Growing Ferns Inside: Indoor Gardening Tips for Fern Lovers

Though fake ferns can lend an air of tropical feel and nature to a room, it only works for a moment or two before the visitor realizes the fern is fake. In the right climates, growing ferns indoors is easy to do if you give them proper care and keep rooms at the right temperature and humidity to grow. Some types of ferns are better than others for indoor growing, so it is best to select ferns best suited to your current indoor environment. Above all, ferns depend on the right soil texture to keep a healthy flow of nutrients and oxygen to the roots, so careful selection and sterilization of soil mixtures is a vital first step in keeping an indoor fern healthy.

Choosing an Indoor Fern

The best indoor fern for your atmosphere can depend on how humid you like to keep the building or room in which the fern is kept. According to the University of Rhode Island guide, "Indoor Ferns," some varieties like Rabbit's Foot fern and Holly fern can tolerate drier atmospheres than Maidenhair ferns and Boston ferns, which are best grown in exceptionally moist atmospheres like bathrooms.

Room Environment

Ferns do best in rooms with a small amount of light and a lot of humidity. A good place for a fern may be a room connected to a shower or bath that adds humidity to the air. Warm temperatures are the best thing for ferns, so you want to keep your indoor fern in a room that you keep sort of muggy and a little toasty, like a tropical atmosphere. Even heating is important, so if your home or office has central heating, this would help to create an ideal home for the fern. In areas that are too dry, you can hydrate the fern by spraying it with a misting water bottle to keep it healthy. The temperature should typically not drop under 65 degrees in the evening.

Soil Environment

Indoor ferns thrive on a high amount of drainage and a lot of organic material in the soil, so choosing soil with extra peat moss and large, drainage-friendly particles makes sure ferns get the drainage and nutrients they need. Avoid soil with a lot of clay or soil that seems cakey or drains slowly.

Customize Fern Care

Above all, it is important to realize that different types of ferns can need vastly different environments and care. If you choose your indoor fern carefully based on the existing conditions inside, it is easier to care for the fern. Base your watering schedules on the type of fern you have, and research to determine whether your fern needs constant water, like the Boston fern variety or prefers to dry out between watering sessions like the Rabbit's Foot fern.

References:
University of Rhode Island: Indoor Ferns