I Stopped Killing Ferns Once I Learned This 

Get exclusive bonus content at www.patreon.com/sheffieldmadeplants

I also stopped killing ferns. I simply don’t buy them anymore🤷‍♀️

The interesting thing about ferns is that the foliage is very stubborn and roots are very persistent. A lot of people have problems with ferns like maidenhair, because the moment the environment change, the fern kills off all the foliage that was grown in the old environment, but what people don realize, is that this is how they adapt to new environment. They kill off the old foliage and grow new foliage for new environment. So my advice is once you bring a fern home, expect it to die off, cut the dead stems close to the soil, keep watering it as usual and be patient, they will most likely regrow. However do not cover it up to create more humidity because the new growth will grow used to that humidity and once you remove the cover, they will die off again and the process will start from beginning. With ferns , if roots are there, it will regrow, and roots are not that easy to kill, even if you forget to water and they dry up, there is a chance they will recover once hydrated. I went through this process with my maidenhair fern, and after that it was growing fine in my room with average 40 % humidity.

Fun fact, ferns may be as old as 390 million years, were one of the first ever vascular plants, and were the first plants to develop roots. They also largely shaped the climate of the earth millions of years ago. They're my favorite. 🥰

I finally cracked the secret of growing button ferns, my favourites! I used to struggle with these, until I read where they originate from. They apparently grow on 'limestone ledges' in places like New Zealand ...temperate climates. Hey. The advice in my plant care book was SO wrong, saying these plants require acid soil. So I now use ordinary potting soil, but also add a few limestone chips to the soil mix. Bingo. It's one of my healthiest, happiest plants now.

I'm a serial fern killer as well 😢 so this video was very helpful to me Thank you very much 👍🏻

This is my favorite plant channel. You keep it easy and real. 👍👍

I successfully propagated a Boston fern with just the seeking tendrils (I can't think of what they're properly called ...like stems that stick out with no leaves)! I cut a few out and wound them around in circles inside a glass jar just partially covered with a little of the soil. I covered it with a clear plastic pot bottom to act as a little terrarium lid until the plant was well established (I live in Denver, so it's dry here). It's been in the same glass jar but without the lid anymore for months and is growing well! Mama plant has lived in my apartment for years.

I found my ferns need way more light than I though. I love the spider looking roots on my rabbit foot fern. I also have stag horns mounded. Love ferns ❤ thank you for all the advice.

I in fact did prop fern through spore collection and grew them in a small container which was clear with some kinda soil media I created and closed the spores up on the moist Media sealed with a clear lid and waited to see them turn into moss then begin to grow into the tiny fern beginnings of plants. Eventually taking on the look of the actual parent plant. But it was time consuming for sure! Still, it was worth it to see it happen

I have little one in the bathroom and she gets watered every other day, I've had this little plant for a just over a year and she's tripled in size, she's doing great, I also bottom water. My husband just rescued a huge fern that someone stuck out on the curb in 100 degree weather and while it's still outside I have begun trimming the dead stuff off and watering it and there is a bunch of new little fronds coming up, it needs to be repotted as it is severely root bound. ❤

My fern was doing a lot of runners, and I tried to put them in another pot so see if it would propagate. After two months I thought it wasn't doing anything but when I started to try removing the runner from the pot I figured it developped quite a network in there. Let's see if it starts making leaves, although I'm not so sure how it will go !

I’ve seen wild ferns thriving while growing on rocks, with no soil, no sun, and the only water the humidity in the air. It’s amazing how hard they are to grow indoors. Mine nearly died until I put it outside and forgot about it

I place a cloche over smaller ferns to help increase humidity. It works really well.

My fern just near to die🙏 This is why I watching your video 😮 You need a plant care 🧑‍🎓Degree to keep them alive

I’ve killed many ferns. I potted up my tiger fern in a self watering pot, huge game changer. It’s thriving!

Good video, lots of common sense! Boston ferns are easy and practically indestructible -they grow so fast and can get huge, I divide them every spring 🌿😊

I have grown Maidenhair Spleenwort - Asplenium trichomanes from spores taken from plants growing on a stone wall on dartmoor. I put the spores in an envelope by tapping the plants - I had noticed that brushing against them left a brown stain on my hand. I put the spores onto wet seedling compost in an unheated propagator in a cool bedroom near a window but not in sunlight 15 - 18C over winter months. A couple of dozen ferns grew by the end of the next summer. I left them in the propagator and transplanted to pots when they were an inch or so high with 5 or so fronds. Some I left for a couple of years in the propagator. I now have about a dozen in pots cut in half standing in a little water most of the time. Mostly not in direct sunlight by by a window. Very attractive plant.

