Question From:
Carrie in Gladesville, Sydney NSW
Nature of problem:
The new shoots on my maidenhair fern keep dying
Type of Plant (if known):
Maidenhair fern
Symptoms of Plant Illness (please try NOT to diagnose your problems yourself):
Dried up new shoots
Soil Type (e.g. sandy, clay or loam) OR Potting Mix Type:
Potting mix
How often do you water the plant:
Weekly, plus a few light splashes of water on the leaves every few days as the top of the soil starts to dry out.
How many hours of sunlight does the plant get each day:
It’s indoors in my bathroom out of sunlight
What type of plant is it:
Maidenhair Fern
How long since you planted it:
Approx. 3 months
Have you fertilised? If so, with what and when:
No
Is the plant indoors or outdoors:
Indoors
Is the plant in a pot or in the ground:
In a post
What other treatments have you given the plant:
None
Upload photo if available:
Other Comments:
When the fronds die I trim them off, but lately I’ve started to notice that some new shoots are dying as well? I do a count every few days and I can see a few new shoots growing, but the plant is very thin in appearance and I’d love it to be big and full. What can I do to give it what it needs? It’s in a ceramic self-watering pot in my bathroom, where it doesn’t get any sun, but gets all the humidity from the bathroom air. It was growing outside on a brick wall, and I pulled it off and potted it up. Because of how it was growing previously, the fern rhizome comes quite far out of the soil (if planted flat the leaves would be horizontal).
Answer: Hi Carrie, your maidenhair is dying due to lack of sunlight. Put it outside in a very shaded position for 1-2 weeks then progressively more light until you get to about 50% dappled light under a tree. Leave it there until it looks really good. Obviously cut off any dead leaves etc. Why not buy another one and rotate them. One inside rotated with the other one outside once a week or fortnight. Don
