It is best planted outdoors in the fall or spring or indoors year-round.
Light
Boston fern grows best in bright,indirect light.
Too much shade can result in sparse, lackluster fronds.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Too much sun can burn the fronds.
Boston fern thrives as a porch plant that receives filtered morning sun and afternoon shade.
Soil
Ferns prefer organically rich, loamy soil with good drainage.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Add compost and peat to your outdoor garden before planting.
For a potted Boston fern, use a peat-based potting mix with added perlite for increased drainage capacity.
Water every other week during fall and winter dormancy.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Fronds may droop in dry soil.
Temperature and Humidity
Boston fern prefers temperatures between 65 and 75F.
Temperatures above 95F and below 35F harm the plant.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
This fern thrives in humidity levels above 80% which can be achieved with misting or a pebble tray.
Low humidity causes frond tips to turn brown.
Indoors, keep the plant away from extreme temperatures and indoor drafts from air conditioners or heating vents.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Feed indoor ferns once a month during the spring and summer using a 20-10-20 liquidhouseplant fertilizerat half strength.
Do not fertilize in the late fall and winter months.
Types of Boston Fern
Boston fern comes in several varieties, including dwarfs.
The best time to prune an indoor plant is when it’s repotted.
Remove all browning leaves and clip back leafless runners.
Give your fern a good haircut by trimming off the side fronds at the base with sharp shears.
Leave the top of the plant unpruned, but rather trim around the edges to your desired shape.
Potting and Repotting
Boston fern prefers containers that take longer to dry out.
Large Boston ferns can be divided into separate pots.
Take care to bury all the roots, and then give your fern a good drink of water.
Place your pot in a warm area in your home, out of direct sunlight.
Propagating Boston Fern
Boston fern is very easy to propagate by division.
Take these steps in the spring.
How to Grow Boston Fern From Spores
Like all ferns, Boston fern does not generate seeds.
Instead, ferns are grown from spores collected from adult plants.
you’re free to also purchase fern spores from a garden store.
For garden ferns grown in zones 9 to 11, perform a late fall cutback and withhold fertilization.
Whiteflies and mealybugs suck the plant’s juices and leave behind a sticky mold.
Chewing insects leave a slimy trail and cause holes in the leaves.
Treat by repotting the plant in a sterile container and discarding the diseased soil in the process.
Only treat the fern with a fungicide when all other methods have failed.
Repotting and discarding the diseased soil is the best treatment for this problem.
Root rot can also be prevented by providing ample drainage and airflow to the fern’s roots.
Boston fern is said to be one of the best air-purifying houseplants.
It helps to rid the indoor air of toxins, like formaldehyde, plastic off-gassing, and cigarette smoke.
This plant also restores moisture to dry air.
