Nephrolepis exaltata
The Boston fern , aka the sword fern or the Boston swordfern , is the poster child of the fern world . When the average person opine this eccentric of plant , chances are they conjure up images of this popular species .
We connect to vendors to assist you find relevant product . If you corrupt from one of our link , we may earn a commission .
And who can blame them ? It ’s a warm - growing option with feathery , blade - shaped frond and an graceful arch to its maturation habit .
Don’t let it get this bad!
This species can offer an inst acclivity to anyone ’s dwelling , adding an air of course of instruction and a spot of prehistorical interest anywhere it ’s placed . What ’s not to have intercourse ?
Whether you ’re a fern expert or a pteridophyte fledgeling , this clause will put up the necessary know - how to develop Boston fern like a pro .
Buckle up , fern fans . Here ’s what ’s ahead :
What You’ll Learn
N. exaltatacan be the gateway plantto a fern addiction , however . Many Jurassic Park - esque , frond - filled rooms got their start with the increase of a single Boston swordfern . Be warned .
Just ( half ) joking , of course of instruction . Onward !
Cultivation and History
Despite its common name , the Boston fern actually hails from tropic and semitropic regions of the Americas , which explains its affinity for humid conditions .
This tightly bunch plant life has a mature height and spread of two to three pes , with arching fronds sharpen into item that give them a sword - like appearance .
This athirst plant thrive inindirect lightand dappled shade , which stool it idealistic for planting on porch , under awning , or in the shade of larger canopy / understory Tree and shrub .
It also tends to grow somewhat invasively , especially in warmer climates . Overall , a somewhat gentle plant life to manage for … when it ’s grown outside inUSDA Hardiness Zones9 to 12 .
More attentive care is requiredwhen full-grown indoors . SinceN. exaltatalacks wintertime boldness , bring the industrial plant in for the winter is a necessity , and many gardener find that all theirs can do indoors is only survive .
N. exaltataneeds indirect luminousness and humidness to flourish , and the often dark and ironic conditions of wintertime homes can be rough on these plant if they do n’t get some extra avail .
As for its origin story , this plant life can trace its horticultural story back to its namesake : Boston .
The story of the Boston fern begins with F. C. Becker , a Victorian - era Massachusetts florist who received a specimen in a plant consignment from Philadelphia .
Becker note that one fern had a greater get speed , frond width , and wilt habit in comparability to others in the despatch . As any works nerd would do , he begin to propagate it .
Two years afterward , in 1896 , London botanist identified the variant and suggested that Becker impart upon the works its Boston byname . The Boston fern soon exploded in diligence popularity and success .
Why ? Well , back in the Victorian era , ferns were a pop choice for presentation in parlor , i.e. the fancy front rooms found in upper - middle class homes used to receive Edgar Albert Guest .
The prompt increase , wide frond , and elegant droopiness ofN. exaltatagave it an sharpness over the slow - grow , minute - fronded , hinderingly vertical contender , and thus became the species of choice for use in these parlor rooms .
Boston Fern Propagation
True fern do n’t make seeded player , as they reproduce via spore . propagate spore can be a knavish endeavour , but since Boston ferns are unimaginative and bring out non - practicable or change shape spore , this is a nonissue .
You ’ll postulate to distribute this plant via division or by layer runners instead .
Via Division
DivideN. exaltatawhen it outgrow its container or when the middle plot start out to die . Sword ferns should be divided in late wintertime or early spring , ideally every few days so as to keep the flora robust and not take root bound .
To divide , mildly remove the plant from its container , then carve up the root ball in one-half or quarter , calculate on size .
endeavor to keep as many leaves as potential inviolate while doing so , and be certain to loosen and extract apart the roots a bit so they can set up themselves readily into the new soil .
Transplant into appropriately sized container . Avoid pots and hanging baskets that are too big , to prevent excessively wet soil , and container that are too modest , so you wo n’t have to repot right aside .
Keep the medium moist via becloud for the first few weeks of ontogenesis . After that you could transition to a standardwatering can .
From Runners/Stolons
Propagation can also be done via layering . but take a runner ( still sequester to the mother fern ) and supplement it into a nearby speckle of dirt or potting medium in a separate container .
After a few weeks of keep it moist , once the affixed runner takes rootage , the new daughter plant can be detached from its parent plant and transplant wherever you trust .