Ferns are some of my favourite plants. I have one standing happily on my kitchen table. Thanks for the tips, fantastic video as always!

I've always loved how ferns look. Over the years I've bought a few. I didn't like the mess they made. My kids made enough mess. I think your advice will help plant lovers to grow some nice ferns. Have a blessed day.

Crispy brown frons... sounds tasty.

My nans 84 years old and always had ferns she said get them out doors in the shade self mulsh add twigs, logs and leaves and other leafy plants and climbers top up your ground should look almost like autumn 🍂 plenty of rotting logs and you are done so long as you top up the ground

2:33 not every single fern are from tropical forests. they are present in pretty much every biome. in fact, there are desert fern species that grow on rocks (and on sand). there are alpine fern species that are resistent to frost too.

Richard, I've been following your advice regarding bottom watering my plants where possible. I remove them out of their decorative pots and place them in a pan filled with water to cover the drainage holes. Is there a general rule of thumb regarding how long to let them soak? Thanks for your videos. They are informative and entertaining.

I had to go back and listen to Drown that Ho at least 4 times. That's the sneaky humor I look for with this channel and the accent makes it so much better. Plants by Krystal is where I first heard it but this just tickled me. Lol. Thanks.

Hahahaha I will never look at repotting the same way now that I know you just "pull the plants pants down and cut the rootball in half".

Thank you for sharing!! After losing two maidenhair ferns, one lemon button fern, a boston fern and a Rabbit's foot fern, I FINALLY realized that keeping my Maidenhair fern in my humid enclosed greenhouse makes her happy!! She's finally sending side shoots after growing solely in the middle for some time!!❤

Yes sir, I also love @plantswithkrystal. Nice shout out.

Your tips and ideas in how to care for different plants. Are just amazing, I told my friends about your channel, now they are following you!

I got a macho fern a few months ago and it seems to be less sensitive than most ferns. I think it's an underrated house plant and really beautiful!

This is so useful! You have done it again! I just bought a Boston Fern from Aldi with a gorgeous ceramic pot and i was just about to start researching! Thanks so much!

You are the best ! All of my plants are healthy and thriving due to your knowledge. Thank you.

Thanks for the helpful tips and your humours 😊

SUPERB and fabulous video 👍👍👏👏👏👏

Thanks for another great video. I want to try a fern but didn't want to kill it. You've just given me courage! 🙂 I like it when you "moan" about the weather in Sheffield. It reminds me to make adjustments to your advice to accommodate the weather here in "Hotlanta" (Atlanta, GA). Have a great day!

Hi Richard, I really enjoyed your video and found it very helpful. I'm dreading putting the heating back on for the winter when the time comes around to do this because my moisture loving plants are going to struggle. I lost quite a few plants last year because of this problem.😁

Great video. Thank you. Your comments on weather are funny.

Great video again!! I love ferns! I plant them all in the soil mixed with orchid bark and they just do so well! And what they really love as a fertilizer is the one according to your recipe- oats and tea!! 😁 i see so much new and healthy growth not just on the ferns but on my other plants as well! Thank you!!

A few days ago I picked some ferns in the forest and, even though I know what their spores look like, I still screamed and dropped them for a moment 😅

I purchased one of these on a whim today. I came straight to this channel ☺️

Hello Mr Plant Guy!! I love Boston ferns..without tempting fate.. I think they love me😂.. your advice and videos are brilliant and informative. My ferns are doing great. Thank you ❤❤ x Best wishes to other plant parents xxx

looks like the perfect plant to wrap up the leaves/fronds before you repot to keep them out of the way. i saw that in another one of your videos i think ...

