How to Take Care of a Fern as an Indoor Plant
Native to tropical and subtropical forest floors where they are shaded by dense forest canopies, ferns are well-suited for growing in the low-light conditions of homes and offices. Ferns not only provide an attractive green touch to indoor spaces, they also remove indoor air pollutants and help convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. Though specific steps must be taken to mimic their natural growing environment, ferns are beautiful and surprisingly low-maintenance houseplants that can be enjoyed by both amateur and experienced gardeners. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Fern
- Planting container
- Potting compost
- Peat moss
- Coarse builder's sand
- Watering can
- Tray
- Pebbles
- Liquid houseplant fertilizer
Instructions
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Plant your fern in a planting container that is large enough to comfortably house its root system. Select a planting container with at least two 1/4-inch drainage holes in the bottom, or drill additional holes, if necessary. Use a mixture of equal parts potting compost, coarse builder's sand and peat moss as the growing medium for your potted fern.
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Position your potted fern 4 to 8 feet from a north- or east-facing window where it can receive at least four hours of indirect sunlight each day. Keep your potted fern at least 6 feet away from heaters or air conditioners that can cause the growing medium to dry out more quickly.
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Keep the temperature of the room where your fern is growing between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Ferns enjoy cooler temperatures in the evening; lower the temperature to between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
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Check the moisture of the growing medium to determine when to water your fern. Water most types of ferns as often as is necessary to keep the growing medium evenly moist, but never soggy. Water holly fern, brake ferns and rabbit's foot ferns when the surface of the growing medium feels dry to the touch. Use spring, filtered, purified or collected rainwater when hydrating your fern.
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Provide your fern with 30 to 70 percent humidity to ensure successful growth. Fill a shallow tray with pebbles and cover the pebbles with water. Set your potted fern on top of the tray of pebbles, making sure that the water in the tray does not touch the bottom of the planting container. Maintain the water level in the tray to provide your fern with continuous humidity.
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Feed your potted fern monthly with a half-strength solution of a liquid houseplant fertilizer from April through September. Follow the directions on the fertilizer package for application instructions.
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Tips & Warnings
Tap water can be used to water your fern if you allow it to stand undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
Place a cool-mist humidifier in the room where you keep your potted fern to provide even more healthy humidity.
Watch out for common insect pests like spider mites, mealybug and scale. Treat your potted fern with a houseplant insecticide product, if necessary.
Asparagus ferns are not actually ferns. Members of the lily family, asparagus ferns have different light, moisture and fertilization requirements than true ferns.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Fern in flower-pot image by pershing from Fotolia.com
