Ferns are one of the most common plants in our life. They will be a great help to improve our indoor environment and purify the fresh air. As a result, in this article, we are going to talk about how to water ferns more and better.
If you concentrate on properly watering them, hanging ferns make excellent indoor plants that are simple to maintain. Contrary to what you may have assumed, this is much simpler.
It is best to water hanging ferns two to three times per week. As frequently as you can, water the garden fern. During the summer, you should daily water your indoor fern. To prevent the leaves from turning yellow, spray them every two to three days. At the end of the summer, when the plant is starting to get ready for winter, reduce watering a little.
They are the perfect plant to keep in any home due to their adaptability and simplicity of growth. One of the essential components to keeping your fern in prime condition is proper watering.
Table of Contents
What Factors Affect Watering Frequency?
Season
The ferns will actively grow in the summer, and evaporation levels will be quite high. The plant will almost completely go dormant during the winter, evaporation will be very low, and less water will be needed.
Soil
This vital source of life is teeming with life, and the age and composition of the organisms determine how much water it can hold.
You should plant your fern in potting soil that is simple to drain. Making your own potting mix is best done with two parts compost, two parts sphagnum moss, and one part vermiculite.
However, some research will be required. While a few ferns like their growing medium to be alkaline, some ferns prefer acidic soil. Your plant supplier should be able to advise you in this regard.
Temperature
The ideal temperature should be maintained at between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius, or 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. An increase in watering frequency is required if the temperature rises above 75°F (24°C).
You must make sure the soil surface is dry before watering if the temperature falls below 60°F (15°C), as there won’t be much evaporation.
Container Size
The size of the container will directly affect how much soil is positioned around your ferns in the baskets. More water will be held in the soil, and the more soil there is.
Contrary to popular belief, just because your hanging fern is in a bigger container doesn’t mean it will be happier.
Never repot a fern smaller than the following hanging basket size. Too much moisture is retained by excess soil around the roots because it functions as a sponge.
Humidity
The hanging basket’s fern will suffer if the air is too dry. This dry air is frequently made worse in modern, well-insulated homes by central heating or cooling systems. When placing your fern basket, keep these things in mind.
Using a humidifier around the hanging baskets is the best option when the air in your area is dry and you want to keep your ferns healthy.
Drainage Holes
With hanging baskets, there is yet another aspect to take into account. It must have drainage holes. Smaller than larger ones, these will cause the water to drain more slowly.
Water will also evaporate through the sides of a porous container, like a terracotta pot, where your fern is housed.
Modern hanging pots are typically made of plastic. If the holes in the base are big enough for you to stick your fingertip inside, then these are acceptable.
Lighting Condition
Normally, ferns don’t like direct sunlight. Since the majority of ferns originate from densely forested areas of the world, they are accustomed to living in shade with dappled or indirect light.
Evaporation will likely be higher if you keep the hanging pots in a well-lit area.
How Are Indoor Ferns Watered?
As it impedes the soil’s normal air exchange, too much moisture is bad for them.
Yellowing, wilting, and drooping leaves that never return to their original position are caused by the roots gradually dying off. Reduce the amount of water you use.
You can check if your plants need watering in a variety of ways. Dry soil is lighter than moist soil. It is not enough to rely solely on this sign of the health of the plants, though, if they are planted in peat.
Most of the time, I examine the soil by feeling it. You can also use the sound made by tapping on the pot’s wall to determine when to water.
When they are growing the most, in the spring and summer, ferns require a lot of water.
Even a small amount of overdrying can cause young shoots to perish. Check your plants each day to see if they need watering.
Watering them in the morning and at night is advised in the summer when it’s hot. Your main watering should ideally be done in the morning.
It should receive enough water at each watering that the fern well soaks the entire soil clod and spills out onto the pot. And if there are air bubbles on the soil’s surface, keep watering until there are none.
It is not advisable to water ferns daily in small amounts because the water will only soak the top layer of soil, leaving the roots dry.
Water ferns from above allow the upper soil layer, which has fewer roots, to absorb extra calcium, magnesium, and other elements in the water.
The soil nutrients phosphorus, iron, manganese, aluminum, and boron are damaged by water with a high concentration of calcium salts because these salts transform the nutrients into compounds that are toxic to plants.
To prevent root rot after watering, empty the tray of extra water. Fall and winter are crucial reasons for this.
The drainage hole might be blocked if water from watering does not drain into the tray but rather collects on the surface.
Sometimes the water can evaporate quickly, leaving the soil dry. The frequency of watering should be increased in this situation.
What Are The Best Watering Techniques?
The answer to this query is at the core of all excellent plant handling. If you get this part right, most of your fern-growing challenges will be greatly diminished.
The interesting thing is that it’s actually a lot simpler than most people think it will be.
- Use a long-spout watering can hydrate your fern. You can then sprinkle the water directly on top of the potting soil in this manner. As the fronds of hanging ferns frequently hang down in the form of fairly thick curtains, this is particularly pertinent. Until it is over the soil, you can move the long nozzle through the fronds.
- Watering with cold water, which can shock the roots, should be replaced with lukewarm or room temperature water.
- Tap water should be substituted with distilled water or rainwater that has been collected. Salts or chemicals like chlorine are frequently found in municipal water. These substances accumulate in the soil over time and may slightly contaminate it. Your fern won’t probably die from it, but it won’t get to its best.
- An additional method is to water from the bottom. The water will be absorbed through the osmosis process if the entire pot is submerged in a container of water. Because trailing leaves from hanging ferns frequently dangle in the water container and drip when removed, this system has a problem. Additionally, it takes longer because a two-phase process is necessary to wait for the excess water to drain out after the water has been absorbed by the soil.
