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My ferns are turning brown on the ends. Leaves are falling off. I put them in the bathroom for the humidity but this just made ends turn brown even more. I water when the soil is almost dry. I am using fertilizer which has kept the plant green. What can I do and how long will it take for this plant to pep up with the right conditions? I wanted to use them in my wedding January first but that doesn't look like it's going to happen.
Boston Fern - Nephrolepis exaltata  |
Firstly, the Boston Fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata 'Bostoniensis') is a tropical plant, so, in order for it to succeed in our homes, we have to try and give it (as closely as possible) the same environmental conditions it would have growing in its native habitat. This is not to say that all Ferns growing in nature are perfect, absolutely not. In fact, the most beautiful specimens are found in greenhouses where temperature, watering, humidity and fertilizing are stringently controlled. Unfortunately, in most of our homes, the environment is less than perfect, so we can not always expect our plants to look absolutely perfect, no matter how hard we try. Although, in some homes there is that perfect spot where all the factors required for optimum growth and health of a particular plant exist, and it will simply flourish, even with neglect. On the other hand, there are homes where the necessary factors for a particular plant do not exist, in which case, it is best to choose a different plant altogether, one that will tolerate, or even thrive in that particular environment. This is not to say a Boston Fern will not flourish in your home, but, if the plant is constantly showing signs of stress, then it may be best to try growing a different plant under those conditions in the home.
To grow a healthy Boston Fern, the media must be well-drained but also contain ample amounts of organic matter such as peat moss so it will retain moisture. The soil must never be allowed to dry out, it must be kept constantly moist, so the number one problem with your plant may be found in your statement ('I water when the soil is almost dry'). However, the soil must never stay soggy wet as this condition can lead to root rot. Thoroughly water the plant as soon as the soils surface approaches dryness. Do not let the pot sit in the excess drainage water after watering the plant. Water the plant according to the environmental conditions surrounding the plant. For example, a plant will need to be watered less frequently when days are cool and cloudy, as compared to hot and sunny days. A plant growing in a very warm centrally heated room will need watering more often than a plant in a cool room. There is really no such thing as a regular watering schedule for any plant, it should only be watered when it needs watering.
The bathroom humidity is probably fine, as the Boston Fern needs a humid environment, but is the plant receiving adequate light and warmth? They thrive in a curtain-filtered window or artificial light of 300 to 400 footcandles. They must not have direct sun, nor heavy shade. A plant that gradually turns yellow and starts to die off needs more light, or the the air in the room is too warm. When the air is too warm, the fronds will start turning yellow from the base of the plant or the fronds will develop brown spots and fall.
They thrive in a temperature range of 60 degrees F at night and 70 degrees F during the day. If the daytime temperatures are higher, the air must be humid. A combination of dry air and dry soil will result in the fronds dying back. Yellowing fronds, or those with brown tips are the result of the air being too dry. It is important to keep the plant away from radiators and hot air registers as these plants can not tolerate hot dry air or overly warm conditons. The plant must not be subjected to cold drafts. If the fronds are being continually touched or handled, they will turn brown.
Over-fertilizing the Boston Fern, especially if the soil is too dry, will cause fronds to turn brown without fail. In most cases, the plant only needs to be fed twice a year, once in spring and once again in mid-summer, unless the plants fronds are showing the familiar pale green symptom in which case it may need an additional feeding. A balanced plant food such as 20-20-20 applied at half the manufacturer's recommended rate is usually sufficient. As long as the plant looks healthy and is growing, there is no need to fertilize it.
Browning fronds can be the result of a pot bound plant or a compacted soil. When the plant is watered, the water may not soak the entire root-ball if the soil is compacted, but merely drain away down the sides of the root-ball. With a pot-bound plant, the pot is so full of roots that the soil can not hold enough water at each watering to meet the plants demands, and the fronds will turn yellow or brown.
Another possible cause, although unlikely in this case, is damage from insect pests. Keep an eye open for spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, thrips and scale insects. If the plant is not too large, it is of great benefit to take it to the shower now and again and give it a washing with a gentle spray of tepid water to wash off any dust or insects that may have accumulated.
