Boston Fern help

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SongsofJoy New Hampshire, NH(Zone 5b) Dec 11, 2007

I have had a HUGE boston fern in my office for about 3 years now. It was thriving beautifully until about a year ago and now I don't know what it needs. When it started looking sad last winter, I brought in a humidifier which seemed to help tremendously - for a while. But by spring entire spikes were turning brown. So I started fertilizing every other week with a weaker than normal dose (I hadn't been using fertilizer at all prior to that). I continue to run the humidifier and fertilize sparingly but it doesn't seem to be bouncing back this time. It still looks good, but not stunning like it used to. I've wondered if it needs to be repotted - the roots are very compacted. But the owner of a flower and indoor plant shop said they like to be root bound. Is that true? Any other ideas? It was such a magnificent plant - everyone who saw it commented on it - that I hate to see it slowly die...

Thanks for your help

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barbaratoo Hilton, NY(Zone 6a) Dec 11, 2007

Sorry to hear of your dilemma. I've grown them for a long time...I know that they like their soil pretty moist/wet and it may be necessary to water several times a day to keep the moisture in the soil. If the plant has not been repotted for 3 years, I would say it needs to be...usually once every year or two is a good rule of thumb. If the roots are really tight, you may have to use a large, sharp knife to cut through them; Also, I would only fertilize 2-3 times a year using 1/2 strength fertilizer. When fronds turn brown, cut the off at the soil line.Hope this helps.

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Lala_Jane North West, OH(Zone 5b) Dec 11, 2007

Good tips Barbara, thanks. I've never been able to grow a boston fern in the house. The best I've ever been able to do is keep them (barely) alive untill spring when I can get them back outside where they always bounce back. But oye with the mess in the winter!

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plantladylin (Zone 1) Dec 12, 2007

I have a couple of these in pots that I salvaged when we cleared an area in our back yard last year that was taken over by these things. They are very invasive down here in Florida when planted in the ground! They spread everywhere and are so hard to get rid of.

I have never heard of them liking to be rootbound. I have always felt just the opposite, they seem to like room for their runners to spread. I think you should try repotting. Is there much soil left in the pot at all? I know I have had some plants become so root bound that there is not much soil left and the roots can no longer take up water.

This is the one we had taking over our backyard: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1948/

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