I live in the tropics - hot and humid year-round. Wild ferns sprout naturally all the time, from air-borne spores, in my house plant pots and will grow into large unruly masses if I don't weed them out. They look very pretty when young but later can crowd out the main plant in the pot. If we want a particular non-native fern, like Maidenhair, which prefers a slightly cooler climate than the tropics, we get it from the nursery. Ferns do need conditions specific to each species to grow well. For several weeks, I noticed a robust young bird's nest fern growing on the ground right next to a busy, noisy, muddy, traffic junction construction site, with hot direct sunshine, no shade. It was thriving, with broad leaves and new leaves sprouting. One day, I decided to yank it out (took some effort, strong roots), brought it home, potted it and hung it in my kitchen window, which is shady with no direct sun. After recovering from the abuse I gave it, it settled down and started growing new leaves. However, the new leaves are long and very slender, instead of the classic broad wavy leaves. I figured it needs several hours of direct sun and for the soil to dry out in between heavy waterings. We see them everywhere growing naturally high up on open tree trunks and branches. I've just transferred it to my living room window which has bright, direct, afternoon sunlight. Hopefully, it will soon grow those beautiful broad wavy leaves.

Thanks very much for your advice. I've been having problems with my Boston Ferns.They are really green after repotting, after a few months they begin to turn yellow. I water them at least twice a week. Love your channel .Keep on educating us as plant moms.

Mine get am sun and love it! I run a humidifier every day for atleast 5 hours and MUST water some every 3 days. I have a humongous Boston Fern that i need to water every other day despite repotting it recently. It's taking over my room 😊. Great tips for success!

Have you thought about getting a small green wall in your property? I manage these everyday and they can be really rewarding if you get the setup right.

I love ferns & bought a quite a couple over the years. Sooner rather than later I killed them all, (except the one on my balcony) whether with more or less shade or water. But OF COURSE now you've encouraged me to try again 🪴

Great advice as always! I've found that vermiculite instead of perlite for ferns and other moisture-lovers (helloooooooo Calatheas!) is better as vermiculite tends to trap more water whilst still providing good soil aeration. I also make sure that my ferns always have a little water at the bottom of the saucer or cover pot. I'm a chronic underwaterer so this makes a big difference for me!

Great video I got mines on a window that has shade and I learned that it needs more water than what we think, it’s definitely a thirsty beauty. I bottom water them since I’ve seen your old video. I live in Florida I have A/C that’s probably why my plant is so happy. Oh then Il have to replant mines in plastic pot 😮

Thank you very much mister, i am learning a whole lots from u, & I am listening to thank you sir.

Ive had good success growing ferns under lights. And 3 months ago i started some from spores and im amazed they grew and so fast too ,what an amazing process to watch. The sporelings are almost ready to transplant.🤗

My Bostoner is huge, dark green with lots of roots gone to the air (had no idea those are actually roots that have no space in the pot :D). Had to break the pot. It was all roots and rhizomes.... It's positioned on the west-facing balcony on the Adriatic coast, having too much sun, with actual shade (only from 11AM to 3PM every summer day) created by the curtains that I draw each day to avoid the scorching sun.... Watering each morning, thrives next to cactus and succulents.

I love this moisture meter😻

Had the same ferns , large one for 6 years .they make a bit too messy on the floor so going to look for a smaller one. And when you try to keep its all that left is tiny wooden twigs that look awful and time to throw out. Love your simple rules.

Ohmygod!! LolololololcoughWHEEZE! I'm completely DED over Russell Brand's crispy frondes!! Hahahahahaha!!!

My fern is sad during the summer. I think it gets too much sun. But it does very well the rest of the year 😊

Thank you for this!! I've just taken the plunge and bought a few ferns again. I tried to grow one or two, years ago, zero success. Put me off ferns. Now after fairly good success with indoor plants (again, thank you so much for your videos and advice, I love your videos.), I've decided to try again. I have them in the bathroom, but I'm not sure they're super happy. Starting to look a bit crispy. I'll try a good feed. I live in Western Australia, cold with hot steamy showers is their environment.

Hi. Another nice vid for a plant parent. Had the same problem with the Ferns :D Btw. yesterday I just found out, that there exists a fungus called Mycorrhiza. Maybe you could look into it and make a new vid about it, because after reading a little bit more into it, it seems like a win-win situation for the plant and the fungus.

Ferns are one of my favorite plants. 🥰

I put moss on the top to keep it more evenly moist for longer periods of time. Boom! Happy fern! 🥰👍

I shoved my three normal ferns in the back yard last week. The shoots are still coming and are green but due to my house being humid I gave up. Initially they were OK but when I started getting crispy leaves I tried the spraying fine water/bed of rocks with water/using my humidifier. I always read up on how to look after them so I knew it might be a problem. My bathroom isn't big enough for all the plants hence the reason why they've ended up out back

I grow outdoor ferns , they're beautiful, 1 variety has froze in the cold winter several times and always comes back .

