Boston ferns

[thegrey]

A friend gave me two enormous Boston ferns that she was going to throw out. I am wondering if they will grow in the house over the winter? It's been a long time since I had ferns and I killed them. Can you keep them in the house? How much attention do they need?

 

[Fernsdaddy]

I use to grow them in the house year round until I ran out of room for then, they need bright light and a damp soil, my orchids took over the space I had for the ferns,

 

[marlingardener]

Like fernsdaddy, I grew Boston ferns in the house when we lived in upstate NY. They were perfect houseplants--just needed enough attention to keep me interested, but not so much that I felt I was their servant! Just stick your finger in the soil once a week--if it's dry up to the knuckle closest to your hand, water the fern well and make sure the water that drains out is removed from the catch tray.
They were in an east facing window, morning soft light (due to transparent curtains) and I kept them dampish, but definitely not wet. I found that fertilizing about three times a year (spring, about two months later, and then at the end of summer) made them happy.
There's something so elegant about ferns!

 

[claudine]

I grow ferns indoors all year long and they're doing well Just remember to water them regularly, they need a lot of water.
Boston ferns are beautiful plants

 

[Corzhens]

I don't know about Boston fern but we have ferns here. In fact, there is an edible fern that we buy in the market for mixing in a pork soup dish. As for our decorative fern, we just let them grow at the corner of the planter box. As long as they get water, no matter how little, they look good all the time. For the winter, I guess the ferns should be indoors at least temporarily to avoid the extreme cold.

 

[IcyBC]

I haven't tried to grow fern either indoors or outdoors since they seem to be invasive and multiply too fast. But growing fern in a container might tamed the spreading, which would fit me just right. I will try this!

 

[Pat]

I have a mini fern that is kept indoors during the winter and goes outside in the summer. It does not take up alot of space which I like better than the big ferns.

 

[thegrey]

I use to grow them in the house year round until I ran out of room for then, they need bright light and a damp soil, my orchids took over the space I had for the ferns,

Thanks. I was hoping I could keep them alive indoors. I killed my orchids though. LOL Hopefully I'll have better luck with the ferns.