Finally, it is not uncommon for the odd mature frond to turn brown on the plant. Simply cut if off at the soil line and remove it. Brown leaflets can also be removed to improve the looks of the plant. It is best to remove the dead fronds close to the soil so the new fronds can grow up through the plant easier. In conclusion, the two most important factors in keeping a Boston Fern healthy and acitively growing are: 1. Never let the soil (media) dry out, and 2. always keep the surrounding air moist or humid. These rules apply to almost all the different kinds of ferns we grow as houseplants.
I have a Elephant Yucca plant indoors. Lately the leaves have been turning yellow and aren't as sturdy as before. They are becoming droopy. Is this the result of too little watering or too much watering. I appreciate your help. Thank you.
Spineless Yucca - Yucca elephantipes  |
As I have no way of knowing what is actually causing the leaves to turn yellow and droop on your Spineless Yucca (Yucca elephantipes), I hope you will be able to determine the cause of the problem from the information provided below.
Yellowing, wilting, or drooping leaves can be a direct result of either under-watering or over-watering the plant. The best way to water the plant is to thoroughly soak the soil and then do not water it again until the soil's surface is dry. The pot must never sit in the excess water that runs out of the containers drainage holes. The soil or medium must be one that is gritty and drains freely to prevent possible over-watering of the plant. In winter, if the room is quite cool, the plant must be watered even more sparingly as Yucca plants are very susceptible to stem and root rot diseases under cold, wet conditions.
If the soil is allowed to over-dry, the plant will not be able to absorb enough water, so the plants cells will loose turgor (the normal size or swelling of a cell caused by internal pressure of water taken in by the cell) due to transpiration, and thus, the leaves will wilt or droop. With prolonged dryness of the soil, some leaves (usually the lower older leaves, but not always) will quit functioning, turn yellow and die. This is natural. The older leaves are aborting in order that the younger leaves will recieve the water. The solution is to water the plant more frequently, so as not to allow the soil to over-dry.
If the plant is being over-watered, the same effect is taking place, but in a somewhat different manner. Firstly, a plants roots must have oxygen for both the roots and the plant to be healthy and survive. A good potting media should be porous (have little spaces between the soil particles), and ideally, half of the pores should be filled with water and the remaining half filled with oxygen (air). If a soil has poor structural content (has few pore spaces) and is kept constantly wet, the plants roots are harmed due to a build up of poisonous gases (carbon dioxide, etc) in the soil given off by the plants roots as they transpire. The damaged roots (many of which begin to decay) can no longer absorb enough water to meet the plants demands, and the same effect occurs as with an over- dry soil, the leaves turn yellow and droop. The difference here is that a plant that wilts from drought will bounch back if it is watered soon enough, whereas, an over-watered plant that suffers from root decay will only get worse and eventually collaspe (die) if it continues to be over-watered. The solution is to reduce watering! It may be necessary to check the plants root ball for decaying (mushy, brown, sometimes foul smelling) roots. If present, they should be cut back to healthy, white colored roots and the plant should be repotted in fresh, well-drained soil (media). Do not water the plant for at least two days so as to allow the root ends to callus. It is also important not to over-water the plant during the recovery period - it takes a while for the new roots to grow.
There could be other factors causing the problem such as the plant being potbound. In this case, the plant can not be supplied enough water to meet its demands due to the large amount of roots in the pot, and it will wilt between waterings. Repot the plant in a one size larger container.
An excessive build up fertilizer (salts) in the soil can cause the leaves to yellow and droop. Water molecules cling to the salt which prevents the roots from absorbing that water. Hard white, crusty deposits located near the pots drainage holes or a white crust on the soil's surface indicates a high sodium build up. The solution is to repot the plant in fresh, well-drained media, or leach out the excess salt by watering the plant thoroughly to dissolve the salts, and then water the plant again in half and hour to wash out the dissolved salts. Scrape off any salt deposits found near the drainage holes or on the pots sides. On the other hand, a plants leaves will turn yellow or pale green if it is lacking nutrients, especially nitrogen. Feed the plant a well-balanced plant food such as 20-20- 20 two or three times a year during the growing season.
