I had a maiden fern once...she was happy with me and thrived...found myself having to move several times and she couldn't help it and went to plant heaven. I want that beautuful plant in my space again it's like home to me, plants are, gonna give it a go again deciding carefully I want us to survive....to say I love nature is all I need to say
Thanks so much for not indulging in small talk. When I go to a plant care video I just want to hear the facts about what to do, and YOU are excellent! Very informative without rambling on about other things! I had a maidenhair before, and almost decided never to buy another, but I bought a beautiful and full Maidenhair and have hope now that it can survive. Thanks again!
My mum has one that’s been thriving for 20 years :) She chops the whole plant off at end of every year , leaving just the spiky black stalks sticking out of the soil. Everytime it grows back bigger and lusher, and there’s no dying leafs on it at all because she chops it herself.
@@dawnmcfarland7011 she has it in her conservatory? I think that’s what’s called! But before she just had it in her kitchen back at home country. She brought her plant all the way to the uk 😅😂 I would have never managed to keep it alive
I've been growing maidenhair and other ferns since I was about 10. My late Father brought me home some from the bush, and I was so excited to have my own little fern garden just like mum and Dad. I'm 48 now and these are the one plant I enjoy growing the most. The trick is to keep their feet wet. I keep mine in hanging baskets where the snails can't get them. I feed them with a very weak feed of liquid fertiliser every month. I also throw a couple of handfuls of dynamic lifter into a large watering can and fill it with rainwater and let it steep for a day or two.. that really works well for the ferns as well. I also often turn my baskets around too, so they grow evenly around the pot and not to one side. When I know it's going to be either windy or hot, every one of my ferns come straight inside and I sit them in my bathtub untill it's over. It's a constant watch and up keep, but it's well worth the effort! 🪴🌿💚
This guy's voice is so calm and reassuring, I feel like I won't kill another plant with my black thumb of death. I just got a Maiden Hair Fern I look forward to seeing it grow and spore. 🪴🤗
I find maidenhair ferns very easy to grow from spores. I once had a maidenhair that had gotten too dry and died, but many of the dried leaves had spores on them. I made a terrarium out of an old 2 1/2 gallon aquarium and shook out the dry spore bearing fronds into it . The soil was kept well moistened and the top covered with plastic wrap. In about a month, the soil was covered with hundreds of prothalli. These are the gametophyte generation. These are not the plants you want. If you keep them moist, they will reproduce and the next generation will be the sporophytes that will produce the rhizomes and fronds that most people think of as ferns. After a while you will see fronds growing out of the prothalli. These are the sporophyte plants that you want. when the fronds were about two inches tall, I divided them up into individual plants. If I had had room enough, I could have raised hundreds of plants, but I only kept about three or four. One thing I learned from the experience was that you must keep maidenhair ferns constantly moist. Once the pot becomes dried out, the chance of the plant recovering is less than 2% I recently bought a new plant and am experimenting with growing it in a wick watering system. It's only been a week, but it seems to be working.
Would love an update! I totally forgot I tried wick as well with my money tree. It worked for a while but then something started happening to it so I took it out. Id love to try it again with my maidenhair 🤔
@@DejaDrewit The maidenhair turned out to be a failure. I succeeded until I repotted into a five inch pot, but the wick I was using became clogged somehow and the pot dried out. I replaced the wick with a length of paracord, and set up a couple more wick fed pots with rabbit's foot ferns which are doing well. I am also experimenting with Venus flytraps and an African violet. With the Venus flytraps I am using a mineral free potting medium and RO/DI water, since these plants cannot stand being fertilized. I was able to keep one flytrap going since last summer, including a three month stay in my refrigerator to stimulate dormancy. I just repotted it and a couple new ones I picked up at Walmart, and they seem to be having a little trouble adjusting to my new soil mix, so it's a little too soon to predict results. As a general rule, I would only recommend wick watering for plants that need a continuously moist soil. Most house -plants prefer that the soil dry out between waterings.
@@CrossCultural-c7f What works for you is good for you. I use a different system. Mine starts with an ordinary pot filled with a fast-draining soil mixture. a wick comes out through one of the drainage holes. This sits on top of a reservoir with two holes in the lid. One hole is near the edge where I refill the reservoir, the other hole is closer to center and the wick goes down through it. My reservoir is made from the transparent containers used by delis to serve foods. These allow me to instantly see how much water is in the reservoir. I learned this method from a person who grows African violets for show. He has hundreds of violets, and if he neglects their watering his plants soon show the effects. My experiment with the maidenhair fern failed because the yarn wick got clogged with algae and wouldn't carry enough water to keep the pot soil damp. I replaced it with a wick made from Black parachute cord. The black outer layer prevents algae growing on the interior fibers. I now have Two rabbits foot ferns, three Venus Flytraps, two miniature roses, and one African violet growing on the system.
Years ago I belonged to a garden club in the Dallas area. One of our members had a small greenhouse, and like me, she loved maidenhair ferns, and had many of them. She successfully propagated them using bricks which she put in clear plastic shoeboxes filled with rainwater, thereby keeping the surface constantly moist. I’ve forgotten the exact details, but somehow the plants will naturally shed their spores on the back of the leaves, and the tiny spores would fall down onto the damp bricks. There would first be a sort of algae that would grow and then out of them would spring the baby maidenhair plants.
I’ve never owned a live plant. I bought this type of plant from a store with NO indication on what type of plant it was or how to care for it. It began dying within days. I thought it was because of direct sunlight so I moved it...with no improvement. I was watering regularly, but now I know it wasn’t enough. I’ve kept up watering daily now and there are several dozen new fronds growing in. Thanks!
