how many hours a day of light do ferns need?

Question

I have moved my fern inside to a bathroom with no window. How many hours a day do I need to keep the light on in there?

Answer 1

It varies depending on the type of fern but the shade tolerant ones need at least 3-4 hours a day. If the bathroom lights are 5 or 6 feet from the plant you may want to keep the lights on for 5-6 hours. As the distance from the light source increases the usable light decreases quit a bit.

Answer 2

I grow plants under flourescent lights (3 4-bulb units) and I keep the lights on 14 hours/day. If you have boston fern, they really do take a lot of light, an asparagus fern requires even more.