How Much To Water
- Water the soil until you see water dripping from the drainage holes at the bottom of the container onto the soil’s surface.
- Regarding quantity, there is no set rule to follow. Depending on the plant’s size, the container’s size, and how dry the soil is, it will differ.
Rules You Should Follow
- You must prevent your fern from getting wet. Your plant won’t be able to freely drain if you leave it standing in a saucer of water after each watering.
- Keep your fern moist at all times. Always keep an eye on these plants because they prefer consistent moisture. when it is dry to the touch of water when the soil surface.
Watering Frequency
- To determine how frequently you should water, don’t just follow a simple schedule. This oversight is typical and can have fatal repercussions.
- If you can feel the soil with your fingers and it is dry, water the area. Wait a day and feel again if it’s still damp.
- Use a soil probe if it makes you feel more at ease to do so rather than feeling the soil’s surface.
- Attempt to maintain a constant moisture level. Frequently changing environmental factors are not pleasant for plants. The ability to accomplish this is something that can be learned and improved with practice. You will initially need to feel the soil frequently, but with practice, it will become almost instinctive.
- You can lift the pot and check its weight with hanging ferns. In that case, it will be obvious that you need water. This one takes a little bit of skill. Eventually, the weight of the pot will indicate whether the plant needs water. Use the touch method as support for your diagnosis until you have mastered this technique.
How Much Do You Need To Water
When starting to grow ferns indoors for the first time, a lot of people have this question in mind. There are many different factors that can affect whether or not the soil is consistently moist, which is what you want. The age of the plant, humidity levels, time of year, and size of your plant all play a role in the equation.
Your plant will always receive the ideal amount of water due to two factors. One is the absence of dry patches on the soil’s surface, and the other is the abundance of drainages.
The precise quantity you provide no longer poses a problem if you keep those two things in mind. You merely need to make sure that it can drain away freely and add water as needed.
To distinguish between consistently moist and excessively wet is something you’ll need to learn. The plant will be susceptible to a wide range of health issues if it has what is referred to in gardening as “wet feet.”
On the other hand, these plants are not tolerant of dry environments. A soil probe can be used to measure the soil’s moisture content.
I find that using my fingers is more practical and trustworthy. At various depths or locations within the pot, a probe frequently provides varying readings.
You will quickly master the ability to feel the moisture content by touch once you have a fern. But every day or two, you must press your fingers against the soil’s surface.
Signs That You’re Watering Your Fern Incorrectly
Underwatering:
- The leaves will wilt and flop to the ground.
- Tips will go brown and dry out.
Overwatering:
Leaves will wilt, but they will also lose color and start to turn yellow.
- Their texture will deteriorate and become mushy.
Although these symptoms may sound similar, as you get to know these ferns, you will quickly learn to distinguish between the two kinds.
Feel the soil if the plant itself does not provide enough warning signs. Wet soil speaks of overwatering or waterlogging, while dry soil is likely to point to an underwatering issue.
Incorrect Watering Issues
Understanding the delicate art of correct irrigation is not too difficult. You are aware of what to do at this point.
Here are some issues to be aware of if your water is handled incorrectly, just in case you get things wrong.
Stagnant Water
If you are overwatering, it won’t be long before your ferns are submerged in a pot of water. If you don’t pour this away, the water in the soil won’t be able to drain properly, which will inevitably cause the root system to become waterlogged.
Dealing with this issue is simple. After watering for 30 minutes, all you have to do is empty the container of the water.
If there is still water in the pot, it will keep pouring into the saucer. It may therefore be necessary for you to pour it out a second time.
You’ll soon get to the point where you only need to empty the pot once as you gain experience.
Root Rot
Overwatering or flooded soil is the primary cause of root rot. The roots can’t breathe because they are encased in wet soil, which causes them to rot and die. The top portions of the plant quickly degenerate after this.
- Remove the plant from its pot if you think root rot has started.
- If any wet soil is still clinging to the roots, gently scrape it off after letting the majority of the moisture drain onto a sheet of newspaper.
- Brown and soggy, rotten roots will have these characteristics. They could be removed and thrown away.
- The plant should be repotted in new potting soil and hung in a bright area out of the direct sun.
- Once the soil’s surface is just barely dry, stop watering. It should be moist when you plant into new potting soil, and it probably will stay moist for a few days.
Brown Leaf
The fern is too dry, as evidenced by drooping leaves and brown leaf tips. It is simple to see the plant because of its sad, wilted appearance. The texture of the leaves is also brittle.
If this problem is not fixed right away, the ferns will begin to drop their leaves and eventually perish. Give your fern a good soak, then let the water run-off normally.
Do not deceive yourself into thinking that by adding more water, you can compensate for underwatering.
Though the brown tips are unlikely to recover, the fern should. These dead sections are easily cut off with scissors.
Tips for Watering Your Ferns
Here are some expert tips for watering your ferns and keeping them happy in an indoor environment:
- Keep a small spray bottle filled with room-temperature water near your ferns. Use this to mist the foliage each time you check the soil moisture. Make this a habit to keep the humidity high, which is a necessity for most types of indoor ferns.
- When the soil seems dry, dribble a little of the water from the spray bottle into the soil.
- Always use room temperature water when watering or misting ferns.
- Never allow a fern to sit in standing water for more than a few minutes at a time.
Every plant has its own unique characteristics and habits such as ferns. I hope that after you read this article, we can also use the right methods to understand the living habits of plants and planted, it can cultivate the most perfect plants.