That's a problem for many beginners. they often buy plants without knowing where they come from with poor results. Maidenhair ferns live in deeply shaded spots in forests where only filtered light penetrates, and, as a result, the soil never dries out completely. By the same token, the tree roots quickly absorb any excess water, so this leaves them in soil that is constantly moist, but never wet. By coincidence, the same applies to African Violets. Your first instinct, to move them out of the sun was correct. The second, to increase water, was also correct. I hope that your plant is still doing well. Here is some advice for other beginners. When you find a plant you like, the first thing you want to do is to identify it. Don't settle for the common name. sometimes you will find the same common name is applied to as many as ten or more totally different plants. Research until you get the scientific name. Then go online and search that species. Google, Wikipedia, and You tube are excellent resources for this. Usually, you can easily find other growers who can tell you what treatments that have been successful for them. Lacking that, you can find descriptions of its natural habitat and deduce its needs from that. Most of all, don't give up because one or two plants fail. There are over a million species of plants living on planet Earth. Thousands of them would find conditions on your windowsill just perfect. All you have to do is find one of them.
I have a small maiden hair fern. It wasn’t doing well, until I watched your video. I stopped misting and cut off the dried up fronds. I check the soil every other day and moved to a west window. It is doing SO much better!
Hi i had to come back to this video. I bought my beautiful fern at a garden centre. Without proper advice I kept it in direct sunlight and watered every other day. This plant very quickly let me know its on the decline. I decided i was going to try and save it. After doing some research alot of stuff about it being difficult and temperamental n fussy ...i was nervous n had low hopes of saving this. Your video was helpful and gave me confidence that I can do this. Im so happy to report that since i watched ur video a week ago my beautiful plant has 8 new curly fronds poking out the ground. I have such a connection to it and cant wait till shes lush and thriving again. You are a wonderful and motivating gardner.
I picked up one of these lil guys from a store recently. I already knew how to take care of it because I've done some research beforehand. tysm for making this video!!!
If you grow maiden hairs in a hanging basket,they will shoot out underneath as well. Very rewarding. The basket will loose moisture at a faster rate. So more watering is required. I noticed more fronds grow out underneath than on top. This makes the plant ever more attractive. Until a virtual ball of fronds is created
Everytime i see videos like this i’m like: ‘omg that’s what the plant is supposed to look like?’. Mine has only got 6-10 branches left (it’s having a hard time), but it do be growing new ones since a few weeks 🙂🪴
I will confess. ...that I am a maidenhair killer I've killed over 30...... so sad😥🖤..... just yesterday I bought two more maidenhair ferns! I just saw your video so please send your prayers my way you want them to LIVE..... thank you in advance..😀💔😀
Scrape the spores off with a sharp knife. Onto a growing medium eg sand in a tray. Cover the tray with a sheet of glass to conserve moisture. they will take after a while. The spores must be well developed
I have a 15 year old pot of maidenhair fern & will try to scrape spores off when I see well developed spores. I’ve always kept it outside on a north facing porch in the hot humid Texas Gulf Coast weather in an interesting self watering pot that has a water reservoir that sits on top of the soil’s surface. I water it and the reservoir daily during the summer.
Earlier this year, my maiden hair fern dried out and I thought it was dead. I happened to see your video - so I cut off all the dead fronds and watered it - and it within a short time new fronds began to grow! It is full and lush and has tiny spores covering many of the fronds. It is by a north facing kitchen sink - in Alaska, so every day I lift the pot, and if its lighter, I will water it. Thank you for this video - if it wasn't for you, I probably would have thrown the whole thing away :)
I brought one back from the dead as well! I just crossed my fingers and now I have a lot of lovely fronds and also have seen the spores. She's a survivor!
My maidenhair fern hated anywhere with any amount of direct light. The leaves were always lightly crispy. lol So I moved it further away from my window where it has indirect light and it seems to be happier now. 💁🏾♀️
I love my maidenhair. I actually keep mine outside here in Louisiana and it loves it. Some people even use them in the landscape here. I've seen them as big as 3 foot tall and 4 foot wide, just like a shrub.
Plants are like people you have to strike a balance between the ideal conditions. Always observe the plant’s behaviour and provide the appropriate grooming of the plant by removing dead heads and keep the plant clear of them. I have grown a mini indoor forest in my living room of air purifiers successfully near a west facing glass door. I repotted whenever it was necessary and divided plants that needed to be split into two or more plants. It’s also important to choose the right plants for your environmental conditions. There’s also need to choose the right containers for each plant as well.
I have just subscribed and am happy that I have. I have had a Maidenhair for many years now and it’s enjoying life. I dont panic if a frond or two dies off, I just remove them and the plant continues on. Your manner of speaking and explanation is very calming. Thank you.
Thanks for the video! I keep carnivorous plants and here in the sub-tropical South Africa, if you keep anything moist daily, voila! You have spores from who knows where turning into lovely ferns. Experimenting with spores is fun but you need to be patient with them - they take a lot of time to develop through all the stages. Months of care(mostly spraying or watering daily) will reward you greatly. I have a long pot with Sphagnum Moss I keep moist on a tray with water, leaving the fern leaves with spores facing down. You could keep the tray filled with water and close the top with clingwrap if you dont want to water daily or dont have time, this could stretch watering to weekly. Hope this info helps if you want to try propagating ferns through spores, or save your fern's offspring!!!
thank you for the tips!! my maiden hair was doing "poorly" after months of doing well, but now I'm not going to stress so much! Just keep it watered and let it go through the process. Thanks dude! (also followed on IG!)
I use a self-watering pot and still have to fill the reservoir every 2-3 days! These are very thirsty plants. But I love them so much I'm willing to put up with them. I live in very low humidity.
I love maidenhair, bought so many and killed so many, managed to keep one for many years, not good as yours. After watching your video, I moved it to balcony, in two weeks, notice lots of shoots, very happy. Thank you!!!!
I have never had any problems with maidenhairs in temperate climates. Always watched breezes as these can be drying. I agree with your general comments. Re humidity...I now live in the tropics and humidity is high. But sadly I am having problems growing them. Totally confused atm.
