5. Repotting

Eventually ferns will have such an amazing root system inside their container that there won’t be enough dirt left to hold water. This means you’ll spend most of your time watering the fern just to keep it alive. I’ve broken one Boston fern into four chunks, repotted each in a hanging basket and had them do excellent. They seem to be very easy at adapting to a new planter.

4. Fertilizer

As long as the nitrate and ammonia levels in the fertilizer are fairly equal, the type of fertilizer used can vary. Start with a fertilizer that has 100 parts per million of nitrogen. If the leaves seem to be rather pale, then try boosting the ppm of nitrogen and see if this helps. Some ferns are naturally paler than others, so be sure to take this into consideration.

3. Temperature

Ferns grow best in temperatures ranging between 73 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temps drop down to around 50, ferns will survive. However, wintering ferns indoors at temps that are closer to 63 will ward off a lot of the winter fungus that grows on ferns.

2. Light

During the summer months or in climates where intense sun is common, ferns like to have between 63 to 70 percent shade. Some ferns will still do great with indirect light, such as a kitchen window facing north. I hang my ferns in containers on the low branches of trees and this seems to be a perfect location for them all summer long.

1. Watering

Even though ferns tend to grow in moist areas, most of them don’t like to be completely submerged in water. Watering regularly is important. Don’t water them so much that they constantly stay soaking wet. A few varieties actually like to dry out between watering, such as the Boston fern.

I hope these tips are useful to you and that you have success with your ferns. Most varieties are very hardy and take little maintenance. What type of fern do you like best? Have you had any trouble getting your fern to grow?

Top Photo Credit: cobalt123