Boston Fern looking bad.. brown leaves... thoughts? (grow, fertilization, Ferns)

[fierce_flawless]

I bought a huge potted Boston Fern on impulse at my local grocery store, because it was ENORMOUS and gorgeous and on sale. At the time of purchase it was perfect, very healthy and lush and fat with no brown spots.

I was actually planning to give it to my mom but was so in love with it that I kept it for myself.

Now, it's looking scraggly and many of the fronds are brown.

I live in zone 8 (South Central Texas) and it stays outside. I keep moving it from a very sunny spot back up to the covered porch, not sure if it wants more direct sun or not?

I water it every other day and have misted it a couple times but I have no real clue about this plant... can I save it? Or should I just give it away to someone who has fern experience?

[azoria]

Your fern will cook out in the sun.

Needs shade, plenty of water, and likes cooler temps with humidity. Ferns grow in forest undergrowth.This is not a plant suitable for outside in the sun in Texas summers. A good hot Texas breeze will finish convection roasting it.

If that were my partially baked fern I would take it into the (presumably air conditioned) bathroom in my house. I would water it nicely and mist it and hope that in a couple of weeks it would put out new fronds.

Go ahead and cut off the toasted crispy leaves (called fronds) at the base of the plant.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by azoria

Your fern will cook out in the sun.

Needs shade, plenty of water, and likes cooler temps with humidity. Ferns grow in forest undergrowth.This is not a plant suitable for outside in the sun in Texas summers. A good hot Texas breeze will finish convection roasting it.

If that were my partially baked fern I would take it into the (presumably air conditioned) bathroom in my house. I would water it nicely and mist it and hope that in a couple of weeks it would put out new fronds.

Go ahead and cut off the toasted crispy leaves (called fronds) at the base of the plant.

Thank you... yikes... I feel like a killer!

I have an asparagus fern hanging outside from the porch posts... it's doing really well so I guess I just figured a fern is fern in that regard?

I actually do NOT have a/c in the bathroom. We have a very old house, with window units, and the bathroom (only one) doesn't receive any cool air... it's muggy in there. The living room, kitchen, and bedrooms all have A/C though.

What about light? If I bring it inside will it need light from a window? I know you said it needs shade....

I think I might just give it to my mom afterall!

[azoria]

hahahaha.....here you go ma, I killed this plant now I'm giving it to you .......No, that wouldn't be nice.

Meh. Then put it in your un-airconditioned bathroom, water and mist it for a couple of weeks, and hope for recovery. You can put it outside in the shade in the fall when the heat and hot winds are gone.

[Easybreezy]

Boston ferns hate bright sunlight, heat, and dryness. Definitely cut off all the brown fronds, and don't be shy about it. Water it, water it, and water it some more. Misting is good, but your fern needs a lot of tlc.

Try to keep it out of direct sunlight. A little indirect early morning sun when the plant is doing better is OK. I live in the northeast and my fern lives under my front porch eaves, facing east, but with a big pine tree also diffusing the early morning sunlight. My ferns always seem to do well. Last year I nursed a sick fern that I rescued from Walmart (got it "dirt" cheap). It survived.

[rdlr]

I have Boston Ferns hanging across the top of my front porch, facing South. They get full sun in the afternoon, and I water them every morning when it's cooler. Temps here can get to 100+ degrees, this week 95 degrees, with more of the same to come. They seem to like the heat, part shade, part sun. Oh, I'm in Zone 7

[LaceyEx]

We also have 4 huge Boston ferns hanging from our front porch, live in zone 4 and they face north and are doing great.

[wit-nit]

Bosten ferns do well with some humidity. They can burn easily with too much sun, overfertilization or salts from the soil and/or tap water high in salt content.
Water often enough to keep moist and a daily misting them for humidity when the sun is not directly on the plant. If you're in the humid season, don't mist them at that time, the weather is doing it for you.
If you don't have a moisture meter, I'd suggest you get one from any Garden Center (@$.5.00). It will indicate when to exactly water.

[World Citizen]

Those huge, beautiful ferns that you find in many retail stores are completely rootbound when you buy them. You should water them daily. There is no soil to hold moisture.

You can feel the weight of your pots to guage the moisture level. You'll soon discover how quickly they become dry by feeling the weight when wet - and the weight of the pot when it needs water.

Don't leave it sitting in water, either.

[stone-ground]

Yes, they get so rootbound, don't they?

I used to take mine down to nothing sometimes, cutting off almost all the fronds, and ripping the plant apart into smaller plants, sometimes taking a knife to cut through it all.

They always come back, full and healthy and green. In fact, used to have the pots sitting in huge bowls to collect all the water and never seemed to bother them.

Gave up misting long ago, as frequent waterings seemed all they needed.

Found they loved bright, but indirect light.

I had a couple that I used to drag around that were over thirty years old, and they would get huge, reason why I'd cut them down and take them apart. When I put one outside sometimes, it always got burnt, even if I was careful not to water in the heat of the day and tried to keep it in partial shade.