Lovely and informative video. Have you ever tried converting from soil to leca? I’ve just started recently began doing that in the last couple of months and my ferns have responded beautifully. No guessing about when to water which is a definite win with ferns.
I just got a Maidenhair and it is so lovely, I found this video really great and I will be watching more of your vids! keep up the amazing work! :DD followed the insta aswell
Thank you for your video! I live in Scotland where humidity is usually high because it rains very often but not always during the summer. I was worried about my fern because I noticed some dead leaves and I thought I did something wrong. Now I know there is no reason to panic. Thanks again! By the way, you have beautiful eyes!
This is interesting. I’ve always heard people say to increase the humidity around plants that like high humidity. But it does make sense that a high humidity loving plant would take up more water from its soil. I have always had ferns die on me because they’d get so dry and I thought I just couldn’t keep the humidity high enough, but now I see it was probably the soil too. I’ll have to give them another try now. Thanks for sharing this!
Literally my maidenhair have been my least problematic houseplants ever. They’re chill and make my space look beautiful and lush and I barely do anything for them. No extra humidity, not even that much water (bi-weekly watering), bright/low bright indirect light, very basic care. When I was new to houseplants, I nearly killed one, it lost all its fronds. I moved the plant into brighter light, changed the pot and waited. The stump just reshot and a few years later, she’s still thriving. Actually,, 3 of my first plants were maidenhairs, and they’re still all with me (one is exceptionally huge haha). I think they’re actually a super good beginner plant, mainly for their ability to just bounce back from stress so well (like other ferns, though maidenhairs seem to be particularly good at this)!
The voice of reason ;) - if I had a dollar for every time I have told people that they are believing in fallacies and being overly dramatic regarding humidity and continuous water, I would be a Millionaire. Maidenhair ferns are so incredibly not difficult or complicated, they simply need continuous moisture at the root system, and to be kept away from intense direct summer sun for more than 4 hours at a time. I love these plants. I feel that they love me too.
Hey i have a maiden hair fern. I water regulary when the soul is dry and i went away for two days and came home and found my ferm frons complete dry and crispy. Shit what have i done .
Thats because any plant grows easy outdoors. The challenge is keeping them alive in a pot indoors. I water mine heavy and drain once per week. I stuff moss around the topsoil to keep moist. Success
You have no idea how much this video meant to me. I was slowly giving up on plants, because all the drama around it gave me so much stress. And that couldn't be right, right? I have always loved maidenhair ferns, but was too scared to buy it, assuming it would die. Thanks to your video I bought one over a month ago, and I'm dumbfounded how easy these are to take care of! I just lift up the pot, when it gets lighter I put it in a bowl of water and let it drink. So easy! It has almost doubled in size since I got it
Well, I found a “southern” maidenhair today, my first one ever because I’m finally brave enough thanks to this video. May the odds be ever in my favor, lol.
I’ll never quit trying with this plant because they are so pretty. Some times are more successful than others, but I feel like most of us plant parents lose a few😢
thank you for concise helpful info. im going to give a maiden hair fern another try after watching this. I too appreciate that you dont waffle or feel you need to "entertain". Excellent. I have now subscribed.
So many people are wannabe gardeners these days, but they think plants live forever & never drop leaves. I’ve been doing this since before quarantine, lol. I’m 38 and been doing it since I was 19.. That’s not a flex, but I just know what natural browning is, and what new growth looks like, as you said! And that quote you said about knowing the difference between new growth and dead? Amen. 🙏🏼 👏🏽 Most important thing. And with succulents, or any plant for that matter really, people freak out so easily. They think it’s sunburned, it’s wilted, it’s receiving too little sun, whatever. So…fix it? Jk 😂 “It’s gonna die” is their main phrase to me! Yet they don’t look at the crown or the core of the plant, at the new leaves on their way, or just barely coming up. As long as new growth is healthy and coming, just get rid of the old stuff, snip it off and let the plant dedicate more energy on the new stuff… Along those lines, I don’t let certain succulents bloom, or not unless it’s the end of summer I should say, because I know it’s gonna die right after the blooms are spent, plus it’s also gonna take all the energy from the plant. With ferns those dead leaves attract pests and also weigh down the overall plant. I love that about ferns, how simply pruning them usually exposes a bunch of tiny new fiddleheads.
I bought this plant without even knowing how is it called and it’s so dry that I panicked and then I found your video . I hope I can take good care of her now because it’s so beautiful 😻
Thank you!! You have given me a whole new perspective on fern care in general. I mistakenly thought higher humidity would eliminate my ferns eventually dying off but I now understand it’s all about the watering. If your ferns survive 30% humidity in winter, proper watering must indeed be the cure. So impressed I’m ordering your book!
This is so helpful, I have been doing some things ok on instinct but I was panicking about humidity because my bathroom just never gets that humid, so knowing I can just water it more is so relieving thank you
I planted my first one in a big pot with a Hoya carnosa in it in my west facing conservatory with no direct sun. I have automatic watering for the pot, but the soil does get dry sometimes in the summer. I just cut it back, give it a soak and back it comes. It has put up with draughts, high heat and near freezing temperatures in the winter. I also have one in the bathroom, no sun at all and the Venetian blinds are usually down. As long as I give it half a mug of water when I brush my teeth it looks great, and I just break off any fronds that are turning yellow/brown. I must have the idiot proof variety, as I haven’t managed to kill any, in fact they have jumped ship to a nearby pot too!
