I live in Austin, TX and have had a large Boston Fern on our back porch all Summer long. Now that it is getting cooler at night, I am wondering how I should treat it so I can have it next year as well. Will it live in the cold? Should I bring it inside? Put it in the garage or greenhouse? Just leave it where it is?
Help please.
Pam
Boston Fern question
I also need to know stuff about Boston Ferns. Our neighbour has left us three HUGE and absolutely beautiful ones.
Two we have taken to the third floor where the ferns will receive little light and it will be cool all winter (if not downright cold - though it will not be freezing).
The third is a true monster. DH wants to know if it is possible to divide the fern and make hanging plants from the mother plant.
I have similar questions: any tips for successful overwintering; when can I divide? Mine grew into a mega fern and takes up the entire corner of my family room.
Hi fellow Austinite!
If you leave it on the porch, it won't be a pretty sight. The winter wind will probably strip it. If you put it in the garage where there's limited light, it will drop most of it's fronds, but live. Best to put it in a greenhouse if you can.
I've divided some baskets into quarters (just saw them with a knife) and planted them along the fenceline. Covered during our few freezes, they come back even bigger from the spores in the spring.
yes bring it inside for the winter in your zone
An Austiner.......Hello.
Are you saying I should put it in the ground? We have some plankets to cover during freezes. I am trying to limit what goes into the greenhouse, because it only has so much space, and we have so many plants.
Pam
I was answering two questions.....yours, and one about dividing ferns....sorry for confusion.
In Austin, we get very few really freezing, rainy, windy nights, but it only takes one to knock out hanging baskets. You may decide to keep fern out until you know it's going to freeze and then hang it in the garage overnight.
As for the dividing question from Michaeljo....you'll be surprised that once you cut your fern into quarters, the four pieces each seem to take up the same space as the original........you get four ferns that are nearly the same size as one.
four for the price of one -- works for me. Can I divide it during the winter or is it best to wait until spring when I can put it outside again?
You could divide it now...but do you want a whole wall of ferns... vs a corner... in your family room all winter? Just turn it on the side and slice through the whole root ball. Sounds brutal, but it bounces back just fine.
Good point! With a whole wall of ferns, I wouldn't have much of a family room left. I guess I can wait until spring. Thanks for the sanity check and the division instructions.
Is this a boston fern?
Yes.
Thanks!
If they were mine I would bring them inside and sit them in a big clear plastic trash bag, I think they are 33 gallon bags that I got at Sam's, clothes pen it closed but loosely. This will keep them from drying out from the winter heat and catch all the leaves they are going to drop. They will look terrible when you take them back outside in the Spring but they will recover quickly.
Judy
Now you tell me....after I crammed a 5 foot Macho fern into a 5 ft temporary greenhouse! Whew!
Beautiful fern, sorry I didn't get over to this forum sooner!!!
Judy
Lighting is my biggest problem. I have a wide variety of temperature options in my house but very limited light. What's the minimum amount of light these guys can have to survive a winter and at what temp should they be at that time?
At the moment I have a bathtub full of boston ferns. They don't seem to mind their temporary digs, but showering is becoming a bit of a pain for ME. LOL!
Thanks,
La
Laugh :D Wouldn't it be nice if they made windowed niches for tropical plants in the bathroom? ....if I ever design my own house...
Hi all, I just received a very poor looking Boston Fern yesterday and was wanting to know what is best for bringing it back to health? It has some green left to it, and even has some babies, but for the most part it looks horrible! I, too, only have so much room in the greenhouse, but I would like to make it healthy and beautiful again. :)
Just bumping to try for an answer. :)
Not a fern expert, but I'll offer my opinion.....I use fish emulsion on all my ferns. I use the liquid kind, but there's a pellet product also that's like Osmocote, so the smell isn't there. ''Fishy'' isn't desirable over the Holidays in your house! In the spring and summer, I make a concoction of fish emul. and Hasta-Gro or seaweed. And I spray Messenger periodically too. Hope that helps. DH never finishes a beer...and I pour this on fern too....all my ferns live outside...during winter in temporary greenhouse.
Well, the only one of those I have ever heard of is the beer! LOL So, guess I will try that one first. :) Mine hasn't made it to the green house yet since I was waiting to see what is best for it. I almost totally chopped it back yesterday to get rid of all the dead and dry stuff, hoping to give it room to breathe and pick back up. Thanks for the help! :)
You'll find fish emaulsion at Lowe's or Home Depot, or any nursery should carry it. Same for Osmocote...it's a pellet food that lst for about 3 months...great for pots and baskets. Messenger has a 'cult' following. There's a co-op going on, I believe, on DG now. Hasta-Gro may be a local product, I'll check. I really think your fern will bounce back as soon as it warms up. As for beer....there's a guy in one of the garden clubs I belong to and when forcing bulbs, he gives them a shot of gin in the water. What a waste of gin.....but it seems to work for him!
LOL bubbles! I totally forgot about it when I was at Lowe's today, but do have some beer in the fridge, so will give that a shot first. I wonder if it would work for Amaryllis bulbs? I have a new one I got tonight that I gotta get planted. Not a waste of beer in my opinion, but the gin may be another story! LOL
If you're planning to keep fern in GH, you might not want to fertilize it just yet. I assumed you were keeping it inside. As soon as it warms up, start feeding it and it'll respond quickly.
Yes, I think I will move it to the green house cause it is in a large pot, and nowhere to keep it inside other than the floor. So, best on the floor out there! :) I did dump some beer in it last night, and I will let ya know how it does. :)
Just a little beer...don't want ferns with addictions...bad enough they get scale...
Ok, I don't think I got it drunk! LOL
This is getting away from the fern topic, but my gardening guru says that using a shot of hard liquor when forcing bulbs will help keep them compact. I just started a vase of paperwhites today and I'm going to give it a little drinky-poo yet tonight.
Darn, I shoulda done that when I had the last little bit of Jack Daniels the other night! LOL
Bump
Always looking for ways to overwinter my ferns. Anybody with any fresh ideas?
My friends bring them to me since I have a greenhouse. They fit under benches so they're no problem. Not a novel idea but....
Thanks hymenocallis, (I was so tempted to shorten your name, but....) all input is welcome! Although I do have a small GH I'm afraid our zonal differences will stand in the way for me. I can only afford to heat it in the fall and spring, but at least that might help for a part of the season. How warm does your green house stay throughout the winter months?
Normally 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Fells pretty cool but it keeps tropicals happy. Most of these type plants can go to 50 degrees without problems.