How to Care for Boston Fern?

The Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata), also known as the sword fern, is an air purifier. Its simple and hassle-free maintenance has made it a very suitable choice for the interior of homes and offices. Originally native to the tropics of South America, this plant, with its green leaves, gives an indescribable calm to the environment that we rarely see in plants. Continue reading this article in TooPlant in order to learn more about how to grow and care for Boston Fern.

Introduction of Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata)

Before addressing how to care for Boston Fern, please allow us to give you a brief introduction about this houseplant.

The Boston Fern loves heat and humidity. Does not like to be exposed to heating/cooling devices. In winter, because the plant is not growing, you can reduce the amount of watering, but never let it tolerate drought.

Try to meet all the needs of the plant, in the same way, then you can be sure that the beautiful fern will compensate all your efforts with its excellent growth. The main secret of caring for all plants is not to focus solely on one factor (for example, receiving a lot of light) and to pursue all the factors involved in plant growth in a harmonious and uniform way.

In this article, we want to provide you with information about how to care for Boston Fern, so stay tuned with Tooplant.

Care for Boston Fern

In this part, we will focus on the most important aspects which you need to take into consideration while treating this houseplant. The best methods of how to take care of a Boston Fern include as follows:

Boston Fern Light Requirements: What light is best for Boston Fern?

Light is among the first important issues to care for Boston Fern. If you keep Boston Fern at home, they need bright but indirect sunlight. A fern that is outside the house prefers to have some shade. Of course, some types of ferns can also tolerate direct sunlight. But in general, filtered light is suitable for them, so make sure you sufficiently provide the Boston fern light requirements.

The best condition for this plant is near a shade in a bright environment. But this plant is stronger than these words and lasts in more or less light.

Above, we tried to discuss all the details related to the Boston fern light requirements since it plays a significant role in order to care for Boston fern.

Boston Fern Watering: How often should you water a Boston Fern?

In the rest, concerning the tips of caring for a Boston Fern indoor plant, it is better to know that it is very important to always keep the roots of this fern moist. Therefore, watering is another important aspect in order to care for Boston Fern. If the fern is in a dry climate, water it about twice a week and allow the soil surface to dry slightly between waterings. Never spray water on the leaves and stems of this plant as it will destroy the leaves.

How to water the Sword Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata) in spring and early fall on a daily basis, water the plant to the point where excess water comes out of the pot. On cold winter days, reduce watering to twice a week, as cold weather prevents potting soil moisture from evaporating and the plant needs less water.

In general, to water a Boston Fern flower, keep in mind that as soon as the soil surface of the pot dries, water it. When watering, care must be taken not to spill water on the leaves of the plant, and to pour it directly on the soil of the pot.

In this way, to care for Boston Fern, watering is considered to be of great significance.

Boston Fern Soil: What is the best soil for a Boston Fern?

 Intending to care for Boston Fern, the other crucial matter is soil. The ideal soil for Boston is light, rich soil with organic compounds. As a result, the potting soil will be suitable for it. Make sure the soil is well drained. If drainage is not suitable, the roots will rot. The first signs of this unfortunate event are the fall of the leaves or the appearance of sticky and watery spots on them. Choosing soil that contains large amounts of organic fiber is very beneficial for the plant.

Thus, it can be said that, soil is another basic and important issue so as to care for Boston Fern.

Boston Fern Temperature Tolerance

Now, we come to temperature which is assumed to be principal to care for Boston Fern in addition to light, watering and soil that are mentioned above. Boston ferns can withstand temperatures below ten degrees Celsius in critical situations. Temperature tolerance below this limit can be achieved for several hours. The best temperature range for it is between 15 and 24 °C.

Boston Fern Humidity: Does Boston Fern like humidity?

Moisture is another thing which we need to inevitably pay attention to when talking about how to take care of a Boston fern. Boston ferns that are kept at home need a humidity above 80%. If you feel the air in the house is dry, you should moisturize it regularly.

The air around the plant should always be moist. So keep it away from radiators. The best place for a Nephrolepis Exaltata (Sword Fern) is the bathroom or kitchen.

Therefore, please do not forget to take humidity into consideration in order to care for Boston Fern in the best way.

