Rant: My fern experiment at the community garden went totally wrong

I tried to propagate 30 Boston fern cuttings at the Elm Street garden last spring, but I forgot to check the soil drainage after that big rain. Everything got waterlogged and turned yellow within 3 days. I ended up saving maybe 10 by repotting them in perlite mix and moving them under the oak tree. Has anyone else lost a batch of cuttings to something that simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark6763d ago

You know what, I bet it wasn't just the drainage. I killed a bunch of cuttings last year and I think the real problem was the fern fronds themselves. Those Boston fern fronds are super sensitive to direct sunlight after being cut. You probably had them in full sun even for an hour and that shock plus the wet roots was a double whammy. I moved mine to 100% shade under a pine tree and they bounced back way better than the ones I kept in partial sun. The oak tree you used is good but if it was a young oak with not much canopy that might still be too bright. Also check if you cut the fronds at a 45 degree angle or just hacked them straight across. That little detail made a huge difference for me.

black.amy2d ago

Oh nah the 45 degree thing only really matters for woody plants like roses or shrubs so they don't collect water on the cut end. Ferns are soft tissue, you could cut em with scissors at any angle and they'd be fine honestly. I think the real issue with yours was probably that pine tree location. Pine trees drop a lot of acid into the soil over time and Boston ferns like a more neutral pH. If any pine needles or bark got mixed into your potting medium that could've messed with the roots just as much as the sun thing.