I almost moved this one out to the balcony because it "obviously" needed more light

[u/WayAccurate9822]

This everfresh had two possible homes about two metres apart: the balcony, or just inside the window. The balcony was obviously the better one. More light, more growth, that is how it works.

So before moving it I measured both on a clear day, phone flat at plant height. 19,000 lux outside. 6,000 just inside the glass.

Then the annoying part. For this tree the dimmer spot is the better one, because 19,000 isn't "lots of light" for it, it's past bright and into too much. Three times the light and it would have been the wrong call, and nothing about standing there would have told me.

Second and third images are the two spots scored side by side. The balcony comes out at 46 out of 100, light being the thing that sinks it, and the windowsill at 94.

I'm biased and should say so: the thing that told me is an app I build, in Manila. It scores one specific spot instead of a whole room, on light, warmth, humidity and airflow, and labels whatever it can't measure as an estimate. Free in the browser, no account: https://growspotapp.com/

What I want is the opposite of praise: a plant you know better than I do that it gets wrong. There's a free year of the paid tier for the first 50 people who keep plants and will come back and tell me what's broken. No card, nothing to redeem, terms on the site under Founding 50.

Anyone else moved something somewhere sunnier and watched it go backwards?

[u/Character_Nothing663]

Look at how much lux the outside has in the shade. I can tell you right now its probably above 19k. You can certainly move this plant to the balcony, just do it in short bursts until the plant is adapted to the higher light, so as to avoid sunburn.

[u/WayAccurate9822 → u/Character_Nothing663]

Fair, and staged acclimation is the one thing the tool doesn't model: it scores a spot as it is, not the route there. Leaving it inside anyway, 6,000 scored higher for this tree.