OMGoodness I love you! You cleared up so much that I am looking forward to finally getting a Maidenhair Fern to try my hand at it again. I LOVE the plant and my heart was sore when the first one I owned 'died' and I concluded that my space does not provide the right conditions for it. I'm thrilled to know my dream of this plant gracing my home is not dead afteral. Thank you, Daryl!💕
My maidenhair lives on my bathroom sink. When we first brought it home it wasn’t doing so well in our living room due to cold drafts and low light. It’s been thriving ever since the move
Thank you for this. Just found your channel. My maiden's hair fern was one of the first houseplants I ever got. I didn't know it was meant to be difficult. I just thought it was pretty. I keep it wet and move it around and it seems as happy as can be! Looking forward to checking out more of your videos.
So happy to find your video on maidenhair ferns! This is my favorite fern..I'm trying to raise mine back from the dead. It was quite helpful just to actually see how much water you gave your plant @ the sink. I love your quiet calm teaching voice..ty!💚
Thanks for your video. I have a big one and find them easy to grow. Mine loves growing in a north window with a small grow light. I never let it dry out.
I got one of these in January, it was tiny, I thought it would be really hard to take care of, I placed it in my kitchen and misted it every couple of days, it got some light morning sun too and now with warmer temperatures here in Ireland it's growing like crazy!
Very informative video.Thanks for sharing...True nature lovers plant this variety of ferns in their garden...I have one,I had brought it from mountains ,with proper care ,humidity it survived...but its leaves are small....Could you please suggest any furtiliser for fern..🌾🌿🌾🌿🌾🌿
Beautiful! I don’t trust myself with a maidenhair yet as I’m a new plant parent (yes, I have your book. 🌿🌱😊). I love that you bring up that humidity isn’t the important factor in caring for plants that are known for needing high humidity. I never understood why humidity would affect a plant when they don’t take water in through the air (other than air plants of course). As long as you stay on top of watering, your plant can still thrive in low humidity. I am curious though about your opinion on whether you can over water a maidenhair. I’ve heard of people letting their maidenhair adapt to sitting in a water at all times (direct contact between soil and water) without issue, but I so often see people say that would cause root rot in maidenhair ferns. How can it be fine for some when others say it would essentially drown the plant?
best video on the maidenhair I've seen so far thankyou! straight to the point and clear information, my maidenhair just isn't filling out at all, I hope your tips will help her grow :)
Thanks, very helpful. I have always had a problem with them, because I underwater after years of not knowing what root rot is, so now I'm afraid to water my plants LOL I got another one, started getting all brown. I put it outside in the shade and humidity, I'm in Florida, so maybe it will pull through!
Excellent advice! Thanks for the tips. I've recently bought a maidenhair fern that was languishing in a shop looking half dead. Hopefully in a few weeks time it'll look like a different plant
Dear Darryl, thank you for the informative video. There is hope for me yet after killing more than a few pots!! 😢 You mentioned quite a bit on humidity and keeping soil moist... Having read and researched quite a few website including Singapore National Parks, what are your thoughts on wind, draught, air condition and enclosed (terrarium) factors? I have done everything the experts advised including self watering pots, terrariums closed and opened, don't change original pots, don't put in air conditioned room, mist daily, warer 2 times a week, water every day, put growing lights (blue lights of sorts) etc and still they died! I think I have killer thumb and not green thumb! Thank you for answerimg my question!
Omg thank you. I almost bought one today for cheap but I saw the dead leaves underneath and i changed my mind. The top did look nice and healthy and green. I’m going back to the store tomorrow to get it. Thanks so much!
I have been watching this over and over again...he almost makes me believe I can actually keep a maidenhair alive lol
I had a maiden fern once...she was happy with me and thrived...found myself having to move several times and she couldn't help it and went to plant heaven. I want that beautuful plant in my space again it's like home to me, plants are, gonna give it a go again deciding carefully I want us to survive....to say I love nature is all I need to say
try it again 🥹
Thanks so much for not indulging in small talk. When I go to a plant care video I just want to hear the facts about what to do, and YOU are excellent! Very informative without rambling on about other things! I had a maidenhair before, and almost decided never to buy another, but I bought a beautiful and full Maidenhair and have hope now that it can survive. Thanks again!
The first video on maidenhair ferns without mentioning the word "diva"
That perspective is so overplayed.
@@HousePlantJournal Oh you give me hope! I was beginning to think it is a diva. I've been struggling with mine.
My mum has one that’s been thriving for 20 years :)
She chops the whole plant off at end of every year , leaving just the spiky black stalks sticking out of the soil. Everytime it grows back bigger and lusher, and there’s no dying leafs on it at all because she chops it herself.
Is it indoors or outdoors??
@@dawnmcfarland7011 she has it in her conservatory? I think that’s what’s called!
But before she just had it in her kitchen back at home country. She brought her plant all the way to the uk 😅😂 I would have never managed to keep it alive
I've been growing maidenhair and other ferns since I was about 10. My late Father brought me home some from the bush, and I was so excited to have my own little fern garden just like mum and Dad.
I'm 48 now and these are the one plant I enjoy growing the most.
The trick is to keep their feet wet. I keep mine in hanging baskets where the snails can't get them. I feed them with a very weak feed of liquid fertiliser every month. I also throw a couple of handfuls of dynamic lifter into a large watering can and fill it with rainwater and let it steep for a day or two.. that really works well for the ferns as well.
I also often turn my baskets around too, so they grow evenly around the pot and not to one side.
When I know it's going to be either windy or hot, every one of my ferns come straight inside and I sit them in my bathtub untill it's over.
