Ferns are generally quite easy to care for, so a dying fern must be undergoing a lot of stress to have a noticeable decline in its health.
The most common reasons your fern may be dying are too much water, not enough water, pests, light issues and too much fertilizer.
In this article, we discuss the different causes of death in ferns, and how to save them.
Why is my fern dying?
Too much water
One of the most common causes of a dying fern is overwatering. Like most plants, ferns do not like their soil to be waterlogged and this can lead their health to deteriorate.
Letting the plant’s roots sit in water causes root rot, which is what results in such rapid deterioration.
Ferns like their soil moist, but it should never be soggy. It can be difficult to find the right balance of soil moisture in the beginning, but the longer you care for your ferns, the more you will learn about their preferences and the easier it will become.
Giving a fern more water than it needs is only one factor that contributes to overwatering. If you water the plant more frequently than necessary, use poorly draining soil, or use a pot that does not have drainage holes at the bottom, you also increase the chances of overwatering.
Signs you should watch out for if you suspect overwatering include constantly wet soil that dries out very slowly, drooping fronds, yellowing fronds, the tips of the fronds turning brown, and the roots starting to rot and smelling like rotten vegetation.
You can avoid overwatering by ensuring that the pot your fern is planted in has drainage holes. This is so that even if you do accidentally overwater your fern, the excess water will simply flow out through the holes at the bottom.
Even if your pot does have drainage holes, it will be pointless if you use soil that does not drain well. Make sure you use well-draining soil so as not to retain too much moisture. Compact soil, such as clay, holds onto water and barely allows it to pass through, leading to drowned roots and, eventually, root rot.
Also make sure you water the fern less in the winter, because the cold weather and limited sunlight means the soil is slower to evaporate than in the spring and summer.
There is no strict watering schedule you need to follow; the key to figuring out your plant’s preferred watering schedule is to touch the soil. If the soil is still moist, wait one or two days and check the soil again before watering. If the soil is dry, you can water the plant.
Save your dying fern by inspecting its roots for signs of rot. Remove the plant from the pot and shake off as much soil as you can. If there are parts of the roots that are brown or black, those are rotten and you need to use a clean knife or a pair of scissors to cut them off. Spray the remaining healthy roots with a fungicide and let the plant air-dry on a tray, covered with a paper towel. The plant will dry out after a couple of hours, after which you can replant it using new, well-draining soil. You can reuse the old pot, but make sure you wash and sterilize it first and that it has sufficient drainage.
Not enough water
If the soil in the fern’s pot is almost always dry, you are most probably underwatering it. Dry soil will become compact and the top layer may even shrink and become crusted. If you cannot remember the last time you watered your plant, you are likely neglecting your watering duties.
Although the effects of underwatering do not damage the plant as fast as those of overwatering, this does not mean it cannot ultimately cause your plant to die.
The symptoms of overwatering are dried-up fallen leaves around your plant, inability on your part to remember the last time it was watered, and soil that is dry to the touch.
The fern’s fronds will dry up first, and when they do, they cannot be salvaged. However, if there is even one healthy frond left alive on your plant, you can still save it.
Save your underwatered fern by removing all the dead leaves. If there are fronds that are half-dead and half-dry, just trim those.
Water the plant generously by soaking all the soil in the pot so that all of the roots get water. Keep pouring until you can see the excess water flowing out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
Pests
A few pests may not inflict much noticeable damage, but a larger infestation can take a toll on the overall well-being of your fern.
Check your fern for pests every time you water it. Look at the undersides of the fronds. Some pests may be harder to spot than others, so use a magnifying glass if you need to.
Symptoms of a pest infestation include stunted growth, yellowing or damaged leaves, and pests on the plant and soil.
Fungus gnats are one of the most common pests found on ferns. They might not be able to kill the fern by themselves, but if they attack an already diseased and vulnerable plant, it just might be fatal. The larvae of these gnats attack the fern’s roots, and the adults can be seen flying around the plant. Get rid of fungus gnats by using yellow sticky traps to control and eliminate their population.
Spider mites are another pest that attacks ferns. The infestation is hard to catch in its early stages because of the mites’ tiny size, but be on the lookout for their signature webbing on the leaves. Knock the spider mites off of the plant by spraying them with a stream of water from your garden hose. If they persist, you can use neem oil as a topical fix to kill the insects.
Light issues
Another reason your fern might be looking sickly is if it is not getting enough light. In its natural habitat, ferns live in rainforests where they only get some bright, indirect light that passes through the canopy of trees. If you put the plant in an area that is too dark, it will grow poorly. Give the plant morning light or filtered afternoon sun.
Conclusion
Ferns are very hardy plants that can tolerate just about any environmental extreme for a certain time, but that does not mean you can just neglect them.
The symptoms of a dying fern are drooping fronds, yellowing and dried-up leaves, and a general lack of vigor.
The most common reasons for a fern dying include overwatering, underwatering, pests and light issues. Being able to correctly identify the root cause of the plant’s declining health is the first step in effectively solving the problem.
Image: istockphoto.com / Vera Aksionava