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| The leaves on my fern have been turning brown and I have to keep cutting them. I have had them for two years and they still look punny because the leaves just keep having to be cut. They are in large pots, in the shade and kept moist. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? Please help. |
Image link: Help with fern (41 k)
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Could be too moist. Have you tipped the entire rootball out of the pot to see what the roots look like? |
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| No I have not done that. You mean take the whole plant out of the soil and if it is wet then it is too moist? |
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| No. Do this: |
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| Thanks Jean however the pot they are in are clay pots from Mexico that are about 3ft tall by 2ft around and I wouldn't be able to tip it over. It is too big. I feel really dumb but should I just take the plant out to check it. Thanks. |
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| Okay, what you're going to need is an engine hoist, two cups of Crisco and a crucifix. First what you do is.... Nah, I'm just messing around. Just start at the edge of the pot and dig a small hole straight down along the inside edge of the pot to the bottom. Try not to disturb too much of the root system, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Pull out the roots with the soil and see what there is to see. It's also kind of tough to see in the picture but if it's sitting in a tray and the tray is always full of water, especially if the water level is higher than the holes in the bottom/sides of the pot, that's a pretty good sign of overwatering. |
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| You are too funny :) Ok I will do that. It isn't sitting in any tray at all. I tell you these pots are very big and heavy.Hopefully I can figure out what is the problem. Thank you. |
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| Didn't realize it was such a large pot. But it appears that the pot is a tad large for the plant. Can you just plain stick your finger in the potting mix to determine if wet or dry? You should also be able to get an idea how moist it is by hefting the pot. Or by knocking on the side. |
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| I'm not a fern expert by any stretch of the imagine, but I can think of a couple of instances where roots are not creamy or white....Do you know what type of fern you are growing - is it something native to your area that will easily deal with your climate? Our native maidenhair and licorice ferns here have roots that are black and wirey when healthy - I did some digging next to a deer fern this week and think I was seeing more in the way of wirey roots there too. If your ferns are either too moist (poor drainage) or too dry this won't help you, but - Often container grown plants will encounter a gradual buildup of harmful salts in the potting mix, especially if receiving frequent light waterings. It can show up as a white deposit on the soil (or pot itself), or as plant damage. To offset, give the plants enough water when you do water that it runs from the drainage hole, and periodically flush the container by filling it to the brim several times over until water is freely running from the drainage hole (s)...A couple of times a year if your water quality is quite good, every month or so if water is alkaline or high in mineral content. But again, if poor drainage is your problem to begin with, this isn't going to be of much help. |
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