I used to kill every fern I brought home, but a tip from a nursery worker changed that
For years, I thought my apartment was just too dry for ferns, and I watched maybe five Boston ferns slowly turn brown and crispy. I'd water them when the top soil felt dry, which was about twice a week. Then, last spring at Green Thumb Nursery in Tacoma, a worker saw me looking at a new fern and asked if I'd ever tried the saucer method. She told me to keep the plant pot in a dish with a half inch of water at all times, letting the roots drink up what they need. I was skeptical but tried it with a small maidenhair fern. It's been six months now, and that fern is the greenest, happiest plant I own. The constant moisture mimics the damp forest floor they naturally grow in. Has anyone else found a simple trick that finally made a difficult plant thrive for them?