Rescuing Boston Ferns
Q. “I kept my ferns from last year and they are coming out nicely, but the fronds are yellowing from the base to the tip. I have fertilized them, then last week with 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts/1 gallon of water. Help!!”
Boston ferns are tricky, especially ones kept over. I have several questions first.
Did you "beat the tarnation" out of them when you first brought them out? The best way to do that is with the hose set on a JET stream. Really, really give them a hard shower, to remove old growth, to blow off any insects that may have set up housekeeping, and to let them know the long winter is over.
Did you take them out of the pots and loosen their roots a bit...then repot them in pots a couple inches larger than the current containers? You'll be shocked at how many, and how tight, the roots are. If you don't want to go up in pot size, loosen the roots enough to cut off about 1/3 of them. That will allow for this year's growth, and leave room for a little fresh potting mix.
Did you trim back the top? If you'll part the fronds, you'll see there are little new fronds trying to push up, but are overshadowed by old ones. You can cut them back by 1/2 or more, to give new growth a chance.
Did you soak the root balls thoroughly, before asking them to grow? You can do this in a big bucket or in the bathtub, and leave them in the pots so they don't fall apart. Soaking them in a solution of an organic fertilizer would kickstart them. They would "color up" pretty quickly.
Yellowing can indicate symptoms brought on by any one of the issues above. It's not too late to correct the problems and have beautiful ferns.
I don't recommend any synthetic fertilizer for several reasons; they have a high salts content which tends to build up in the soil, becoming toxic. This can be remedied by regular flushing of the soil, completely. Another problem is that the efficacy of the product is only 6 - 10 days, meaning you'd need to apply at least once a week.... adding to the salts build up. All natural fertilizers, such as ESPOMA products, are top of the line for everything you grow. You'll find these at Broyles for sure.
Let's rescue these ferns!!
Boston ferns can as tricky to bring in as to put out. Flush the soil well by dunking the entire pot into a bucket of soapy water for 30 minutes. Spray them with a mild mixture of soapy water, being sure to get under the leaves. This is to rid them of summer insects that are trying to over winter. No fertilizer during winter. You can do this!!
Sherrie Ottinger, The Tennessee Dirtgirl
