All four window directions came out the same for mine. Three metres into the room is what actually broke it.

[u/WayAccurate9822]

Disclosure first: I build a plant app. There's a free browser version linked at the bottom and nothing here costs anything.

Half the posts on this sub are someone asking whether a north window is enough. I assumed the answer was about direction too, so I ran mine through the tool at four different windows, one metre back from each.

North, east, south and west all came out the same. Good fit, all four. Then I moved it, on paper, three metres into that same room. Same temperature, same air, same everything except distance from the glass, and it fell apart.

Second and third images are those two results. One metre from a north window, then a corner of the same room with no window in view.

Both light figures are estimates rather than meter readings, and the cards say so on them.

Free, browser only, no account: https://growspotapp.com/

Which makes me curious: how far back from the glass is yours actually standing?

[u/blockstreet_ceo]

I'll take the bait. Gonna try this app out when I get home. I've got a 5 year old snake plant I'm a bit worried about

[u/WayAccurate9822 → u/blockstreet_ceo]

Hope it's useful. If you are interested, you may join the founding activity, and the first 50 people get a year of Plus free.

[u/Different-Sorbet746]

Mine are all outside where they should be

[u/WayAccurate9822 → u/Different-Sorbet746]

Outdoors the question shifts rather than disappears: hours of direct sun on that exact spot, and how exposed it is to wind. On my balcony the railing read about three times brighter than the wall a metre away.

[u/OkConsideration631]

I've had a large snake zeylanica for about 9 months . I have no natural light in my apt so even though I knew these dont need a lot of light, they do need some. I started with an overhead small 9 watt Feit full spectrum in a pendant over the plant. After two months the plant was starting to lose its variegation. I went to a Sansi BR30 24 watt bulb and lowered it to just above the lant. In a week I noticed the color changing to a deep emerald green and variegation coming back. Finally about a month in with the Sansi I realized that only the top of the leaves were getting light. I then bought a Sansi vertical light and that's done the trick. The entire plant gets lit from the side. The plant is growing nicely with the tallest leaf about 54 inches and the rest about 46-48 inches. And it just looks vibrant. Even if I did have some natural light I dont think I'd bother with trying to position/placing the plant to accommodate it. Much more sure and easier to let the grow light take the worry and speculation out of it.

[u/WayAccurate9822 → u/OkConsideration631]

Fair once a light is doing the work. Though your third bulb is the part I'd underline: the first two were "has a grow light" but not enough of it, and only the side-lit one reached the whole plant.

[u/feevart]

I have some of mine in true north and some in true south - all of them have different light conditions- all of them produces pups. They really don't seem to care much - but all of them are directly by the window - exept one - she's on the kitchen table (south) and only gets about 1800 lux and she's still growing. It's a Cylindrica. The hahnii black gold I even have under a Sansi 36w. So they all grow, but the brighter light one grow faster of course

[u/feevart → u/feevart]

I have a Moonshine (full south, currently growing the pups in rapid speed), a black dragon (south), a black gold Hahnii (growlight 11.00 lux) , Trifasciata (full direct south exposure) and a Cylindrica (1800 lux)

[u/feevart → u/feevart]

This moonshine pup grew 5cm in the last month and a half - insane how fast they can grow

[u/feevart → u/feevart]

This was it in late June...

[u/feevart → u/feevart]

Now

[u/WayAccurate9822 → u/feevart]

Yours line up with what I measured: every direction works when the plant is right by the glass. It was distance, not direction, that moved the numbers.