Proper fern care is all-important for full , lucullan , and verdant foliage . These tips will help produce flourish indoor ferns in your houseplant garden .

Although many peoplegrow ferns alfresco , they makebeautiful houseplants . Indoor fern add lushness and unbeatable grain to any room if you provide them with right fern attention , include ample light , water , and humidity . An easier fern that can survive some neglectfulness , such as theBoston fern , is a great starter species . Once you get the hang of acquire these plant in your abode , you might even try on deal on more finicky ones likemaidenhair ferns , which demand coherent moisture and high humidity . Regardless of the type of fern in your indoor garden , these 5 fern maintenance tips will help your plants thrive .

BHG / Michela Buttignol

Lemon Button Fern

Credit: Brie Passano

1. Give Ferns Plenty of Indirect Light

Most ferns choose indirect light , so you should fend off station them where sunlight will collide with them . Fernfronds can be burnedby direct sun , resulting in a dry , crispy plant . A north- or due east - facing window normally provides the right amount of light for fern , but if you see your plant turning yellow and not acquire much , it likely is n’t get enough light . To affix the natural light source your fern are get , use a grow lighton them for a few hours a day .

2. Ferns Like the Same Temperatures You Do

You likely keep your home at about the same temperature that most indoor fern demand . These plants do adept when the daytime temperature ranges from 65 ° F to 75 ° F , and about 10 ° F cooler at nighttime ( as low as 55 ° farad ) . Most houseplant ferns hail from tropic or sub - tropic region , so they ’ll meet when temperature dip below 50 ° farad . For winter fern care , avoid placing your plants too faithful to a windowpane or door where cold drafts might hit them . Protect them from any sudden temperature change in the opposite direction by keeping ferns away from fireplaces , air vents , and other heat reference .

3. Provide Your Ferns with Consistent Water and Humidity

If you frequently feel the impulse to water your houseplants , ferns will do well under your attention . They like evenly moist soil , so try not to let them whole dry out between waterings ( although there are some exceptions , such as bracken fern , cony ’s foot fern , andJapanese holly fern , which do n’t listen dry out out between tearing ) . To determine if you should add together water , stick your digit into the ground about an column inch deep . If it ’s teetotal , give your fern a drink , but if it ’s still dampish , wait a span more solar day .

Most tropic ferns also love high-pitched humidness . They naturallydo well in bathrooms , thanks to steamy cascade , but you could also mist their foliation with elbow room - temperature water once or twice a Clarence Day . Alternatively , you caninvest in a humidifierto increase the humidness in the whole elbow room if the strain is excessively dry in your nursing home .

4. Feed Your Ferns on a Schedule

A little fertilizer once in a while is necessary for peak fern forethought . you’re able to total a slow - release plant food or employ a liquidhouseplant fertilizerat about one-half - strength once a month from early spring to midautumn . Do n’t inseminate your fern during winter — most species do n’t actively grow in the cold month .

5. Repot Overgrown Ferns

Depending on their increase , ferns may ask to bedivided and repottedevery few years . If you may see roots emerge through the drainage holes or the plant is slimly elevated out of the soil , it has belike outgrow its container .

It may become necessary to divide your fern as well . If your fern is n’t growing as quickly as it used to , essay cut it in half with a garden trowel before repotting each one-half so the flora ’s root can spread out more . The best time to part indoor fern is in spring when they are ready to produce reinvigorated , newfangled development .

Frequently Asked Questions

Most ferns originate best in a in high spirits - humidness environment of 80 percent or higher . This horizontal surface is higher than most home are likely to experience , so you could sense comfortable that your fern is good from too much humidity . In fact , befog or the addition of aplant humidifiermight be necessary to keep your humidness - lie with fern thriving .

Abalanced plant food such as 20 - 20 - 20or 20 - 10 - 20 is the near choice for most ferns . They are relatively clean tributary compared to other flora , so use half the long suit recommended on the promotional material .

Fern root are comparatively shallow , so shallow container are normally serious , as long as there is at least an extra inch of planting medium beneath the solution ball . When you see roots exiting the drainage hole , it is metre to repot .

How to Properly Care for an Indoor Fern

Credit:BHG / Michela Buttignol

Staghorn Fern on Wall

Credit: Brie Passano