Thank you this is very helpful. I think I have my ferns in to much light.

I too gave up on fern. I'm not giving up on my spider plants. I've had good luck starting new plants with the baby spiders. Have a blessed day.

I've concluded the worse plant tips are on the tag. They are created to make you over water, under light the plant so you will end up tossing the plant out and buying a new one to try again or so you at least have a "pretty" plant for a few weeks. I had an asparagus fern, it LOVED the sansi regular lamp bulb and grew all the way up, touched the light then burn itself to death... LOL smart plant it was... Then it shed everywhere, which is basically what I remember from it, it was a messy plant LOL. I do want another fern, I love the maidenhair ferns and had one before but I didn't have a quality light bulb, grow or otherwise, for it. I also didn't have a humidifier, so I was able to keep it alive until the humidity dropped below 30 percent. The only real reason I haven't bought another one is because I keep finding alocasias at the same time and those end up coming home with me, LOL... I think that a lot of people feel that a very thin leaved plant, like a fern, would burn easily from fertilizer but in reality, they are fast growers and heavy drinkers which means they need food or they are just going to be drunk with water. Your hate for terracotta makes me laugh :P I prefer it for pretty much every plant even though I haven't switched most over. It does tend to be my pot of choice though when I do need to repot. That said, I am someone whose day is "wake up, put dog out, walk around and check every single plant, get moisture meter for ones I am not sure about, bring dog in, go do my own morning business, make coffee/tea, do plant chores while drinking coffee/tea..." This type of care schedule means that my plants, even the terracotta ones, are looked at every single day and watered etc as needed. If you're more of a casual plant owner or you want to just do plant chores a few times a week, then terracotta probably won't work simply bc it can go from quite moist, to very dry in a few hours with the days heat or the sun on it, or a draught hitting it and pulling moisture from the outside of the pot. My Maranta and my polkadot plant came in the 3cm pots so I "upsized" them to the 6cm terracotta. It was the right choice for their roots, but they need watered right now, every single day. They can't hold a lot of water bc of the pot size but the plant itself simply isn't large enough to go to the 10cm pot since they are significantly deeper as well. Pots need to come in half sizes... Come winter, I expect these wee pots will need watered less often simply because the sun won't be around to soul suck them dry like a vampire. I do feel terracotta is more forgiving for someone who may overwater as well, but I do understand your disdain for it. My biggest pet peeve with it is that for floor plants, I HAVE TO use some sort of riser with terracotta, or any ceramic etc really, or they get SOOO COLD in the winter and that ends up telling the plant to go to sleep for the winter. (ground level cement slab floor with Canadian winter outside gets cold). Plastic doesn't get anywhere near as cold (or hot!) so it is better for the floor plants...

My fern was over 18 years old. It was in my salon until last Feb when I moved it to my house as I closed my salon. It was beautiful and very large. Now it's sad looking and about 1/4 of the size it was. Hope I can get it back to the way it was.

'Scorchio' Summers 😂😂😂 I haven't heard that in ages. Scorchiooooo! 😂

That is so handy to know

My asplenium (birds nest) fern is thriving in my bathroom with very little attention, but it can get some ugly older leaves with blemishes. Its hard to cut them off neatly, as it leaves an ugly stump (unlike the more feathery type ferns). But it also means it doesnt seem to go crispy so easily.

This is the one of the most plants that i have killed. I am going to give them another try with this advice.

I’ve avoided ferns for years - I think I had one years and years ago which died a death - always felt their natural environment is too hard to simulate indoors - but; after watching your video it’ll be my next plant purchase 😊

Hello Mr. Scheffield! Great channel you have, I watch your videos frequently - thank you for all the advice! Would you have any tips on how to care for, propagate and repot kangaroo paw fern? I have seen a lot here on RU-vid, but it could be fun to see and hear what you have to say about it. Thanks in advance!

I've had success with them only when I keep them in dart frog terrariums... glass boxes with bright light and soaking wet humidity at all times.

Mine seems to do very well since I placed it in the bathroom 😄, it gets a bright light from the window and probably a good humid environment

Root division is not the only way to propagate ferns. My favourite way to propagate ferns is by using the runners (long, stringlike feelers growing out of the fern). Just pin them down onto the soil and it will grow roots and leaves. Use small separate pots of soil placed next to the mother plant if you want a new pot of fern. You can separate them by cutting the runner later when the new plant is stable.

i neeeded this thank you

I live in Florida(zone10) and have north facing windows. I used to live in zone 7 with east west windows and had to leave all my plants 😢. The room is light but shade at the same time. What plates would you recommend? Your channel is the most realistic and straightforward one I've found so thank you.

