Ostrich ferns will naturally crown above the soil line so I wouldn't plant it deeper. The plain stem coming out of the crown is natural too. They seem to be fairly adaptable; all the literature indicates a boggy or at least moist, shady, slightly acidic environment, but I have them in full sun and they get watered when it rains. Never having grown one in a pot, could it be severely root bound and trying to throw out runners/rhizomes? It really isn't a potted plant type like Boston Ferns, etc., and no doubt shouldn't be allowed to dry out between waterings. If they're happy where they are they can get quite Mesozoic looking; the fronds will get to @5' in a growing season, but are quite stiff and upright and only start to arch over near the tops.

Thanks for the reply. You said the plain stem coming out from the crown is natural. So are you saying that even 4-5" of stem showing, BEFORE it even gets to the fronds, is normal, and that I shouldn't have to plant it any deeper into the soil?

As to the possibility that the plant is potbound and trying to throw out rhizomes, I'm not sure how that possibility would affect or cause the fronds from flopping over....?

Note that I DO water this potted plant pretty often... at least a few times a week, and sometimes every day.

Tx.

Yes, the crown and plain stem even at 4-5" is normal. If it's otherwise healthy looking, maybe the weight of the frond is simply pulling it/them down. You would damage the fronds attempting to tie them to a support. Many plants lose vigor when pot or root bound, but if yours is potted well, it wouldn't seem to be an issue.

Google the images for ostrich fern - if yours looks like any of the hundreds pictured, it's probably doing fine.

Thanks duluth. Yes, I think it would stand to reason that the weight of the frond is what is pulling it down. It just makes the plant "less attractive" in my mind. Course, I suppose if my plant were in the ground, and therefore allowed to spread and become more dense, I suppose all the fronds would help to support each other more. So I guess perhaps the fact that it's in a pot, it's more likely to flop over....

I'll be moving soon into a rental apartment that includes a yard (with actual DIRT! :--) Perhaps I'll try to separate the rhizomes, and plant some in the ground and see what happens! Might it take over the entire yard? This will be my first time planting something into the actual ground. How would I control the growth/spread of this in the ground?

Tx!

I have been thinning mine, and I noticed they flopped after. Once they get going they grow in a way that they support each other. Smaller, newer ones sort of hold up the older larger ones. Just what I have observed.