within 2–3 weeks. A small ultrasonic humidifier running 4–6 hours daily in the same room, targeting 55–65% RH, is the most effective fix. Misting provides temporary surface moisture but doesn’t meaningfully raise ambient humidity in a ventilated room.
For soil, the nursery mix this ships in is typically peat-heavy. I’d recommend transitioning to a well-draining mix with 25–30% perlite at the first repotting — which for a 4-inch pot typically happens within 6–9 months as the roots fill out. Go up one pot size (to a 5–6 inch pot) when roots begin circling the drainage hole or emerging from the bottom. Sizing up too aggressively increases overwatering risk because the excess soil volume retains moisture longer than the roots can absorb.
For a detailed overview of how to keep this and similar plants alive through seasonal transitions, our houseplant care guide walks through watering adjustments, fertilizer timing, and humidity management month by month.
Who this is for: Anyone with a genuinely dark north-facing window, pet owners who need ASPCA-verified non-toxic options, and buyers who want a compact plant with distinct patterned foliage that performs in real-world dim conditions.
Who should look elsewhere: Low-humidity apartments without a humidifier (below 40% RH in winter makes this plant a maintenance burden), and anyone who wants fast, dramatic growth — prayer plants are slow growers by design.
What “Low Light” Actually Means for Indoor Plants
Most guides describe low light as “no direct sun” and leave it there. That’s not useful. Here’s what the numbers actually look like in common apartment scenarios:
25–50 foot-candles: North-facing window (no obstructions), interior hallway with overhead lighting, bathroom with frosted glass. True low-light conditions. Suitable for: prayer plants, ZZ plants, pothos (maintenance growth only), and cast iron plants.
50–100 foot-candles: East-facing window in winter, north-facing window in summer with longer daylight hours, well-lit interior room with multiple windows. Moderate-low light. Suitable for: snake plants, money trees, dracaena, peace lily.
100–200 foot-candles: 3–5 feet from a south or west-facing window, behind a sheer curtain. Bright indirect. Suitable for: fiddle leaf fig, monstera, philodendron, most aroids.
If you don’t have a light meter, your phone’s camera app gives a rough approximation. Point it at a white sheet of paper in your plant’s location — if the camera raises its ISO significantly and the image still looks dim, you’re in true low-light territory. A $15 clip-on lux meter gives a much more reliable reading if you’re trying to match plants to specific spots.
For spaces that genuinely fall below 25 foot-candles at all times, no plant selection will compensate for the light deficit long-term. That’s the context where the Barrina T5 grow lights become the actual solution — not a different species.
Soil, Pot, and Watering Considerations for Low-Light Plants
Low-light plants have slower metabolisms than their high-light counterparts — they photosynthesize less and therefore absorb water and nutrients more slowly. That single fact has cascading effects on how you should be managing them:
Soil drainage: In bright-light conditions, a moderately moisture-retentive mix works fine because the plant transpires water quickly. In low light, the same mix stays wet 40–60% longer, dramatically increasing root rot risk. For all the plants on this list, I’d amend standard potting mix with 20–30% perlite to improve drainage. A well-draining mix ensures that even if you slightly overwater, the excess passes through rather than pooling around the roots.
Pot material and drainage holes: Terracotta is the safest choice for low-light plants precisely because its porosity allows soil to dry out faster through the sides of the pot — reducing the overwatering margin of error significantly. Glazed ceramic and plastic retain moisture longer, which can work in bright conditions but increases risk in dim spaces. Whatever pot you use, a drainage hole is non-negotiable. Decorative pots without drainage holes should be used only as cachepots with a nursery pot nested inside.
For more on matching pot material to plant type and care style, our best planters for indoor plants guide compares terracotta, glazed ceramic, and self-watering options with low-light species in mind.
Watering frequency: As a baseline, low-light plants in 4–6 inch pots at 65°F with 50% humidity typically need watering every 10–14 days in spring and summer, stretching to every 14–21 days in winter when growth slows. Check soil moisture at 1–2 inches depth rather than following a fixed schedule — conditions vary more than any calendar-based guide can account for.
Fertilizing: During active growth (roughly April through September), a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half-strength (half the manufacturer’s recommended rate) applied every 4–6 weeks is adequate for low-light plants. Full-strength fertilizer in low-light conditions pushes more salt into the soil than slow-growing roots can absorb, causing fertilizer burn at leaf tips — especially in fluoride-sensitive species like maranta and dracaena. Skip fertilizer entirely during winter months when growth has essentially stalled.
ASPCA Toxicity Summary for This Guide’s Plants
This is one area where most competitor guides provide either nothing or a single blanket statement. Pet households need species-level clarity:
| Plant | ASPCA Status | Species | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Farms 3-Pack (assorted) | Varies by species — confirm on arrival | Multiple | Unknown until delivered |
| Fiddle Leaf Fig | Non-toxic to cats and dogs | Ficus lyrata | Low |
| Money Tree | Non-toxic to cats and dogs | Pachira aquatica | Low |
| Prayer Plant (Lemon Lime Maranta) | Non-toxic to cats and dogs | Maranta leuconeura | Low |
| Pothos (common in 3-packs) | Toxic to cats and dogs | Epipremnum aureum | Oral irritation, vomiting if ingested |
| Snake Plant (common in 3-packs) | Toxic to cats and dogs | Dracaena trifasciata | Nausea, vomiting if ingested |
ASPCA information is provided for reference. Contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) if you suspect ingestion.
