One of the wonderful things about ferns is they can be grown both indoors and outdoors. If you live where the growing season is short, growing ferns in containers that can be brought indoors for the winter months is ideal. Ferns can be a tad finicky, but once you know some key tips and tricks you can grow the most gorgeous ferns on the block. Take a look below at Tips for Growing Fabulous Ferns so you can make sure your ferns get the TLC they need to thrive.
Tips for Growing Fabulous Ferns
1. Proper soil is key. Ferns are use to growing in forest or tropical areas with rich compost. Try adding peat to your compost or soil to enrich it and give the ferns the soil they will thrive in. It is important to also choose soil that drains well. Ferns don’t like wet or water logged roots at all.
2. Take it easy on the light. Ferns are use to growing in lush areas where they may be hidden from a great deal of sun. Because of this, they don’t need full sun to thrive. They actually prefer earlier morning sun or late afternoon sun. Don’t expose your ferns to too much direct sun.
3. They thrive on humidity. Ferns love humid conditions so a sun room is ideal for them. If you don’t have a humid space or humid weather where you live, keep the fern in a warm place and mist once a week. This can help create some humidity for the plant.
4. Fertilize! You do want to fertilize your fern every 3-4 weeks. It is advised that you use a liquid fertilizer as it is slow releasing and won’t shock or burn out the plant.
5. Remove damaged fronds. If you notice any of the plant is turning brown or decaying, it should be removed immediately. This does not mean yellow fronds, however. If you notice yellow fronds, it could be that you are over watering. Leave the fronds in place and simply adjust your watering schedule. Brown fronds should be removed, yellow may remain.
6. Feel free to pot them. Ferns can be placed in pots but they require decent space to spread their roots. You should still keep the above tips in mind, and still use a peat based potting soil for best results. You don’t want to skimp on the proper soil as it will be more important now than ever to make sure the plant has the proper base to grow in.
7. Be mindful of indoor conditions. If you do decide to grow your ferns indoors, they like temperatures to stay around 70 degrees. Keeping your home cooler than that may result in some issues. Place the plant in a sun room that gets a little more heat if you like to keep your central air a little cooler.
Are you ready to try your green thumb at ferns? You will find that they an be quite decorative to your home and garden, plus the plants can be divided as they grow giving you free plants. Give these tips for growing ferns a try and see how fun it can be!
More Plant Care Tips:
How To Pick The Best Plants For Your Region
How to Care for Plants That Were Damaged in a Freeze
Anne Tilley says
How much epsom salt would you put in a gallon of water
Thankyou
Anne
Ilona says
I have always loved ferns– appreciate your post it is very informative and learned some new things. Thank yo for posting looking forward to some of your other articles relating to gardening.
Debbi says
If you plant Boston and Kimberly ferns in a garden, will they come back next spring?
Necie Phillips says
I want to thank you for these wonderful, helpful ways for Growing ferns. When I look back at what I did, why it would make a marvelous cartoon! I live in Florida and used to hike out in the woods and see those growing, but not all together like like Boston Fern. I’m not going to go into any more detail for it’s just to long. Never could get them growing.
Sharon King says
I have two outdoor ferns one of which is getting huge. Its in the same pot I bought it in and I think it needs a bigger pot. It’s so big I’m not sure I can bring it inside when cold weather comes. I’m giving away the smaller fern. I water them almost every day and use epsom salt as fertilizer.
Debbie says
How much epsom salt do you use in a gallon of water?
Linda says
How much Epson salts do you use in a gallon of water?