Every spring my wife buys 4 new ferns to hang on our porch. Well, at the end of this last summer the ferns we had were simply gorgeous. So, Mrs. Bond decided that we should try to keep them alive over the winter. Or, closer to reality, she decided that I should try to keep them alive over the winter in my office. She didn't want them dropping leaves all over the house. Well, I don't know if I'm not doing something right, but they're not looking too good. They're still mostly very green and there's even some new growth on them, but there's also a TON of browning and dead areas. And, they're starting to look a little on the thin side and not nearly as full as they once were. Any got any suggestions for revitalizing Mrs. Bond's ferns?
__________________
Gifted SmartAss Master Class Graduate
My stepmom has a huge fern that she overwinters each year - it drops fronds and thins out and I believe that's a natural reaction to the seasons changing. Come spring, it fills out and turns greener. Ferns are fairly sensitive to overwatering, I believe, so that's something to watch out for. My stepmom's fern has a name and she talks to it, so you might try that if all else fails!
There are scores and scores of different ferns grown in hanging baskets, but I'll assume your four are Boston ferns. They like a fairly cool spot, light but not direct sun, and light watering. You can even withhold water, store them in some cool, dim spot, and then cut them back all the way in March and begin watering with a light doseof fertilizer to sput growth.
__________________
"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an argument." William Gibbs McAdoo. US Vice-President under Woodrow Wilson.
Whew! Thanks for the info, both of you. Now, I'm not so worried about these little guys. And, yes, they are all Boston ferns.
None of them have direct sunlight, but they do get a lot of flouresecnt light in my office. I give them about 2 cups of water twice weekly, not nearly enough to saturate them so that they drip from their pots. There's actually quite a bit of new growth on all of them.
Should I trim them back at all, considering what I'm doing? Of course, other than removing the brown parts.
Thanks, both of you!
P.S. While I have what I would call a brown thumb, Mrs. Bond has two! Hence the reason why most of our house plants are silks! [img]redface.gif[/img]
__________________
Gifted SmartAss Master Class Graduate
Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
Posts: 5,857
Quote:
Originally posted by gregl515: So this is a fern board now?
The boards at Women's Health and ivillage.com were shut down, and our intrepid Mr. Bond needed answers. He would have been massacred at MH, so he posts here...
Love fern? I just saw the movie 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.' I can pretty much enjoy any kind of movie. This was a total piece of crap. I give it zero Swiss Balls.
Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
Posts: 5,857
Quote:
Originally posted by Kaiser: Love fern? I just saw the movie 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.' I can pretty much enjoy any kind of movie. This was a total piece of crap. I give it zero Swiss Balls.
Kaiser Ebert.
I liked it. I thought it was amusing, occcasionally funny, and it had an original premise.
Linear Mode
