QA

Quick Answer: How To Water A Boston Fern

Water the plant thoroughly, using room-temperature water, until water runs through the bottom of the pot. Let the plant drain thoroughly and never let the pot stand in water. Boston fern watering is enhanced if you provide a humid environment.

How often should Boston ferns be watered?

Boston ferns should be watered as often as necessary to keep the growing medium slightly damp at all times. Depending on your climate, this may involve watering anywhere from every 2 to 3 days or once a week. During the growing season, water at this frequency.

Do Boston ferns like to be misted?

Boston ferns need a cool place with high humidity and indirect light. When you care for Boston fern plants indoors, it’s a good idea to provide additional humidity for them, especially in the winter. You can also try lightly misting your fern once or twice a week to help it get the humidity it needs.

Do Boston ferns need to be watered daily?

Many people fear they will overwater their fern but Boston ferns crave water and need daily watering when outdoors, especial on hot summer days.

What does an overwatered fern look like?

The first sign that a fern is overwatered is usually yellowing or wilted leaves. The weight of the pot is another indication that a fern needs water. If the soil is dry, the pot will feel very light. Hold off watering for a few days, then test the soil again.

Can you overwater a fern?

Overwatering causes the fronds to yellow and wilt and may eventually lead to root rot and fungal diseases, especially if the pot is allowed to sit in water. Too little water also causes wilt. But you also can increase humidity around the ferns by placing the pots on a pebble-lined tray.

Where should I place my Boston fern?

Boston ferns do best in bright, indirect light. Too much shade can result in sparse fronds that aren’t their typical bright color. And too much sun can burn the fronds. So both outdoors and indoors, make sure direct sunlight won’t hit your plant.

How do I keep my Boston ferns healthy?

Situate Boston ferns indoors in bright, indirect sunlight away from drafty doors and heating vents. Provide as much humidity as possible and carefully monitor the soil to ensure plants stay consistently moist. You can set the plants on pebble trays filled with water, so long as the pot does not sit in standing water.

How do you take care of a fern hanging basket outside?

Ferns in hanging baskets tend to dry out quickly and require more frequent watering, especially during the summer months. Be careful not to overwater during the winter. Feed a fern in a hanging container every month during spring and summer using a balanced, water soluble fertilizer mixed to half strength.

Why are the tips of my Boston ferns turning brown?

Boston fern browning may be caused by poor soil, inadequate drainage, lack of water or humidity, too much light, excess salt, or simply mechanical injury. If your cat tends to chew on the leaves, the tips will turn brown and die.

How do you water a hanging fern?

Choose a humid spot if one is available, such as a bathroom, if the potted fern stays indoors. Water the plants enough to keep them moist without leaving standing water in the pot. Avoid letting the soil dry out completely. To test the soil moisture, touch the soil to see if it feels dry.

What does an Underwatered Boston fern look like?

Look for the following symptoms of overwatering; Your Boston Fern is drooping, despite the soil being wet. The fronds are turning yellow, particularly the lower fronds first. The tips of the fronds are turning brown, despite plenty of water and humidity.

Should I cut the dead leaves off my fern?

To improve their appearance, you should prune out any brown or yellow fronds from indoor ferns. Pruning out these dead fronds also improves airflow around the plant, which helps reduce fungal or mold problems.

How often should you water a fern indoors?

A large fern may require watering daily, while a small fern in the bathroom – where the humidity is high – may require less frequent watering. The key is to water the fern before the soil dries, but to avoid soggy soil. This means good drainage is vital to the health of indoor ferns.

Do ferns need a lot of sun?

Use this quick and easy fern primer to help you choose ferns for sunny or shady spots in your garden and ferns that work well inside the home. SUN LOVING FERNS can take direct sun for about 4 hours per day (morning, mid or afternoon) and filtered the rest of the day.

How do you make Boston ferns greener?

Here are a few of the factors that may cause them to turn yellow. Ferns can stay lush and green all year round! Boston Ferns love shade and moist soil. Epsom salt has minerals perfect for fern growth and fern care. Ferns love shady spots in the yard. A little Epsom salt every month will keep them healthy.

How do you rejuvenate a Boston fern?

Trim the drooping fronds back to about 2 inches long and leave any healthy upright fronds in the center of the plant intact. If all fronds are drying and dying, trim them all to 2 inches. Clean out the dead leaves and check the soil for offsets — baby ferns — which can be separated and planted in their own pots.

Is my fern over or under watered?

Determine which by feeling the leaf showing browning: if it feels crispy and light, it is underwatered. If it feels soft and limp, it is overwatered. Yellowing leaves: Usually accompanied by new growth falling, yellow leaves are an indication of overwatering.