A friend of mine lives in a very cold area. One of his favorite plants is the Boston fern. He kept this tree inside the house. The Boston Fern is very hardy and can be grown outdoors in the hottest parts of the United States.In 1894, this species of fern was discovered during the Borrow Fern shipment from Philadelphia to Boston.
You can easily maintain this tree at home to decorate the house. I am sharing with you some Boston Fern tree tips and ideas from my friend so that you too can keep your tree healthy like he did.
It is considered as a classic indoor plant and easy to care for, as it doesn’t require a lot of sunlight. For its sword shaped leaves, this plant also known as Sword fern. The Boston fern is the most popular of all ferns grown indoors and has been found to be one of the easiest to care for and maintain that offers beauty and healthy benefits.
- Scientific classification
- Prefers
- How to care of your plants
- Types of Boston fern
- Propagation
- Pruning
- Common problem
Scientific classification of Boston Fern
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Clade | Tracheophytes |
| Division | Polypodiophyta |
| Class | Polypodiopsida |
| Order | Polypodiales |
| Suborder | Polypodiineae |
| Family | Nephrolepidaceae |
| Genus | Nephrolepis |
| Species | N.exalata |
Prefers
- Light – Indirect light
- Soil – Rich, loamy soil
- Soil pH – 5-5.5
- Temperature – 60°- 75° fahrenheit
- Humidity – 80%
- Native area – Central & South America
How To Care Your Boston Plants At Home
Light
This plant is the perfect porch plant,as they thrive in lots of indirect light. Cool morning sun is ideal for Boston ferns. They need at least a couple of hours of bright, filtered or indirect light each day. Morning sun is ideal,as full afternoon sun can burn the founds. In humid, Subtropical areas of Florida. Boston ferns make an attractive mid height ground over in areas with dappled shade.
Water
Most ferns like an evenly moist soil with regular waterings. Allowing the soil to dry out between waterings stresses these plants. Many people fear they will overwater their fern but Boston fern crave water and need daily watering when outdoors, especial on hot summer days. On really hot day it’s a good idea to water your fern twice a day.
Soil
Its like organically rich,loamy soil with good drainage. Adding compost and peat to your outdoor garden before planting is typically recommended. For a potted Boston fern, use a peat based potting mix with added perlite for increased drainage capacity. These ferns need fast draining soil with a pH of 5 to 5.5 that’s rich in organic materials. They usually prefer plenty of moisture but not water logging, although certain types will tolerate either very wet or dry soil.
One of the most toughest indoor plants, snake plants can tolerate easy to grow indoor condition.These tough plant thrive in any light levels, from low to high. Typically they grow more quickly in brighter light,but strong direct sunlight burns leaves, especially when plants are outdoors.Your plant only needs to be watered fortnightly allowing it’s soil to completely dry out between waterings to prevent overwatering and root rot.Snake plants do best with a free draining soil mix because they are easily prone to rot.It can withstand temperature between 60-90° fahrenheit but prefer temperatures between 65-85° fahrenheit. Readmore(Article under process)
Temperature & humidity
One of the oldest plants in the world, Boston ferns like optimum temperature of 60°-75° fahrenheit but will tolerate temperatures as low as 50° fahrenheit. Once a month in Spring and Summer, feed them a water soluble indoor plants fertilizer. In Spring, large plants can easily be divided and repotted.
This fern also thrives in humidity levels above 80%. You can mimic these conditions by setting your fern on a tray filled with water and pebbles and by providing ba regular misting. In condition of low humidity, the tips of your plan’s fronds may turn brown. If growing outdoors, provide full or partial shade.
Fertilizer
In the Spring and Summer, Boston ferns need to be fertilized once a month. The proper Boston fern fertilizer to use in Summer is a water soluble fertilizer mixed at half strength. The fertilizer should have an NPK ratio of 20-10-20. Use Miracle Gro water soluble all purpose plant food for larger Boston ferns and those grown outdoors, miracle gro indoor plant food for smaller indoor Boston ferns.
Types of Boston Fern
- Nephrolepis exaltata is also known as ‘Golden Boston’ for its yellow green fronds. They require only filtered light and moderate humidity to grow well indoors.
- Nephrolepis Compacta is also known as ‘Rita’s Gold’ for its more compact, chartre use fronds. This plant is grown in moderately fertile, moist but well drained, humidity soil in partial shade.
- A cultivar of N.exalata was discovered in a shipment from a Philadelphia grower to a Boston distributor and named N.exalata cv. ‘Bostoniensis’.
Different plants are believed to have their own benefits but money plants are one of the most well known indoor plants known to bring good luck, wealth are prosperity.Medium to bright indirect light with southern exposure. Never put this one indirect sunlight or the leaves will scorch.After applying the fertilizer you can put the money plant in the water. Don not forget to check the lower end if it has leaves, remove them.It can grow in any type of soil, but the plants grow beautifully in fertile, loamy soil.This plant will not survive a frost or even most early fall temperatures in colder climates. Readmore
Propagation of Boston Plant
The easiest way to propagate by dividing the root ball. If you are repotting the Boston fern, you can simply split the root ball in two and plant the two plants in separate pots. Simple remove the Boston fern runner from the base of the plant, either with a gentle fug or cut with sharp knife. If the offset was cut from the parent plant, set it a side for a couple of days to allow the cut to dry and heal over.Boston fern shoots should be planted in sterile potting soil in a container with a drainage hole.
Boston Fern Pruning
Little pruning is needed, except to remove fronds that have lost their leaves or died. When you prune, don’t cut at the top. Cut the side fronds or trim around the plant to shape it. Prune in Spring or Summer or when you are repotting. Every 2 or 3 years, you will find it useful to give your Boston fern a serious make over by cutting it back severely. Boston fern responds well to drastic pruning,as this practice encourages bushy growth and can correct issues of legginess.
Some Common problem of Boston Fern
- 1. It can be plagued by disease like root rot and powdery mildew. To help prevent these, don’t over water or let the soil stay soggy. Dry, curled foilage is usually a sign that the humidity is too low. Too much sun can scorch Boston ferns and turn the foliage tips brown.
- 2. If the fronds of your plant turn gray and you have been watering properly, a disease to consider next is Pythium root rot. The fronds can also wilt or grow stunted. To confirm root rot, look at the roots of your unhealthy Boston ferns. If they are brown and stunted it is likely root rot. If you spot pests like Spider mites, mealybugs, scale or fungus gnats, quarantine your Boston ferns until you can eliminate them.
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