It's a constant watch and up keep, but it's well worth the effort! 🪴🌿💚
This guy's voice is so calm and reassuring, I feel like I won't kill another plant with my black thumb of death. I just got a Maiden Hair Fern I look forward to seeing it grow and spore. 🪴🤗
I find maidenhair ferns very easy to grow from spores. I once had a maidenhair that had gotten too dry and died, but many of the dried leaves had spores on them. I made a terrarium out of an old 2 1/2 gallon aquarium and shook out the dry spore bearing fronds into it . The soil was kept well moistened and the top covered with plastic wrap. In about a month, the soil was covered with hundreds of prothalli. These are the gametophyte generation. These are not the plants you want. If you keep them moist, they will reproduce and the next generation will be the sporophytes that will produce the rhizomes and fronds that most people think of as ferns. After a while you will see fronds growing out of the prothalli. These are the sporophyte plants that you want. when the fronds were about two inches tall, I divided them up into individual plants. If I had had room enough, I could have raised hundreds of plants, but I only kept about three or four. One thing I learned from the experience was that you must keep maidenhair ferns constantly moist. Once the pot becomes dried out, the chance of the plant recovering is less than 2%
I recently bought a new plant and am experimenting with growing it in a wick watering system. It's only been a week, but it seems to be working.
Would love an update! I totally forgot I tried wick as well with my money tree. It worked for a while but then something started happening to it so I took it out. Id love to try it again with my maidenhair 🤔
@@DejaDrewit The maidenhair turned out to be a failure. I succeeded until I repotted into a five inch pot, but the wick I was using became clogged somehow and the pot dried out. I replaced the wick with a length of paracord, and set up a couple more wick fed pots with rabbit's foot ferns which are doing well. I am also experimenting with Venus flytraps and an African violet. With the Venus flytraps I am using a mineral free potting medium and RO/DI water, since these plants cannot stand being fertilized. I was able to keep one flytrap going since last summer, including a three month stay in my refrigerator to stimulate dormancy. I just repotted it and a couple new ones I picked up at Walmart, and they seem to be having a little trouble adjusting to my new soil mix, so it's a little too soon to predict results.
As a general rule, I would only recommend wick watering for plants that need a continuously moist soil. Most house -plants prefer that the soil dry out between waterings.
@@emmitstewart1921 I use self watering pots as a guarantee to being an sometimes absent minded plant parent who might not remember to water….
@@CrossCultural-c7f What works for you is good for you. I use a different system. Mine starts with an ordinary pot filled with a fast-draining soil mixture. a wick comes out through one of the drainage holes. This sits on top of a reservoir with two holes in the lid. One hole is near the edge where I refill the reservoir, the other hole is closer to center and the wick goes down through it. My reservoir is made from the transparent containers used by delis to serve foods. These allow me to instantly see how much water is in the reservoir.
I learned this method from a person who grows African violets for show. He has hundreds of violets, and if he neglects their watering his plants soon show the effects.
My experiment with the maidenhair fern failed because the yarn wick got clogged with algae and wouldn't carry enough water to keep the pot soil damp. I replaced it with a wick made from Black parachute cord. The black outer layer prevents algae growing on the interior fibers.
I now have Two rabbits foot ferns, three Venus Flytraps, two miniature roses, and one African violet growing on the system.
Years ago I belonged to a garden club in the Dallas area. One of our members had a small greenhouse, and like me, she loved maidenhair ferns, and had many of them. She successfully propagated them using bricks which she put in clear plastic shoeboxes filled with rainwater, thereby keeping the surface constantly moist. I’ve forgotten the exact details, but somehow the plants will naturally shed their spores on the back of the leaves, and the tiny spores would fall down onto the damp bricks. There would first be a sort of algae that would grow and then out of them would spring the baby maidenhair plants.
I’ve never owned a live plant. I bought this type of plant from a store with NO indication on what type of plant it was or how to care for it. It began dying within days. I thought it was because of direct sunlight so I moved it...with no improvement. I was watering regularly, but now I know it wasn’t enough. I’ve kept up watering daily now and there are several dozen new fronds growing in. Thanks!
Yay!
i put mine on rocks, and mist it daily, that seems to do the trick, i have kiled a few, ferns are not an easy plant, you sure picked a hard one haha
That's a problem for many beginners. they often buy plants without knowing where they come from with poor results. Maidenhair ferns live in deeply shaded spots in forests where only filtered light penetrates, and, as a result, the soil never dries out completely. By the same token, the tree roots quickly absorb any excess water, so this leaves them in soil that is constantly moist, but never wet. By coincidence, the same applies to African Violets.
Your first instinct, to move them out of the sun was correct. The second, to increase water, was also correct. I hope that your plant is still doing well.
Here is some advice for other beginners. When you find a plant you like, the first thing you want to do is to identify it. Don't settle for the common name. sometimes you will find the same common name is applied to as many as ten or more totally different plants. Research until you get the scientific name. Then go online and search that species. Google, Wikipedia, and You tube are excellent resources for this. Usually, you can easily find other growers who can tell you what treatments that have been successful for them. Lacking that, you can find descriptions of its natural habitat and deduce its needs from that.
Most of all, don't give up because one or two plants fail. There are over a million species of plants living on planet Earth. Thousands of them would find conditions on your windowsill just perfect. All you have to do is find one of them.
About how much water daily?
I have a small maiden hair fern. It wasn’t doing well, until I watched your video. I stopped misting and cut off the dried up fronds. I check the soil every other day and moved to a west window. It is doing SO much better!
Hi i had to come back to this video. I bought my beautiful fern at a garden centre. Without proper advice I kept it in direct sunlight and watered every other day. This plant very quickly let me know its on the decline. I decided i was going to try and save it. After doing some research alot of stuff about it being difficult and temperamental n fussy ...i was nervous n had low hopes of saving this. Your video was helpful and gave me confidence that I can do this. Im so happy to report that since i watched ur video a week ago my beautiful plant has 8 new curly fronds poking out the ground. I have such a connection to it and cant wait till shes lush and thriving again. You are a wonderful and motivating gardner.
I picked up one of these lil guys from a store recently. I already knew how to take care of it because I've done some research beforehand. tysm for making this video!!!
You should call your channel the "the plant doctor" You are such an expert. I've learned so much from your channel.
Haha, thank you very much! If you're on Instagram, I tend to write a lot more!