Boston Fern Fertilizer: What is the best fertilizer for a Boston Fern?

When you want to care for Boston Fern, one of the important questions that may come to your mind is “what is the best fertilizer?” In what follows, we will address how to fertilize this plant:

During the growing season, fertilize the plant with liquid fertilizer or smart fertilizer. If you are not satisfied with the growth and appearance of your ferns, you can increase the fertilizer to an acceptable level. Do not forget to moisten the soil well before fertilizing.

To increase the freshness and greenness of the Boston Fern, you can add a tablespoon of salt to three liters of water and add one to the plant soil once during the growing season.

As a result, we could say that fertilizer is regarded as one of the fundamental issues when someone wants to care for Boston Fern.

Boston Fern Toxicity: Is Boston Fern poisonous to humans and pets?

In order to care for Boston Fern, toxicity is considered to be a major issue because it directly relates to your health especially children and pets. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Boston Fern is safe for cats and dogs. Boston Ferns are completely safe for pets and children. So, you can safely keep this plant at home because no danger threatens you and your pets.  

Boston Fern Repotting: How to repot Boston Fern? (Essential tips for repotting Sword fern)

In the spring, you should change the soil in Boston Fern house plant, even if it is not out of the size of the pot and you do not need to change the soil. Plant it again in clean, fresh, compost-rich soil.

One of the most common signs of a plant need to change pots is overgrowth or wilting of leaves. So always monitor it and follow its signs. Failure to replace the Boston Fern pot may result in the death of the fern.

Soil replacement is the best opportunity to divide this plant. You can easily have more plants or give them as gifts to your loved ones!

Boston Fern Propagating: How to propagate Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata)?

When you want to care for Boston Fern, another important question that may come to your mind is “how to propagate it.” Boston ferns are very easy to propagate. When changing the soil in the spring, divide the plant roots. Even small parts will take root, as long as you take good care of them. (That is, provide enough heat and moisture for it.) Make sure each section contains healthy parts of the root.

Another way of how to propagate Boston ferns is to use their spores; Well, this is a specialized and difficult method.

In this part, we tried to teach you how to propagate Boston fern in detail. In this way, you can easily propagate your plant.

Caring for Boston Fern: Common Problems With Boston Fern

After a description of taking care of a Boston Fern, we will explain the problems and their solutions:

Why Are Boston Fern Leaves Turning Yellow?

As “leaves turning yellow” is one of the common problems that you may face when you want to care for Boston Fern, we will try to describe the reasons and the ways to solve it in details.

1. Leaf age: Older leaves eventually dry out and die.

2. Improper watering: Boston Ferns need a lot of water. Although they can tolerate drier conditions than other ferns, they should be watered every time fresh surface soil begins to dry out. Wet the plant soil thoroughly so that water does not fall from below. If you are doing this, but it still acts like it is dry, your fern may be large and you will need to put it in a larger pot or in several pieces.

3. Improper humidity: Indoor humidity is often extremely low. Finally, Boston Ferns are native forest dwellers that need a lot of moisture to survive. Maintaining an ideal 40 to 50 percent humidity for ferns throughout the year can be difficult.

If there is a problem, this method will help you to keep the plant moist by placing the Boston fern in a large pot covered with peat or vermiculite and watering it, which will cause a lot of moisture keep around your plant.

4. Soluble salts: Chemical fertilizers are only needed in very small amounts, even in doses of 10-5-10 per month, even during heavy growth. When you fertilize normally, unused nutrients are created in the soil. You may notice white crusts on the surface of the soil, or your ferns may turn brown and yellow in isolated areas. Either way, the solution is simple. Wash the soil, again and again, to dissolve all the excess salt and fertilize the Boston Fern in the future.

Infographic Of How To Care For Boston Fern

In this article, we tried to explain to you in an infographic the essential tips on how to take care of a Boston Fern, so that you can briefly and usefully learn the methods of caring for this plant.

In The End

In this article, we tried to provide you with the necessary information about the methods of caring for a Boston Fern.

However, if you have any questions regarding this indoor plant or you need to get advice from our houseplant experts, please share your questions with us through the comments section below.