HAHHAHA “just remember to drown that ho” lmaooo wasn’t expecting that from you😂😂

my problems is not growing in the home but outside, they dont come back like they are supposed to

The main reason why probing with your fingers can be misleading is in the case the temperature of the moisture is the same of our skin. We don't have "moisture sensitive" sensors, we have temperature sensors. It's the same reason why when we're checking if the clothes are dry we sometimes can't tell

Ferns ferns ferns!! I'm a bit of a fern collector myself, I love them so much!❤ Ps: during my biology studies we grew ferns from spores, and it's not actually that hard once you know how to do it, it does take a while though

They grow like crazy in PNW. Even on trees in moss.

Thank you 😊

Where I live ferns are one of the most common types of plants, they are even lawn weeds and will grow on my roof. Of course I live in a rainforest and my lawn is also more moss than grass but it means ambient humidity here is pretty high, being a temperate rainforest though the daytime temperature even in the summer is rarely more than about 85 or maybe 30 c i think, also it rarely freezes here so some houseplants can grow outside most the year.

I had a great window sill at my last house in the bathroom. My fern loved it. Sadly this bathroom's window is above a radiator, so I didn't put it there. Put it in the kitchen, and it died. I'd had it five years. 😭

Love the “drown that Ho” reference. Lol. Glad to know you watch Krystal too.

I mostly avoid them. I live in a desert in the summer and -35c in winter. I have 1 blue star I'm barely keeping alive, I did switch it to semi hydro which was probably the best thing I've done to it. It's been much better. I love ferns, but until I have bathrooms with windows, they are probably put in my home.

3:55 I see what you did there. very different climate conditions between the two of you content creators, though :)

My mother had an enormous fern, it was beautiful. We would hide underneath it as kids, shake the leaves, make a mess. When we would go away for the wknd it drooped like it was sad. When we came home it would perk up. Every spring mom would put it outside, turned the water hose on it to give it a bath. It's a wonder that thing survived for eons.

Muito linda essas plantas amigo ❤❤

Thanks!

If you put it in a terrarium those kind of green hairy tentacles will land nearby the mother plant and generate new babies way more easily than with spores which I've not succedeed with yet.

Sounds like you and I should do a house swap for awhile in order to better appreciate our extremes. I live in the desert southwest of the US where we have about 350 sunny days each year, and ferns drive me crazy! Some of them seem to do fine, even outside in 40º plus weather! While others go along happily then for no apparent reason, the fronds start to brown and literally half of them die-not a very good look, for sure! Thanks for all these videos-they are very helpful!

First thing you need to do after you buy a new fern is to transplant it into a larger pot. They are generally root bound when you buy them making them hard to get enough water.

You said drown that hoe and i about died laughing. My favorite part of your videos is your dry humor delivery- its perfect! -Do you watch Plants with Krystal? She says that a lot and i just love her too.

I got a few of them in my home and now they are getting so big and long .. it’s what anyone else would call of of control 😅

I’ve grown different types of fungi before, so I can tell you growing ferns from spores is almost identical. Honestly it looks easier than growing a lot of types of fungi, as fungi require an even higher sterility environment than ferns do. It’s very easy, you just have to plan it out when you’re actually transferring the spores to the media you’re gonna have them grow in. I would tell you to 100% get yourself a still air box, it’ll cut down on your contamination by a LOT. Ideally the best is a laminar flow hood but that’s expensive, still air boxes are not! Learn how to grow fungi and you’ll learn how to grow ferns!

I seriously never thought a fern could be kept inside the house.....😮

I have all my ferns in my south facing room, I just don't clean my window that often xD But I whish I would have known how much of a diva an adiantum raddianum is compared to an adiantum fritz luthi. They look super similar, but damn the fritz luthi is way tougher. I don't use a humidifier and just group my plants together. Though I have to say that due to the current rainy weather the humidity in my room is quite high (~65%) compared to normal (~45%).

Omg I just texted my Plant Girlfriend that God sent this video to the top of my feed this morn. My birds nest fern is dying. Thanx for the video and thanx God. 🤣