I love this maidenhair fern, we call it black bone fern (黑骨芒). I used to keep at least one in my sitting room consistently for 40 years!
If you grow maiden hairs in a hanging basket,they will shoot out underneath as well. Very rewarding. The basket will loose moisture at a faster rate. So more watering is required. I noticed more fronds grow out underneath than on top. This makes the plant ever more attractive. Until a virtual ball of fronds is created
That's fascinating!
Everytime i see videos like this i’m like: ‘omg that’s what the plant is supposed to look like?’. Mine has only got 6-10 branches left (it’s having a hard time), but it do be growing new ones since a few weeks 🙂🪴
I will confess. ...that I am a maidenhair killer I've killed over 30...... so sad😥🖤..... just yesterday I bought two more maidenhair ferns! I just saw your video so please send your prayers my way you want them to LIVE..... thank you in advance..😀💔😀
How are they doing now a year later?
Scrape the spores off with a sharp knife. Onto a growing medium eg sand in a tray. Cover the tray with a sheet of glass to conserve moisture. they will take after a while. The spores must be well developed
I have a 15 year old pot of maidenhair fern & will try to scrape spores off when I see well developed spores.
I’ve always kept it outside on a north facing porch in the hot humid Texas Gulf Coast weather in an interesting self watering pot that has a water reservoir that sits on top of the soil’s surface. I water it and the reservoir daily during the summer.
Earlier this year, my maiden hair fern dried out and I thought it was dead. I happened to see your video - so I cut off all the dead fronds and watered it - and it within a short time new fronds began to grow! It is full and lush and has tiny spores covering many of the fronds. It is by a north facing kitchen sink - in Alaska, so every day I lift the pot, and if its lighter, I will water it. Thank you for this video - if it wasn't for you, I probably would have thrown the whole thing away :)
I brought one back from the dead as well! I just crossed my fingers and now I have a lot of lovely fronds and also have seen the spores. She's a survivor!
My maidenhair fern hated anywhere with any amount of direct light. The leaves were always lightly crispy. lol So I moved it further away from my window where it has indirect light and it seems to be happier now. 💁🏾♀️
Clear and on point. Half of my fern is dead. Now I know the reason and solution. Thank you.
I love my maidenhair. I actually keep mine outside here in Louisiana and it loves it. Some people even use them in the landscape here. I've seen them as big as 3 foot tall and 4 foot wide, just like a shrub.
Plants are like people you have to strike a balance between the ideal conditions. Always observe the plant’s behaviour and provide the appropriate grooming of the plant by removing dead heads and keep the plant clear of them. I have grown a mini indoor forest in my living room of air purifiers successfully near a west facing glass door. I repotted whenever it was necessary and divided plants that needed to be split into two or more plants. It’s also important to choose the right plants for your environmental conditions. There’s also need to choose the right containers for each plant as well.
Wow, great explanation and scientific evidence to back up the explanation 🌿
I have just subscribed and am happy that I have. I have had a Maidenhair for many years now and it’s enjoying life. I dont panic if a frond or two dies off, I just remove them and the plant continues on. Your manner of speaking and explanation is very calming. Thank you.
Thanks for the video! I keep carnivorous plants and here in the sub-tropical South Africa, if you keep anything moist daily, voila! You have spores from who knows where turning into lovely ferns. Experimenting with spores is fun but you need to be patient with them - they take a lot of time to develop through all the stages. Months of care(mostly spraying or watering daily) will reward you greatly. I have a long pot with Sphagnum Moss I keep moist on a tray with water, leaving the fern leaves with spores facing down. You could keep the tray filled with water and close the top with clingwrap if you dont want to water daily or dont have time, this could stretch watering to weekly. Hope this info helps if you want to try propagating ferns through spores, or save your fern's offspring!!!
This video and the comments below helped me alot, thanks! Excited to start taking care of my newly adopted maidenhair fern 🌱
thank you for the tips!! my maiden hair was doing "poorly" after months of doing well, but now I'm not going to stress so much! Just keep it watered and let it go through the process. Thanks dude! (also followed on IG!)
You're very welcome! Happy growing!
Thank you! I'd been feeling like a horrible mom to my maidenhair fern, but now I understand.
Thank you!!! I thought the spores were a sign of sickness. So glad to know it's the opposite!
Me too!
I use a self-watering pot and still have to fill the reservoir every 2-3 days! These are very thirsty plants. But I love them so much I'm willing to put up with them. I live in very low humidity.
you definitely take as good of care of your skin as you do your plants...drop your skincare routine?
just got this plant and now i feel confident keeping it alive- thank you for making this video!
I love maidenhair, bought so many and killed so many, managed to keep one for many years, not good as yours. After watching your video, I moved it to balcony, in two weeks, notice lots of shoots, very happy.
Thank you!!!!
I have never had any problems with maidenhairs in temperate climates. Always watched breezes as these can be drying. I agree with your general comments. Re humidity...I now live in the tropics and humidity is high. But sadly I am having problems growing them. Totally confused atm.
I found some maidenhair fern randomly growing in my garden😳 now trying to find out how to care for it, thanks for the advice.
Just leave it, if it grew there you shouldnt touch it, nature knows its way
Lovely and informative video. Have you ever tried converting from soil to leca? I’ve just started recently began doing that in the last couple of months and my ferns have responded beautifully. No guessing about when to water which is a definite win with ferns.
I have been underwatering!! This video has been a great help, thank you!
I just got a Maidenhair and it is so lovely, I found this video really great and I will be watching more of your vids! keep up the amazing work! :DD
followed the insta aswell
I feel relieved! My maiden hair fern very suddenly went crispy when I repotted it, at least I know it has a chance to regrow.
