Can we talk about reviving a fern with a plastic bag?

My Boston fern in the living room got super crispy last month, like 80% brown fronds. I was ready to toss it but my neighbor said to put the whole pot inside a clear plastic bag for a week. I did it, kept it in indirect light, and it actually worked. New green shoots are coming up now. Has anyone else saved a plant with this humidity trick?

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blair_allen5mo ago

Okay the "super crispy" part got me. I was picturing you trying to crumble your fern into a salad. That plastic bag trick is basically putting your plant in timeout to think about what it's done. It works because the plant gets so embarrassed by the whole situation it decides to live again. Honestly though, I'm just impressed you had a bag big enough for the whole pot.

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the_max5mo ago

Totally saved a snake plant that way. Mine was just sad, like three yellow leaves and the soil felt like dust. I stuck it in a grocery bag, tied it loose, and forgot it on the washer for two weeks. Opened it up and there were these tiny, hard new points poking out of the dirt. It's all about that trapped moisture, like a mini greenhouse for your almost dead plant.

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terry_bailey353mo ago

Noticed the same thing with a pothos I nearly killed last winter. I read somewhere that plants release ethylene gas when they're stressed, and a plastic bag traps that gas which somehow tricks them into thinking spring came early. @blair_allen you nailed it about the plant timeout, I think they get all grumpy then give up and decide to live again. The bag thing works better than those fancy humidity domes I see people buying online, just old school grocery bag and a rubber band does the trick.

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