Rotating Houseplants: the complete guide

Did you know that houseplants need to be turned occasionally so they grow straight and full? Here's our complete guide on rotating houseplants!

Have you ever had a houseplant grow crooked or uneven and wonder why?

Probably, it is leaning towards the sun or light source.

Indoor plants often wish that they were outdoors and will lean and stretch and grow towards the light.

The solution is simple - you just need to turn your houseplants occasionally so they stretch back and forth and end up overall straight and full.

Rotating houseplants: here’s why you should do it

Do any of your potted plants lean towards the light?

Or are they just tilting to one side? Looking visually imbalanced?

Are the leaves or flowers themselves on each plant turned to one side?

You might need to rotate your houseplants.

It is completely natural for plants to lean towards the light. In fact, this is a survival technique! Leaning towards the light allows the surface area of the plant to absorb more light and get more energy to grow.

Unfortunately, leaning plants can look pretty strange. If you want Instagram-worthy plants, you might want them to straighten out.

Here are some tips for rotating your potted plants.

How often should you rotate your plants?

This is totally up to you. I have certain plants that I water once per week (a taller fiddle leaf fig, for example) that I rotate ¼ turn each time I water it. This helps keep the stem growing straight.

However, I don't rotate all of my plants that often. Many of them, I don't rotate until I see the side of the plant leading towards a light source.

Fast growing plants might change their direction quickly, while some plants take a while to straighten out.

Remember - in the winter, plants will get less light overall and might need to be rotated more often compared to in brighter months.

Some plants naturally grow towards light more prominently than others. For instance, sun-loving plants like succulents might exhibit more noticeable leaning tendencies compared to shade-loving ferns.

Monitor your plants and when you notice them leaning or looking off balance, give them a spin!

Want to show your houseplants some love?!
--> How to clean plant leaves
--> How to propagate a plant (free eBook!)
--> When to repot a plant
--> Rotating houseplants
--> When to cut leaves off of plants

Do I need to rotate plants under a fluorescent light?

It depends where the light is! If the light is directly overhead, the plant should grow straight up. If the light is to the side, put it to the side opposite the natural light to help balance the plant.

Do I need to rotate outdoor plants?

It depends on the light source. Outdoor plants often get more and more varied light than indoor plants.

If they are getting light primarily from one direction, then yes! If the light travels the full horizon of the sun, then no. But, it can't hurt to try!

Any other questions about rotating plants?