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Boston fern leaves, also known as Bostonencies is a great houseplant! It can grow as tall as 7 feet if given proper care in its natural habitat.
It has long, graceful fronds with tiny leaves; although it is a tough plant, it is easy to propagate and has a high tolerance for dry conditions and light.
It is an easy to trouble-free plant, but sometimes you might face some problems you face in all houseplants.
Mealybugs, scales, and slugs are all a part of the problem when you grow houseplants. It is a non-flowering plant whose native areas are in tropical regions of America, Polynesia, and Africa.
Giving your Boston fern the proper care it requires will guarantee you a beautiful houseplant that will make you proud!
Let us learn more about Boston fern leaves!
Why is Your Boston Fern Leaves Curling?
Water
Boston fern leaves like a bunch of water, but they like it if the water drains quickly out of the soil. If your Boston leaves start curling, make sure to check the soil’s moisture.
The soil should be moist all above till the plants’ stem. However, the moisture should not sit at the bottom or in the middle.
A well-draining soil mixture is what you should use, and water it every other day, so the water drains out from the bottom of the pot to avoid the plant from becoming too saturated.
We have an article on how to grow your ferns in water that you may find interesting.
Humidity
Dry air can make the Boston fern leaves curl since the plant strives in humid weather.
This is a common issue faced by indoor plants and hence try to water the plant with a mist spray a couple of times during the day during summers and once a day during winters if the leaves look dry and wilted.
Fertilization
If your plant is low on nutrients, it can quickly wilt and die. Make sure to fertilize your fern once a month during their active growth period, which can be throughout the year for indoor plants.
For outdoors, it is from late spring to mid-fall. Mix half the recommended amount of fertilizer with water and pour it around the base of your plants.
It will get the needed nutrition boost it needs if your Boston fern leaves are curling.
Light and Temperature
Keep your Boston fern leaves where they can get sunlight but not directly.
If you grow it indoors, try placing it near a window sill where light sunlight passes through or place it north-facing where it can get light sunlight throughout the day.
If you grow your Boston fern, leave it outdoors, try placing it under a tree where it will get sunlight, and be more shaded from the harsh sunlight during summers.
The main reason your Boston leaves curling is that it is getting too much or too little sunlight.
If you are enjoying this article, check out our article on what are the benefits of a Boston fern.
How to Stop Your Boston Fern Leaves Curling?
The main reasons why your Boston fern leaves might be curling is the age of the leaves, watering, humidity and over fertilizing.
Although these reasons are generally something not to worry about, it is best to look into why your Boston fern leaves curling and what you can do to avoid this problem.
Some reasons include:
Age of Leaves
Sometimes, your leaves’ age is the reason why your Boston fern is curling.
So if that is the reason why your Boston fern leaves are curling, then don’t worry.
Just redirect the strong and thin stolons of the plant so Boston fern can produce new leaves.
Watering
Boston fern leaves need plenty of water, so if you are not giving them enough water, you might want to start giving them more water now to avoid the curling of your Boston fern leaves.
Humidity
Boston fern leaves are plants that rely on high humidity to survive, and if you are growing this plant indoors, then there might be a lack of humidity.
If that is why your leaves’ curling, then misting it a little some times during the day will help you get rid of this problem and keep the humidity high.
We have an article on what is the ideal humidity for a Boston fern.
Over-Fertilizing
Boston Fern leaves do not require a lot of fertilization. If you are fertilizing them regularly, then all the unused nutrients build up in the soil.
Since this plant does require fertilization more than once a month, even during heavy growth, this might affect your Boston fern leaves’ growth.
The solution to this problem is to flush the soil repeatedly to eliminate any excess fertilizers in your plant.
Boston Fern Leaves Turning Brown
Boston Fern leaves can turn brown for various reasons like poor soil, not proper drainage, too much light, or too much humidity.
It can also die if your cat chews on your plant’s leaves, they will certainly die or turn brown because of this reason.
Fertilizing it too frequently might also cause them to turn brown.
Let us look at all the reasons why your Boston fern leave might turn brown.
Temperature
During the day, the temperature should not be more than 18 degrees and at night not more than 35 degrees.
Water
It requires water but not too much. Water the soil just enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy to prevent the leaves from turning brown.
Light
Intense heat will turn your beautiful green fern leaves to brown. Avoid keeping your plant in direct sunlight and instead place them facing north to avoid harsh heat.
Humidity
Humidity plays an important role for Boston fern leaves. Misting your plant will prevent your leaves from turning brown, but it is a short-term solution.
Place a dish with water and place it on top of your plant to give it the required humidity amount.
Boston Fern Leaves Turning Yellow
Your leaves will turn yellow if the humidity is not high enough.
These plants love high humidity, and one of the main reason for them to turn yellow is that it is not getting enough humidity.
If you see your plant turning yellow, make sure to provide them with enough humidity they require to thrive and grow.
You may also like: How to save a dying staghorn fern
Boston Fern Falling Off
If your fern is losing its leaves, then look around your surroundings to see what is causing the plant to be unhappy?
Although it is nothing to worry about but make sure to rule out any other problems, your plant might be unhappy.
The most common reason for your Boston fern shedding its leaves is because it might not be getting adequate light and water.
If you expose your plant to direct sunlight, it might develop a sunburn, and the leaves will fall off.
They love sunlight; exposing them to sunlight for six hours a day is ideal for Boston Fern leaves.
Overwatering or underwatering the plant is also one cause for leaves dropping on your Boston fern, so keep the soil moist but not soggy if you want to avoid falling off your leaves.
If you are giving your plant enough water but they are still dehydrated, then it is time to repot the plant since it has outgrown its container.
Can you Cut The Dead Leaves of your Fern?
Ferns are of two types deciduous and evergreen. Whether you should cut the leaves or not depends on the type of plant, but even deciduous will lose its leaves each year at a certain time.
Deciduous leaves will fall in the late fall and winter months; new leaves emerge during spring. Evergreen ferns lose their leaves at the end of winter to make room for new leaves to grow.
If your Boston fern is deciduous, let the leaves fall naturally and wait till spring to prune the plant.
If you have an evergreen plant, cut the dead leaves at the end of the winter months to allow room for new leaves’ growth.
Use a pair of sharp scissors to tidy up the plant and remove dead leaves. The leaves will grow back, and the plant will produce new fonds if your Boston fern is happy.
Potting and Repotting
During spring, repot your plant into fresh compost even if your Boston fern hasn’t outgrown its previous pot.
It is also not necessary to move your plant in a bigger sized pot. Common signs that your plant needs to be repotted is its wilted leaves.
Failure to repot these plants can cause them to die, and it is a good way to speed up your plant’s growth and multiply its production.
Final Thoughts: How to Stop Your Boston Fern Leaves Curling?
Boston Fern leaves are great indoor plants. They are a little hard to take care of, but these plants will strive and thrive with the right knowledge and care in no time.
Make sure to give them the care they deserve by giving them an adequate amount of water, sunlight, fertilization, and humidity to help them grow.
Droopy or wilted leaves might be a sign of your plant not being happy in its environment, and it is essential to see what is causing your plant to be unhappy.
I hope you liked this article about Boston fern leaves and how to avoid certain problems attached to this plant.
Before you go, here are some more related articles I encourage you to read below to help solve more of your gardening issues:
Why Does Your Fern Smell Like Fish and How to Fix it
How to grow asparagus ferns from tubers
Boston Fern Light Requirements
How to Care for a Boston Fern Over Winter
Happy Gardening!
