the weekly entry · no. 5 · 22 jun 2026
entry no. 5 — reading the light in your room
almost every 'mystery' plant problem is really a light problem wearing a disguise. this week: the drama queen everyone buys and regrets, a two-second test for what a spot actually is, and a reader whose plant is leaning for the window.
fiddle leaf fig: beautiful, and a diva
instagram's favourite, honestly reviewed: stunning in the right bright spot, a leaf-dropping drama queen everywhere else. buy it for the light you have, not the light you wish you had.
the shadow test
hold your hand a foot above the soil at midday. a crisp, sharp shadow means bright, near-direct light. a soft, fuzzy shadow means medium/indirect. barely any shadow at all? that's low light — and most 'low-light' plants merely tolerate it, they don't love it.
“my plant is growing sideways toward the window with long gaps between the leaves. why?”
that's etiolation — it's stretching because there isn't enough light where it stands. two fixes: move it closer to the window, and give it a quarter-turn each week so it grows evenly instead of lunging. the stretched stems won't un-stretch, but the new growth will come in tight and compact.
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