Thank you for your video! I live in Scotland where humidity is usually high because it rains very often but not always during the summer. I was worried about my fern because I noticed some dead leaves and I thought I did something wrong. Now I know there is no reason to panic. Thanks again! By the way, you have beautiful eyes!
This is interesting. I’ve always heard people say to increase the humidity around plants that like high humidity. But it does make sense that a high humidity loving plant would take up more water from its soil. I have always had ferns die on me because they’d get so dry and I thought I just couldn’t keep the humidity high enough, but now I see it was probably the soil too. I’ll have to give them another try now. Thanks for sharing this!
Literally my maidenhair have been my least problematic houseplants ever. They’re chill and make my space look beautiful and lush and I barely do anything for them. No extra humidity, not even that much water (bi-weekly watering), bright/low bright indirect light, very basic care. When I was new to houseplants, I nearly killed one, it lost all its fronds. I moved the plant into brighter light, changed the pot and waited. The stump just reshot and a few years later, she’s still thriving. Actually,, 3 of my first plants were maidenhairs, and they’re still all with me (one is exceptionally huge haha). I think they’re actually a super good beginner plant, mainly for their ability to just bounce back from stress so well (like other ferns, though maidenhairs seem to be particularly good at this)!
After watching your video, I am definitely confident my maidenhair fern will survive. 😁 Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Because of you, I've enjoyed watching my plants grow and not panic. I love your book!!! Thank you!!!
Great to the point video 💖 just got one today :) thanks for the help !!!!!!!
The voice of reason ;) - if I had a dollar for every time I have told people that they are believing in fallacies and being overly dramatic regarding humidity and continuous water, I would be a Millionaire. Maidenhair ferns are so incredibly not difficult or complicated, they simply need continuous moisture at the root system, and to be kept away from intense direct summer sun for more than 4 hours at a time. I love these plants. I feel that they love me too.
Thanks! I saw them growing off the side of a Rocky cliff in Taiwan between some buildings - so resilient!
Hey i have a maiden hair fern. I water regulary when the soul is dry and i went away for two days and came home and found my ferm frons complete dry and crispy. Shit what have i done .
Thats because any plant grows easy outdoors. The challenge is keeping them alive in a pot indoors. I water mine heavy and drain once per week. I stuff moss around the topsoil to keep moist. Success
You have no idea how much this video meant to me. I was slowly giving up on plants, because all the drama around it gave me so much stress. And that couldn't be right, right? I have always loved maidenhair ferns, but was too scared to buy it, assuming it would die. Thanks to your video I bought one over a month ago, and I'm dumbfounded how easy these are to take care of! I just lift up the pot, when it gets lighter I put it in a bowl of water and let it drink. So easy! It has almost doubled in size since I got it
I was totally underwatering. This video was PERFECT. Thank you!!!
Well, I found a “southern” maidenhair today, my first one ever because I’m finally brave enough thanks to this video. May the odds be ever in my favor, lol.
what a wonderful way to share information about this plant! straight and to the point, so refreshing. thanks!
Very informative! I want to see the shower fern. 😊
This video was excellent. So clear, with explanations. Subscribed. Thanks, so useful and helpful.👍👍🌱
Thank you! Thank you! Difficult to grow but not impossible. Lots of great advice and I learned sooooo sooooooooo muchooooo. Again! Thank you
I’ll never quit trying with this plant because they are so pretty. Some times are more successful than others, but I feel like most of us plant parents lose a few😢
Same here. I am unwilling to give up on this one!
I, too, will not give up!
thank you for concise helpful info. im going to give a maiden hair fern another try after watching this. I too appreciate that you dont waffle or feel you need to "entertain". Excellent. I have now subscribed.
Thank you for sharing your expertise. Your fern looks so healthy. Happy Gardening 2021!
I have a very green thumb, but I have killed every maidenhair fern... and they’re my favorite!!! Thank you for these tips!
So many people are wannabe gardeners these days, but they think plants live forever & never drop leaves. I’ve been doing this since before quarantine, lol. I’m 38 and been doing it since I was 19.. That’s not a flex, but I just know what natural browning is, and what new growth looks like, as you said! And that quote you said about knowing the difference between new growth and dead? Amen. 🙏🏼 👏🏽 Most important thing.
And with succulents, or any plant for that matter really, people freak out so easily. They think it’s sunburned, it’s wilted, it’s receiving too little sun, whatever. So…fix it? Jk 😂 “It’s gonna die” is their main phrase to me! Yet they don’t look at the crown or the core of the plant, at the new leaves on their way, or just barely coming up. As long as new growth is healthy and coming, just get rid of the old stuff, snip it off and let the plant dedicate more energy on the new stuff…
Along those lines, I don’t let certain succulents bloom, or not unless it’s the end of summer I should say, because I know it’s gonna die right after the blooms are spent, plus it’s also gonna take all the energy from the plant. With ferns those dead leaves attract pests and also weigh down the overall plant. I love that about ferns, how simply pruning them usually exposes a bunch of tiny new fiddleheads.
I'm in love with these.. The way they look is just so pleasant and peaceful to look at!
I bought this plant without even knowing how is it called and it’s so dry that I panicked and then I found your video . I hope I can take good care of her now because it’s so beautiful 😻
Thank you so much for the information I just bought two maiden hair ferns. I get why the victorians were crazy about them.
Thank you!! You have given me a whole new perspective on fern care in general. I mistakenly thought higher humidity would eliminate my ferns eventually dying off but I now understand it’s all about the watering. If your ferns survive 30% humidity in winter, proper watering must indeed be the cure. So impressed I’m ordering your book!
I was looking for maidenhair fern care tips and ur channel popped up. What makes the video more enticing to watch is that you have a very nice voice.
I love the way you explain things. Thanks
This is so helpful, I have been doing some things ok on instinct but I was panicking about humidity because my bathroom just never gets that humid, so knowing I can just water it more is so relieving thank you
Very informative and a great help, thank you sir! Just subscribed.
