The Boston fern is one of the most popular and recognizable ferns. It loves moisture and moist environments, which makes it an ideal plant for your bathroom. To give you the best chance at caring for your Boston fern, we’ve broken down the care process into different steps below.
Light
The Boston fern will love a well-lit room with light medium/light. Be very careful, never to place the Boston fern where it can receive any form of direct sunlight. Its leaves are very sensitive and will burn even under morning or evening sun.
Watering
The Boston fern likes his soil to stay moist, never letting it dry out or get too soggy. Water several times in the summer and once a week in the winter. Always test the soil before watering to make sure it’s not too wet. To keep the soil moist, make sure you never put drainage material in the soil like perlite or bark. This plant likes to conserve soil moisture.
Humidity
The Boston fern needs a very humid environment. It grow well in bathrooms where it can take advantage of high humidity. If in a bedroom or living room, place a humidifier next to it or use a cobblestone tray filled with water to help increase humidity.
Temperature
The ideal indoor temperature for Boston ferns is between 15 and 24 ºC. As long as the temperature inside doesn’t drop below 15°C, it will be happy.
Fertilizer
Fertilize every 4 weeks, using a half-concentration formula for the months of March through September. Do not fertilize during the winter months.
Re-potting
Boston ferns need to be re-potted every 2-3 years. Check for any roots protruding from the bottom of the nursery pot, this is a sign that it needs re-potting.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Brown Head – This could be due to two reasons
Check its exposure to direct sunlight. Any direct sunlight can burn its leaves.
Brown head is also a sign of lack of moisture. Boston ferns like a very humid environment. You can place it in the bathroom or next to a humidifier to help increase its humidity.
Yellow leaves – Yellow bottom can be a sign of over watering. Boston ferns need moist soil. Leaving the soil too wet for a long time can lead to yellowing of the leaves.