For a broader overview of pet-safe houseplant options across different light levels, our indoor plants for living room guide includes ASPCA status for each recommendation.
When to Consider Grow Lights Instead of Different Plants
There’s a ceiling to what plant selection alone can achieve in dark spaces, and being clear about where that ceiling sits will save you from repeated plant loss. If your room reads below 25 foot-candles at plant level for most of the day, these are the signs that supplemental light is the right call:
- Plants hold their current leaves but produce no new growth for 8+ weeks
- Lower leaves yellow and drop at a consistent rate, even with correct watering
- Soil stays wet for 3+ weeks after watering — not because you overwatered, but because the plant isn’t actively transpiring
- Stems elongate dramatically between leaf nodes (etiolation) as the plant reaches for light
The Barrina T5 4-pack addresses all of these when placed 6–8 inches above the plant canopy and run 12–14 hours daily. At that setup, even true low-light species like prayer plants and pothos push noticeably faster growth within 4–6 weeks. For a full breakdown of grow light options by shelf size, spectrum, and output, see our grow light for indoor plants guide.
FAQ: Best Indoor Plants for Low Light
What is the best indoor plant for very low light?
The best option for very low light (25–50 foot-candles) is the prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) or ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia). Both sustain active growth at light levels where most tropicals stall. Below 25 foot-candles, no houseplant sustains healthy growth long-term without a supplemental grow light — that threshold is a biological floor, not a styling preference.
Can pothos survive in a dark room with no windows?
No. Pothos tolerates low light better than most plants, but it still needs at least 25–30 foot-candles of ambient illumination to maintain basic cellular function. In a genuinely windowless room, pothos will survive for several weeks on stored energy, then begin yellowing and declining. A supplemental LED grow light running 12–14 hours daily is necessary for long-term survival in truly windowless spaces.
Are any low-light indoor plants safe for cats and dogs?
Yes. The prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura), money tree (Pachira aquatica), and fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) are all listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA. Pothos, snake plant, and philodendron — which appear frequently in “low light” assortments — are ASPCA-listed toxic. Verify species identity before placing any plant within reach of pets.
How often should I water low-light indoor plants?
In most apartment conditions (65–70°F, 50% RH), low-light plants in 4–6 inch pots typically need watering every 10–14 days during spring and summer, and every 14–21 days in winter when growth slows. The most reliable method is checking soil moisture at 1–2 inches depth — water when that layer is dry, not on a fixed schedule. Low-light plants absorb water more slowly than high-light plants, so overwatering is a more common cause of decline than underwatering.
What’s the difference between low light and no light for plants?
Low light (25–75 foot-candles) is the minimum ambient illumination most houseplants need to sustain photosynthesis and basic metabolic function. No light (below 10 foot-candles) falls below the compensation point at which any plant can produce enough energy to survive. Plants in “no light” conditions aren’t simply growing slowly — they’re consuming stored energy and will decline regardless of care. A windowless room almost always requires a supplemental grow light for any plant to remain healthy.
Do low-light plants need fertilizer?
Yes, but at reduced frequency and concentration. During the growing season (April–September), a balanced liquid fertilizer (10-10-10 or similar NPK) diluted to half the manufacturer’s recommended strength, applied every 4–6 weeks, supports healthy low-light plant growth without salt buildup in the soil. In winter, when most low-light plants slow or pause growth, fertilizing should stop entirely. Full-strength fertilizer on a slow-growing low-light plant causes tip burn and root stress more often than it promotes growth.
Why are my low-light plant leaves turning yellow?
Yellowing leaves in low-light plants most commonly indicate overwatering, not inadequate light. In dim conditions, plants absorb water slowly, and soil that stays wet for 14+ days deprives roots of oxygen, triggering root rot and yellowing of lower leaves. Check soil moisture at 2-inch depth before each watering, ensure your pot has a drainage hole, and consider adding 20–30% perlite to your potting mix to improve drainage. If yellowing starts at the tips and edges rather than overall leaf color, low humidity or fluoride sensitivity (especially in maranta and dracaena) is more likely the cause.
Can a fiddle leaf fig really grow in low light?
Not sustainably. Despite appearing in low-light plant roundups, Ficus lyrata requires 50–150 foot-candles of filtered bright light for healthy growth — closer to bright indirect than low light. In a north-facing apartment window reading under 40 foot-candles, a fiddle leaf fig typically drops 2–4 leaves in the first 4–6 weeks, then continues gradual decline. It’s a better fit for filtered south or east-facing exposures than for genuinely dim spaces.
Final Thoughts: Matching Plant to Space, Not Space to Plant
The most consistent mistake I see with low-light plant purchases is choosing the plant first based on aesthetics, then hoping the space will be adequate. It works in the opposite direction: measure your light first (or assess it honestly), match plant species to what that space actually delivers, and buy the grow light before the plant if your light genuinely falls below 25 foot-candles at any point in the day.
Of the five products in this guide, the Lemon Lime Maranta Prayer Plant handles the darkest real-world conditions reliably — and its ASPCA non-toxic status makes it safe for homes with pets. The Costa Farms Money Tree is the stronger choice if you want a mid-size plant that’s pet-safe and tolerates slight light variability without dramatic leaf drop. The Barrina T5 grow light set is what bridges the gap between what these plants need and what most apartments can realistically deliver.
For a broader look at what to grow across different rooms and light conditions, our best indoor plants for beginners guide and indoor plants that don’t need sunlight overview cover additional species with care notes on light, watering, and pet safety.
Last updated: July 2026