Boston Fern: Easy-grower

October 12, 1985|By Lynn Trexler of The Sentinel Staff

You, too, can boast of having a green thumb -- and not have to spend countless weeks laboring in a garden to earn it. Simply get yourself to a garden store and purchase a Nephrolepis exaltata ''Bostoniensis,'' better known as the Boston fern. Take it home, give it modest amounts of care, and you'll have a plant you can be proud of.

Boston ferns are among the showiest, but easiest, house plants to grow, if you keep a few specifics in mind. Although ferns often are found in the sheltered depths of the forest, they are not a true low-light plant.

In the home, keep them out of dark, dreary corners and provide them with at least medium light by displaying them near a window on a patio. (The light's right if, when if you place your hand in front of it, it creates a shadow.) Place the fern in a hanging basket or fern stand to allow air to circulate freely around the plant and to show off the graceful shape.

Ferns like humidity but can die from soggy roots, so don't keep them constantly wet. Check the top of the soil frequently. When it begins to feel dry to the touch, give the fern a drink. To increase humidity, try setting the ferns on a tray of moist pebbles or give the plant an occasional misting.

Feed lightly but frequently: A fern kept in good light can be fed during every other watering with house-plant fertilizer mixed at one-fourth the recommended rate.

Occasionally, the fern will need a trim: Simply snip off the old, brown fronds, which are a natural part of the plant's growth cycle.

Properly cared for, the Boston fern will reward you with plenty of lush green tapered fronds that sweepingly drape from the center of the plant.

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