by Evin Morrison, Extension Master Gardener
Photos © Evin Morrison
Help . . . I love ferns, but they keep dying in my house. Is there anything I can do to keep one alive?
Ferns are probably one of the hardest houseplants to keep alive indoors, so don’t think you have a black thumb just yet. While they are beautiful, they can be temperamental, so only bring them home if you are ready for a challenge.
To ensure success when you bring a new fern home, first figure out where it’s going to live. It is always important to think about where a plant grows naturally and do your best to replicate that environment in your home. Ferns are woodland plants. They grow in moist environments, usually on or underneath trees. Most of the varieties that are used as houseplants are tropical ferns, therefore they are also plants that thrive in humid conditions, receive lots of rainwater, and are protected from harsh sun by a lush canopy of taller vegetation.
So how do you create a similar environment in your own home?
Well… the first place to think about is a bathroom. If you have a window that lets in natural sunlight and you have space for a plant, it’s a great home for a fern. The humidity created from the shower mimics ambient humidity in tropical air outside, while frosted or privacy glass that is often found in bathrooms protects the fern from harsh rays. Plus, there are plenty of water faucets nearby so forgetting or putting off watering is much more difficult to do, and you are less likely to let your new fern go thirsty.
Another great home for a fern is in a terrarium or other enclosed environment. Again, it really comes down to the amount of trapped humidity that keeps the fern from drying up and withering.
Lastly, it’s important to do some research on ferns in general. Some are known to be easier to grow indoors than others. Boston (Nephrolepis exaltata) ferns are notorious for dropping leaves all over the floor. Staghorn (Platycerium) ferns have much thicker leaves and don’t need as much babying as some other varieties. Rabbit foot (Davallia) ferns have fuzzy rhizomes that thrive when misted, and hence should not be planted under the soil but should remain on the outside of the pot. Maidenhair (Adiantum) ferns are known for being very challenging indoors, but are great candidates for terrarium planting.
Rather than give up on ferns, do a little research and a tiny bit of planning and maybe the next fern you bring home will surprise you and thrive in the custom environment you’ve created.
Help… I have a snake plant in a low light corner, but it seems to be struggling. It said low light on the tag. What am I doing wrong?
In general, snake plants (Dracaena – previously Sansevieria) are considered to be a low maintenance plant. They can handle a lot of neglect; they will live in lower light situations and can take a few missed waterings due to their succulent nature. However, if a plant isn’t in optimal conditions it isn’t going to thrive and might very well start to show signs of distress.
The first step when dealing with any struggling plant is to pinpoint the main factor that’s affecting the plant and fix it. The main factors to check are watering habits, light, soil, and fertilizer.
Poor watering habits are the most common cause of ailing houseplants. Before assuming that light is the problem, check the moisture in the soil. Overwatered snake plants will rot from the base, while underwatered snake plants can appear wrinkled or even floppy. Healthy and well-watered specimens will have sturdy feeling blades. You might even see new growth forming around the base. If you suspect watering is the issue, try adjusting your habits for a few months and see if you notice a difference in the health of the plant.
If you’re confident in your watering, then look further into the light situation. The concept of a low light plant is a bit misleading. No plant is going to thrive in extremely low light. Some will live, but the growth pattern isn’t going to be ideal. Snake plants that receive more light are much more likely to put on new growth and in the most ideal conditions can even bloom.
If you’d like to keep your plant in the same spot, you could try adding a grow light nearby. There are quite a few lightbulbs on the market now that are suitable for use as grow lights but can be installed in any lamp. These bulbs will convert your normal lamp into one that emits full spectrum light that will help your plant grow. It is also really important to make sure that you dust your plants. A buildup of dust on the surface of the plant can block what little light is available.
Lastly, check the soil and the fertilizer. Snake plants do best in well-draining soil that won’t hold on to too much moisture. These plants are desert dwellers, so cactus and succulent soil is ideal or a soil that has a lot of perlite or grit added to it. They don’t really need too much in the way of extra nutrients, so if you’ve been fertilizing with synthetic fertilizers, check the plant for fertilizer burn.
Make one change at a time; not only will this help you learn what was going wrong, but it will make sure that you don’t shock the plant by completely changing its environment all at once.