How to Transplant an Overgrown Boston Fern
A Boston fern is not actually native to Boston. Instead, it is a cultivar of the sword fern, a variety of fern that grows wild in Florida. These ferns have fronds that may reach up to four feet in length. Cultivars of the Boston fern such as Dallas are compact and may only need a container that is smaller than eight inches in diameter. Larger cultivars such as Bostoniensis may require a container larger than 12 inches. Transplanting a Boston fern is not difficult. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Bleach
- Plastic bristle scrub brush
- 5 gallon plastic bucket
- Terra cotta container
- Pottery shards
- Commercial potting soil
- Garden trowel
- Watering can
Instructions
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1
Mix a sterilizing solution for cleaning your terra cotta container in a plastic bucket. The solution should consist of one part bleach and nine parts water.
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2
Submerge a terra cotta container that is two inches wider than the diameter of your Boston fern's root ball in the bucket of bleach solution. The solution will sterilize the container so that your fern remains healthy.
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3
Place a pottery shard into the bottom of your container over the drainage hole.
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4
Fill the container one third full of potting soil with a garden trowel.
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5
Remove your Boston fern from Its old container by gripping the fern at the base of the plant where it meets the soil with one hand. Tip the fern's container on its side with the other hand and tap the container to release the root ball of the fern from the corner.
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Place the root ball of the fern into the new container on top of the soil. Fill in between the root ball and the container's walls with potting soil up to the top of the root ball.
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7
Water the fern to release any air pockets in the soil. Once the soil settles, add more potting mix around the root ball. Continue to water the fern to keep it as moist as a wrung out sponge.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Damp Fern image by David Bayer from Fotolia.com