Transplanting
If you end up buy a Boston fern from a nursery or garden center , you ’ll finally need a container larger than the slew that it came in , to repot it as it develop .
Be sure to fill the container with a well - draining medium consisting of adequate partspeat moss , gumption , and garden or pot filth .
Since blade fern favor a pH of 5.0 to 5.5 , add a teaspoonful oflimeper quart of potting mixture as well , in monastic order to keep the peat moss from making the soil too acidulent . You ’ll then require to dig out space for your sword fern in its new container .
Pinch the bottom of the original container as you gently force out the fern by the base of its fore , working carefully to keep the plant life inviolate . give up the roots a bit , for an soft conversion .
position in the disposed container , and backfill any empty space . Water in the plant , have sure to give it a good soaking at the soil railway line .
Learn more about propagating fern here .
How to Grow Boston Ferns
Growing a Boston fern is n’t too guileful , especially when it ’s mature outdoors , and we cover the details of this more thoroughly ina separate guide to outside precaution .
N. exaltataloves well - drained , wet - retaining soil such as a silt loam or a soilless peat and vermiculite mix .
This plant life also loves water , so keep the soil moist – but not saturate – at all time . Placing the fern ’s container in a second , larger container line with damp bog moss moss can help to maintain the necessary moist environment .
As a houseplant , the Boston fern does skilful when you give it indirect sun . If you ’re circumscribed to floater with bright idle vulnerability , a sheer drape helps in depress light intensity .
Giving the pot a tail turn every daylight or so can also facilitate secure even all - around growth .
N. exaltatathrives in containers that give it a snatch of room to originate , and it does not wish being root bound . But be sure to avoid overly large container since the theme will suffer in large quantities of oversaturated potting sensitive .
This species thrives in the 60 to 80 ° fluorine temperature range , but install a humid environment is of the utmost importance .
This can be done by placing your Boston ferns near kitchen or bathrooms , or setting containers on top of a tray take with a bed of smashed pebble .
Sword ferns need less moisture in wintertime , so do n’t water them as much to prevent ancestor rot .
Growing Tips
Maintenance
N. exaltatausually needs fertilization every month when actively grow , but be sure to cut back the frequency during winter dormancy .
This is especially significant when raise this specie indoors , as indoor plants do n’t produce quite as fast as outside ace , and experience an excess of fertilizer can easily drink down a houseplant .
The ideal fertilizer is a balanced slow - release or liquid product used at half - strength doses , like this liquid indoor fertilizer from Easy Peasy .
Easy Peasy Indoor Plant Food
It ’s vailable in eight - ounce bottles via Amazon .
But be wary of over - fertilisation – the ends of the frond will brown and dry out out as a result of using too much .
Read our pathfinder to fecundate fernsfor more tip .
experience costless to remove any old dying or dead fronds as need to keep the plant looking sharp . If fronds go to plow gray , increase watering . Increase light exposure if fronds become lanky and weak .
Be sure to divide your Boston ferns every couple of yr as described above to keep them healthy and in good order sized . In addition , repot your plant as they outgrow their containers and/or become root recoil .
We cover the In and out of overwinter Boston fern in our scout .
Boston Fern Cultivars to Select
This mintage is quite pop , and there are a variety of cultivars to choose from . Here are a few favorites :
Bostoniensis
The classic Boston fern , with all the traits you ’ve grown to love .
You canfind one of your own from Terrain , measure about a ft in height and six inches in diam – a real beauty !
Dallas
Also eff as ‘ Dallas Jewel , ’ this is a rapid - spreading , smaller miscellany that tolerates lower sum of illumination and humidity than your standardN. exaltata .
It ’s the perfect houseplant for dark , dry domicile .
Fluffy Ruffles
A cultivar with a densely growing ball of soft , “ ruffled ” frond , ‘ Fluffy Ruffles ’ offers a visually textured interest that ’s indisputable to get .
Rita’s Gold
Rita ’s Gold ™ , aka ‘ Aurea , ’ is a thick variety with fronds discolour a gorgeous yellow green jaundiced .
Managing Pests and Disease
N. exaltatadoes well against herbivores – cervid in particular – but it can be prostrate to some insect and disease issues , especially when grown alfresco .
Pests
gratefully , no insect spells full disaster for a Boston fern owner fortify with noesis .