Wow, that's incredible....I've been running 3 humidifiers all winter trying to keep everyone happy.
Thanks for your advice. And you have a very pleasant voice!
I planted my first one in a big pot with a Hoya carnosa in it in my west facing conservatory with no direct sun. I have automatic watering for the pot, but the soil does get dry sometimes in the summer. I just cut it back, give it a soak and back it comes. It has put up with draughts, high heat and near freezing temperatures in the winter. I also have one in the bathroom, no sun at all and the Venetian blinds are usually down. As long as I give it half a mug of water when I brush my teeth it looks great, and I just break off any fronds that are turning yellow/brown. I must have the idiot proof variety, as I haven’t managed to kill any, in fact they have jumped ship to a nearby pot too!
Thanks for sharing extra special advice!
Very helpful. Thank you. I will rescue my sad fern with your advice..
I planted the spores. Took almost a year but I have a new full plant! ❤
i think these plants are so stunning
You are so nice and so sensible and that's the best maidenhair I've seen for some time. Blessings and thank you for your help.
OMGoodness I love you! You cleared up so much that I am looking forward to finally getting a Maidenhair Fern to try my hand at it again. I LOVE the plant and my heart was sore when the first one I owned 'died' and I concluded that my space does not provide the right conditions for it. I'm thrilled to know my dream of this plant gracing my home is not dead afteral. Thank you, Daryl!💕
Thankyou Darryl.
A Wonderful Info. Video.
I am Housesitting at the moment.
And your Information might just Save the Day.
My maidenhair lives on my bathroom sink. When we first brought it home it wasn’t doing so well in our living room due to cold drafts and low light. It’s been thriving ever since the move
I'm so glad I saw this video so many other videos made it sound like you had to fuss over this plant or it would die.
Thank you for this. Just found your channel. My maiden's hair fern was one of the first houseplants I ever got. I didn't know it was meant to be difficult. I just thought it was pretty. I keep it wet and move it around and it seems as happy as can be! Looking forward to checking out more of your videos.
So happy to find your video on maidenhair ferns! This is my favorite fern..I'm trying to raise mine back from the dead. It was quite helpful just to actually see how much water you gave your plant @ the sink. I love your quiet calm teaching voice..ty!💚
Thanks for your video. I have a big one and find them easy to grow. Mine loves growing in a north window with a small grow light. I never let it dry out.
I got one of these in January, it was tiny, I thought it would be really hard to take care of, I placed it in my kitchen and misted it every couple of days, it got some light morning sun too and now with warmer temperatures here in Ireland it's growing like crazy!
Very informative video.Thanks for sharing...True nature lovers plant this variety of ferns in their garden...I have one,I had brought it from mountains ,with proper care ,humidity it survived...but its leaves are small....Could you please suggest any furtiliser for fern..🌾🌿🌾🌿🌾🌿
This is a great video. Thank you for not only explaining what to do but why to do it.
Beautiful! I don’t trust myself with a maidenhair yet as I’m a new plant parent (yes, I have your book. 🌿🌱😊). I love that you bring up that humidity isn’t the important factor in caring for plants that are known for needing high humidity. I never understood why humidity would affect a plant when they don’t take water in through the air (other than air plants of course). As long as you stay on top of watering, your plant can still thrive in low humidity. I am curious though about your opinion on whether you can over water a maidenhair. I’ve heard of people letting their maidenhair adapt to sitting in a water at all times (direct contact between soil and water) without issue, but I so often see people say that would cause root rot in maidenhair ferns. How can it be fine for some when others say it would essentially drown the plant?
Really useful tips...I love Maiden hair fearn and I have.Thank you so much....🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
This is exactly what I need to learn! I thought I was doing something wrong
I’m trying a maidenhair fern for the 3rd time & it’s been alive a couple weeks now lol 🤞🏼
This is the best video on maiden hair fern, I have watched a lot and this explains everything I was wondering about... hope it works with mine.
best video on the maidenhair I've seen so far thankyou! straight to the point and clear information, my maidenhair just isn't filling out at all, I hope your tips will help her grow :)
Thank you! I'm so glad you found it helpful!
thank you so much !!! i was literally crying because i saw some crispy leaves but i think she just need a big drink and more light !
Thanks, very helpful. I have always had a problem with them, because I underwater after years of not knowing what root rot is, so now I'm afraid to water my plants LOL I got another one, started getting all brown. I put it outside in the shade and humidity, I'm in Florida, so maybe it will pull through!
Thanks, i got a baby maidenhair fern , this vid helped alot
Excellent advice! Thanks for the tips. I've recently bought a maidenhair fern that was languishing in a shop looking half dead. Hopefully in a few weeks time it'll look like a different plant
Maidenhair fern fronds re-grow quite surprisingly with good soil moisture. Good luck!
Thank you for this video! My hubby bought me a tiny maidenhair fern for Mother's Day and I am used to Pothos and snake plants :) Good info.
Dear Darryl, thank you for the informative video. There is hope for me yet after killing more than a few pots!! 😢
You mentioned quite a bit on humidity and keeping soil moist... Having read and researched quite a few website including Singapore National Parks, what are your thoughts on wind, draught, air condition and enclosed (terrarium) factors? I have done everything the experts advised including self watering pots, terrariums closed and opened, don't change original pots, don't put in air conditioned room, mist daily, warer 2 times a week, water every day, put growing lights (blue lights of sorts) etc and still they died! I think I have killer thumb and not green thumb!
Thank you for answerimg my question!
Omg thank you. I almost bought one today for cheap but I saw the dead leaves underneath and i changed my mind. The top did look nice and healthy and green. I’m going back to the store tomorrow to get it. Thanks so much!
Great information and explained clearly. Thank you!
spoke like a true scientist. thanks for the clarifying notes
I was freaking out about frond loss. Thank you!