Gardener’s Houseplant Grows Away From Sunlight in an Oddly Hilarious Way — and Reddit Knows Why

In the same way as humans need food, plants need light. Without light, a plant cannot survive, barring a short period. It is, therefore, unsurprising that plants shoot upwards from the dark underground towards the sunlight. In one case, however, a 7-month-old vine plant has gone bonkers. Its vines seemed to have turned too introverted. As if throwing tantrums, the vines of this plant are spurning away from the light, pooh-poohing the very food it needs to grow. Reddit gardener, u/taxi_02, who owns this houseplant, asked people to help them resolve this weird dilemma. “Why is my plant trying to avoid sunlight?” They said.

A picture they shared in the post shows a disco ball planter embellished with colorful mirror chips that are gleaming in the light. The disco ball is dangling on metal chains from a ceiling rail bordering a south-facing window decorated with long, white drapes. Bursting from the mouth of the planter is a lush green vine plant. From a distance, this appears to be a normal sight. However, a closer look reveals that there’s something wrong with this plant.

While the leaves of the plant depict the usual behavior, soaking in sunlight from the window, the vines are turning away from the light. Launching away from the light-oozing window, the vines resemble a crying baby running away from a stranger and stretching his arms to latch onto his mother’s chest. “Why could this be?” The puzzled homemaker asked Reddit.

People who saw the picture started cracking up, spinning bizarre scenarios of what could be the reason behind the plant’s dramatic aversion to light. “Just wants a hug,” one person said. Another joked, “It’s shy.” u/AllonssyAlonzo attempted to mimic the thoughts of the plant, “This is hilarious…the plant is like...Nope." u/future_futurologists likened its protest to “a plant meteor hurtling toward earth!” u/allcapsalicats said, “It’s just Naruto running.” Someone said the plant is bamboozled by extremely bright light. Though hilarious, this point holds a grain of truth.

According to the various scientific explanations shared by the Reddit users, plants don’t always gravitate towards the light even though they need it. Sometimes, light can do more harm to their bodies than good, especially if it is too bright or too intense for their needs. In these periods, this is exactly what they need: turning away from the light and resting in darker areas. “I don't know if it's true in this case, but plants don't always want more sunlight; sometimes they want less, it could possibly be overexposed,” explained u/SteeveyPete. In scientific terms, this phenomenon is called “negative phototropism.”

“It's reverse phototropism! Some plants are actually so well adapted to their preferred light levels that rather than simply burn from too much light, they'll run away from it,” wrote u/Apathetic_Llama86. Another insight came from u/UncleCake, who said, “It's not avoiding the light, it's avoiding the physical barrier of the window. It doesn't have any room to grow in that direction.”

Several people pointed out that since most climbing vines prefer shaded areas, the same could be happening with this plant, too. “Climbing plants' stems may grow away from light as the area near the trunks of the trees they grow up are shadier than other areas. The leaves would still try to face the sun like in your photo to catch as much sun as possible,” explained u/Lower_Tide. Beyond all the science, one prophetic reader, u/iread420, offered a wise tip, “It’s coming for…you! Don't leave your foot out of the blankets while sleeping!"