Learn how to properly care for ferns over the winter, whether indoors or outside.
At this point, tightly curled fiddleheads will likely already be poking up from the crown.
Staghorn, bird’s nest and rabbit’s foot ferns are more often grown as houseplants.
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Staghorn ferns adapt to temperature ranges between 50-100oF, so bring them inside if your winter dips below this.
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Asparagus ferns also do well in a cool greenhouse.
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Give them a cool location free from drafts and away from heating vents.
They grow best when daytime temperatures do not exceed 72oF, with nighttime temperatures around 60oF.
Always remove fern fronds at the base rather than trimming them back.
Take out fronds that are overlong, straggly, brown, or yellowing.
Do not remove more than one-third of the plant.
Keep soil consistently moist for ferns kept as houseplants.
If you’re keeping a Boston fern dormant, water only when soil dries out.
