Had to choose between a south-facing window and a grow light for my ferns

My apartment in Portland only gets direct sun on the south side for like 3 hours a day in winter, so I tried a $40 LED grow light from Lowes for my Boston fern instead. The fern lost leaves and got crispy edges after 2 weeks under the light, but when I moved it back to the window it perked right up. Has anyone else had plants freak out when switching from natural light to artificial?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_jones9d ago

Did you try easing the fern into the light slowly instead of moving it all at once?

river_thompson9d ago

Did you try the "one inch per day" method, or did you pull a me and yeet it right into the sunny spot like a plant murderer? My fern definitely thinks I'm trying to slowly cook it instead of just giving it some sunlight.

viola_garcia569d ago

Slow and steady is the ONLY way to go with ferns. I learned that the hard way after scorching a beautiful Boston fern because I thought it could handle a full morning sun spot right away. Now I do about 15 minutes more of direct light each day, and they adjust way better. Just keep an eye on the leaves for any yellowing, that's your signal to back it off a bit.