Do you know How To Make Boston Fern Bushier And Fuller? Follow these secrets, and your Boston Fern will steal the show!
Boston Fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata) is an epiphytic perennial that thrives in tropical climates in warmth and humidity. A perfect houseplant with lush, feathery fronds, it looks best when fluffy and free-flowing. So, here’s how to make a Boston Fern bushier and fuller!
How To Make Boston Fern Bushier And Fuller
1. Strategic Pruning
If your fern grows unruly and chaotic, carefully cut and remove dried and wilted fronds closer to the base to make it tidy again. Removing these fronds will redirect the plant’s energy to fresh growth while fluffing its appearance. However, be careful when doing this; don’t damage the crown.
Boston ferns recover quickly from light pruning—ensure you have sharp, sterilized scissors or pruning shears to prevent infection.
2. These Ferns Love Humidity
Boston ferns are native to tropical America and thrive in the warmth and humidity of USDA zones 10-12.
They enjoy 60-80% humidity levels for lush and fuller growth and anything below 50% can reduce their appearance. If the fronds get crispy and the plant starts losing color, it’s time to fix humidity—here’s how you do it!
Use a water tray filled with pebbles to moisten the air and place your potted Boston fern on it, ensuring that the plant’s bottom does not touch the water directly.
You can also use a small humidifier to precisely reach the plant’s sweet spot of humidity. Here are a few other ways to keep the fronds from drying out.
3. Keep it in Filtered Sunshine
In the wild, Boston ferns grow in filtered sunshine under thick forest canopies. So, find a spot indoors that mimics these light conditions, such as an east-facing windowsill. Your fern will flourish in bright daylight but burn and dry out in direct sunlight.
No matter where you keep it, if the sunlight can get intense there, mellow it out with sheer curtains and screens.
Tip: Plants tend to grow towards the source of light. Rotate your fern a quarter-turn every other week so all parts get sunny nourishment and get bushy equally.
4. Multiple Ferns in One Pot
This is another trick to make your Boston fern bushy and fuller quickly. You can grow multiple ferns in a single pot—no one can tell the difference! Just get a big enough container, around 12 inches, with ample space for 2-3 ferns.
If you’ve got a fern that is producing runners, you can plant 3-4 of them together instead of new plants.
Boston ferns don’t like getting stuffy and crowded; they prefer ample space and airflow to push out their fountainous fronds. So ensure the ferns are evenly spaced out and not suffocating in there.
Now that you’ve got your spacing right, grouping ferns creates a more densely planted arrangement that fills the pot and promotes overlapping fronds soon enough.
Go with hanging baskets to get bouncy, overflowing Boston ferns! And check out these care tips for your ferns.
5. Fertilize This Way
It isn’t a heavy feeder but may benefit from a mild liquid fertilizer with a balanced NPK ratio diluted to half of its recommended strength every 4 weeks during spring, summer, and early fall when it actively grows.
Since this plant is all about the foliage, a nitrogen-rich feed will push healthy, robust fronds. You can also use Epsom salt to boost growth quickly. Here’s more info about it!
Note: Stop fertilizing and reduce watering in the cold season, around late fall and winter, as the plant prepares for semi-dormancy. To overwinter it, maintain your typical warm room temperature and humidity.
6. Always Avoid Hard Water
Boston ferns grow best in rich, well-draining, loamy soil with a slightly acidic pH of 5-6.5. One of the biggest secrets to making Boston ferns lush is never saturating them with hard water, as hard water is alkaline, which can make the soil less acidic over time and increase water spots on the fronds.
7. Use Mulching
Mulching helps replicate the natural leaf litter that ferns experience in the wild. This provides nutrients and maintains soil moisture. Boston ferns are sensitive to inconsistent watering and temperature fluctuations; mulching helps keep things consistent.
Use a thin layer of organic mulch comprising dried-up fallen leaves, leaf mold, shredded bark, or pine needles around the base of your Boston fern, especially when it is growing in ample light in a semi-outdoor or outdoor spots.
The mulch will gradually decompose and enrich the soil, giving you a bushier, bouncier, and fuller Boston Fern!
Tip: Avoid piling mulch directly against the plant’s crown to prevent rot.
8. Groom Their Undersides
You may not notice it until you pick your plant up or move the upper leaves out of the way, but dust and plant debris often collect under the fronds of these ferns, blocking the tiny pores (stomata) for air exchange. This can affect your plant’s ability to photosynthesize.
To care for your Boston fern and help it grow well, grab a soft-bristled brush or a damp cloth and gently clean the undersides of fronds, and remove the clutter.
Once every couple of weeks is fine. Just make sure you don’t do it with too much pressure, or you’ll damage the fronds.
9. Feed them with Rainwater
Whenever you see a light drizzle, let your Boston fern take a quick rainwater shower. This will make it happy and green! If you can’t do this, collect the rainwater, spray the fronds later, and water as usual with it.
Rainwater contains nitrogen in the form of ammonium and nitrates, which is the most essential form of nutrient for your fern. Besides that, being in the rain mimics their natural growing condition.
