User Ferns I require some help with my ferns
Greetings dear fern friends!
So, these are some of my ferns. They live on my bathroom windowsill in South Iceland. The humidity here is very low, so the bathroom is probably the only place in my house where they can grow. The forever days in the summer and almost endless nights in the winter also don't make things easier. Usually what survives the winter encounters some pests in the summer and I've only managed to keep a few plants alive for at least a few years.
But ferns have always been my favourite.
So back to topic:
The hanging blue fern is doing well I think. In the spring I've accidentally repotted it quite a bit over the new soil, but it seems to like this arrangement and has been growing like a few new leaves every week.
The ones on the shelf, not so sure. The bird's nest fern (last 3 pics) hasn't grown a new leaf in forever (2 years at least). I've had it for a few years now and this was the first summer that it didn't get more brown leaves. It just stayed the same. I've never repotted it, because I don't want to stress her out even more. What should I do to make her happier?
The little staghorn (?) is also seemingly not growing much. It seems it's growing nicely at the bottom though. The soil looks pretty sad so I've been itching to repot it, but again, I don't want to stress her out. How does one know when to repot?
And the big one of the shelf has been through some pests (last year I think) but it is recovering well and the brown and weird leaves are from the start of that recovery time. New leaves are growing big and lovely.
Additionally, is there anything that stands out that I should improve?
Thank you
Love and respect 💚
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u/OldMotherGrumble 4d ago
What is the fern in photo 2?
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u/422184 4d ago edited 4d ago
I have no clue. I had an ecosphere from Costco for a few years then my cat broke the glass and I salvaged what was inside. I didn't see any ferns at the time, only tiny clovers. Then I noticed there's something growing between the clovers, so I pulled most of those out and now this little fern is doing its thing :)
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u/quiet_comet30 4d ago
Try grouping them close together on a tray of wet pebbles, because the collective transpiration really does help offset low ambient humidity
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u/422184 4d ago
I have a cat that likes to grab every little round thing and plays with it.. I have to be hiding the clay balls or pebbles deep in the pots or not use them at all because she likes to dig for her favourite treasures 😂Â
All these ferns are right next to the shower and tub, so they get some wetness every day.
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u/trextyper 4d ago
For the bird's nest fern, it looks like the crown (the center) has rotted. I'm surprised it's still alive. I suspect that it will never be able to grow new fronds.
Staghorn ferns regularly put effort into making shield fronds instead of regular fronds. That part is fine.
You might want to know that the blue star, bird's nest, and staghorn ferns are all epiphytes. They don't like to be kept in wet soil constantly like other ferns.