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The Ultimate Care Tips for Boston Fern Houseplant
The Boston fern houseplant, like the outdoor type, is a cultivar of a fern plant that can grow as tall as 7 feet. ‘Bosoniensis’ is a more mild variety, a well-known fern with people kept as a houseplant for its attractive characteristics. Boston fern is a beautiful species with long, delicate fronds covered with tiny leaves.
It is a relatively hardy, easy-to-propagate fern with a higher tolerance than other species for light and dry conditions. Moreover, Boston fern houseplant care is not much complicated as compared to other house plants.
Moreover, an additional advantage is that it is possible to exhibit Boston ferns in various ways. Boston fern can grow in hanging baskets, as part of a grouping, or on the right windowsill as lush specimen plants.
Boston fern is a comparatively trouble-free indoor plant. However, many indoor plants, including scale, mealybugs, and whiteflies, often suffer from everyday problems. For example, Slugs, when grown outdoors, can be a concern.
The law is never to let a Boston fern dry out while looking for one at home. As mentioned above, Boston fern houseplant care is not difficult but demand special attention. Moreover, ensure you keep the soil moist and the level of humidity high. Try to avoid scratching their fronds, although it is tempting since they don’t like it because it could make them orange.
How to Water Boston Ferns?
One of the simplest ways of Boston fern houseplant care is to water it daily. Picking up the container is a reasonable way to judge if plants need water. We need to water it when it’s light; if it’s high, it’s okay.
Ferns that thrive outdoors need to be watered both in the morning and in the evening throughout the season. During the winter, growth can slow marginally. However, it is always essential to keep all indoor and outdoor plants uniformly moist.
Boston Fern Houseplant Care
One of the Popular houseplants is Boston ferns. Proper Boston fern houseplant care is essential to keep this plant safe. It’s not difficult to learn how to take care of a Boston fern.
Care tips to have all your fern wants to be comfortable and beautiful.
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Proper Environment
The first thing you need to do to take good care is to place it in the right environment. With high humidity and indirect light, Boston ferns need a cool spot. If you are looking after Boston fern plants indoors, it is good to provide them with extra moisture. Moreover, Boston fern required excess water, particularly in the winter.
The majority of homes are dehydrated, and more so when the heaters work. Moreover, try setting your fern pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water for additional moisture treatment. Once or twice a week, you should even try to gently spray your fern to help it get the humidity it needs.
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Pot your fern
With drainage holes in the bottom, place the nutrient mixture and plant in the clean pot. The fern should be grown half the way to the top of the pot so that roots have room in the soil. Fill in more potting mixture with the pot’s remainder, leaving around 1 inch of space from the end.
The pot should be wide enough to sit comfortably with your fern. Moreover, without its roots being close to the drainage holes. However, not provide a lot of spare room that could accumulate “root rot.”
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Proper humidity
For proper Boston fern houseplant care, humidity plays a vital role. With additional humidity, Boston Ferns thrive, especially in the winter. Mist the fern every day or put it in a light-filled bathroom or kitchen where the air is usually wetter.
You should also position the plant on a water-filled tray of pebbles to guarantee that the water level doesn’t hit the container’s bottom. When it evaporates, the water can produce moisture. Moreover, If you keep your Boston fern indoors, you must be vigilant to ensure that it has ample moisture.
If the humidity is not high enough, Boston fern leaves can turn yellow. If the fronds of your Boston fern turn yellow, be sure to increase the moisture around the vine.
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Avoid dry soil
One of the number one causes of Boston ferns dying is dry soil. Check the earth daily, and if the ground feels dry, give it some water. Since Boston ferns prefer to be grown in high-peat moss potting mixtures, ensure that the peat moss is thoroughly hydrated. It is a smart practice to soak the Boston fern pot once a month or so too. However, After this, make careful to let it drain thoroughly.
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Indirect sunlight
Boston fern houseplant care demands proper sunlight. When receiving indirect, filtered sunshine, Boston ferns perform best. Place them anywhere if they’re outside, where they’ll get sunlight by tree branches or holes in a porch roof. Moreover, Place them by a window if they are indoors. You don’t want to be in the shadows of your ferns, but you don’t want them to be in full sunshine.
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Proper fertilizers
Every couple of months, feed your ferns. Boston ferns do not need much, but it is beneficial to provide them every two months or so during the year. Purchase houseplant food at the nearest hardware store for gardening. Please read the package directions, and dilute it so that your fern is half as solid. You can skip these feedings throughout the winter months.
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Protection from insects
Fortunately, usually, Boston ferns are not a target for insects, although they sometimes host bugs. Do not use something on your fern that’s too rough. Spray it and observe it with a gentle insecticide. Hopefully, this is what you need to treat every future insect on the Boston fern.
What are the benefits of the Boston Fern Houseplant?
Boston ferns, older than all the flower-bearing trees, are the oldest species on the planet. These plants encourage aesthetics and are also useful in eliminating from the atmosphere many toxic air pollutants. Boston ferns mostly help extract formaldehyde from the air to provide moisture, making the air cleaner and fresher.
Today, the trend of planting Boston fern is growing because of its elegance. Moreover, also because of its ability to purify indoors, giving our house a calming effect.
Boston fern prevents significant air toxins:
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Absorbs formaldehyde
NASA experiments on clean air indoor plants have demonstrated that Boston ferns can remove formaldehyde from the atmosphere. Formaldehyde is one of the many indoor air contaminants generated mostly from cooking, smoking, makeup, painting, etc.
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Remove Xylene
In homes and offices, planting Boston ferns also tends to absorb another toxic pollutant called xylene. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Service, the critical cause of xylene production is petroleum oil.
Indoor air usually comprises 1-10 ppb of xylene. Buildings with inadequate ventilation have a higher indoor xylene level, contributing to sick building syndrome. So planting the Boston fern plant is proving very beneficial for removing xylene from the atmosphere.
Trimming Boston Fern Houseplant
Leafless runners may also have the vine hanging down from the plant. These are all vital signs that will need trimming. To retain an appealing form, unsightly plants with irregular growth will still benefit from pruning.
Although it is possible to do the regular trimming of discolored and unattractive foliage, however, extreme pruning is achieved in spring or summer. During repotting, when plants can be significantly trimmed back, it is an optimal time for pruning. However, Boston fern reacts well to extreme pruning.
Often apply clean, sharp pruning shears or scissors while pruning Boston fern. You must move the plants outside or put an old sheet in the field to collect the cuttings. This care is because pruning may be messy.
When does Boston Fern need repotting?
If your Boston fern isn’t growing as quickly as it usually does, a larger pot might be required. Roots peeking into the drainage hole are another hint. Don’t wait until the pot is poorly attached to the root. Moreover, If the potting mix is so root-compacted that water flows into the pot directly, it will probably be time to repot the plant.
How to Repot a Boston Fern?
A few days before repotting, water the Boston fern. This care is because wet soil clings to the roots and encourages repotting. The latest pot should have a diameter of either 1 to 2 inches larger than the existing pot. Do not plant the fern in a big pot. Avoid it because moisture can cause root rot to be preserved by the pot’s excess potting soil.
Conclusion
We have seen that the Boston fern houseplant is an excellent houseplant to keep. It has several health benefits for humans. Moreover, it adds to your esthetic value. However, Boston fern houseplant care needs special attention. Try to avoid all the things that cause harm to your fern plant.
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