Mealybugs
Mealybugsappear as white , cotton - look clumps on frond , folio axils , and beginning . Mealybugs can lead to overall stunted development and the eventual death of the infested plant parts .
To limit this issue , drench the soil with an insecticide such as this pyrethrin concentrate from PyGanic Gardening , uncommitted via Amazonin eight - ounce containers . Be sure to dilute the dressed ore harmonize to package directions .
PyGanic Gardening Botanical Insecticide
Ensure that the insecticide can finally drain out of the pot via holes at the bottom .
Due to the sensitivity of the frond , a gentle spray of water or organic insecticidal soap to the foliage will also help with insect mastery without damage the verdure .
Natria Insecticidal Soap
Natria provide a great product for this , and their insecticidal max isavailable via Amazon .
It can be bad to tell where a scale worm ends and the Boston fern begins . Not as much of a problem when plants are farm indoors twelvemonth - around , you may spot them if your potted plant life expend the summer outside .
These brownish , itty - bitty critter will often blend into the foliation , making it hard to detect their presence on the works . When infested , flora become stunted , weakened , and can even start to drop dead .
Control of weighing machine is the same as control of mealybug : apply an insecticide to the territory and allow it to enfeeble , along with a tender spray of an appropriate but gentle product to control these pests , like the insecticidal soap mentioned above .
Learn with scale of measurement in our template .
Spider mitesare technically arachnids , not insect . But since they ’re also creepy - crawlies that can wreak havoc on the Boston fern , I ’ve decided to mention them alongside shell and mealybugs .
Spider soupcon are puny , and rugged to see with the naked eye . Bust out a hand lens for a closer feeling and you ’ll bump the spider jot to be oval - corporal and cut across in semitransparent bristle . Oftentimes , you ’ll see their internet before you see the actual pests .
An lotion of organic insecticidal easy lay to the foliation will serve with wanderer mite control . And these pests tend to prefer dry environments , so be sure to keepN. exaltatawatered well , and in a humid location .
For all of the above pests , a comprehensive dominance overture can go a long way in keep your plants healthy . read more byreading up on integrated plague management here .
Disease
As green thumb , most of us instinctually freak out a bit when we see our plant smite with dark spots .
However , the drab pip on the undersides of the fronds are where the spores amount from , so be sure you may recount the departure between allege spore and actual symptoms of disease .
unluckily , N. exaltatais still susceptible to various types of disease . When it come to the following ailments , an Panthera uncia of bar is deserving a pound of cure .
When infected with Pythium root rot , Boston fern can show many different symptom , rank from wilting and frond grey to necrosis or overall scrawny development .
root often lose their out layers , leaving just a weak intimate core group behind that ca n’t uptake water system and nutrients properly .
take off with pathogen - costless filth or mass medium is your dependable bet for preventing Pythium root rot , along with preserve the soil from becoming oversaturated . Chemical controller is another way of life to combat this disease .
Keep a sharp lookout during the summer , as this is when Rhizoctonia aerial blight typically occurs .
This disease can fall out of nowhere in less than a hebdomad ’s time , organise irregularly - determine , brown lesions anywhere on the foliage . Over time , the rapid spread of the lesions can cake the full sword fern with a weblike , chocolate-brown mycelium .
Control of Rhizoctonia aerial blight should occur via the same techniques used for Pythium root rot . To optimally control these diseases , both the foliage and the antecedent must have handling .
Best Uses for Boston Fern Plants
The Boston fern is ideal for use in hanging baskets , conspicuously displayed containers , or as accent planting for other tone - get laid plant . It ’s a great indoor specimen for the attentive nurseryman who can take right forethought of it .
Being the various plant they are , brand ferns work well both as solo specimens and as companions to colourful tropical flora such ascoleus , begonias , andimpatiens .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
The Boston Fern: Your New Best Frond
In a hang basket or in a container , out in the open or insert away , the Boston fern will look absolutely arresting wherever you choose to show it off .
If you ’re cravingmore cognition on houseplants , regale yourself to these riveting guide next :
Photo by Joe Butler © expect the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally issue on April 14th , 2022 . Last update April 16th , 2023 . Product photo via Easy Peasy Plants , Natria , Pyganic Gardening , and Terrain . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock .
About
Joe Butler