Other possible causes are a sudden change in light, temperature or relative humidity. Remedies are to move the plant to a brighter or dimmer location, increase or decrease the temperature and maintain an even temperature range, and increase humidity levels in the room if they are very low. Often, over a period of time, the soil will become compacted and the roots may decay, again from a lack of oxygen - repot the plant in fresh soil.
Finally, a heavy insect infestation such as red spider mites can quickly turn a plants leaves yellow and cause them to droop. Examine the leaves and stem with a hand held magnifying glass and administer proper eradication procedures if insects are present.
We have tons of deer and 27 arborvitae just planted this year. They are about 4 feet tall. Deer go to these trees when the ground is covered with snow. How do we prevent this? Can we bag the trees in cloth and plastic, or what? Soap does not seem to work, and fencing can be expensive. Help!!
Arborvita  |
If deer become a very big problem, you can sometimes get help from your local Environemental or Conservation Departments in these matters.
Otherwise, each tree can be protected by surrounding it with burlap or any type of material, but this material should not touch the trees foliage. Another alternative, the one I frequently use, is to surround each tree with plastic snowfence or chicken wire, held in place with posts made up from 3/8 or 1/2 inch thick cement re-inforcing re-bar that has been cut into 4 or 5 foot lengths. Pound 4 or 5 of these posts into the ground around the tree, being sure each one is about 10 inches or so away from the tree, and tie the snowfence or chicken wire to the re-bar with soft wire. A piece of burlap can be used with the chicken wire on the side of the tree which faces the prevailing winds to help prevent winter browning of the needles.
A fairly reliable non-toxic animal repellent called 'Skoot' may be used to help deter the deer. This repellent works by leaving a very awful taste in the animals mouth. They seldom come back for a second mouthful. It is either painted or sprayed unto the tree or shrub. It should be available at most garden centers or hardware stores, but if you can not find it locally, here is the address for one source: Early's Established 1907, 2615 Lorne Ave., Saskatoon Saskatchewan, S7J 0S5, Canada Email: earlys@sasktel.net Website: www.earlysgarden.com.
Bloodmeal can be scattered on the ground around the trees to help deter the deer, but it becomes ineffective after a heavy snowfall, so additional applications are required. It is best to keep it several feet away from the trees as it is quite high in nitrogen.
Some folks claim hanging strands of human hair near each tree will work, but I've never tested this method. Setting bait out for the deer, as far away from the trees as possible should help to some degree. If all else fails, fencing the trees may be the only solution.
My indoor ficus benjamina is growing brown, round, clumps on the trunk and stems. Is this a fungus, disease, or what. It appears to be thriving okay, and has been repotted this spring. The main trunk has one lump that has been there approx. 4 years, but now other lumps are developing on the branches and higher up on the trunk. How much pruning should I do to keep it healthy? Thanks.
Ficus benjamina  |
I cannot be absolutely sure what the brown, round clumps are without actually seeing them, but here are some possibilties.
First, because the 4 year old lump does not appear to be hurting the tree, the clumps could be galls, caused by insects such as mites. These galls do little actual harm, but they are a nuisance in that they disfigure the tree. Galls are abnormal growths or tumors that vary in size from a wart to those which are several inches thick. The solution here would be to identify the mite problem (if there is one) and then treat the plant with an appropriate miticide to rid the plant of the mites.
If they are galls caused by a bacterial or fungal disease, it would be quite likely that the tree would be showing signs of stress after 4 years of infection. In any case, the solution would be to remove the galls by cutting the infected branches off from 4 to 6 inches below the galls. The pruning shears should be dipped into a 10% bleach solution after each cut is made to prevent spreading the disease to other parts of the plant.
Another cause could be a condition known as 'Oedema'. Swellings are caused by an over-development of cells, induced by an excess of water combined with incorrect lighting and temperature. The swellings appear as light brown, corky scabs or bumps on various parts of the plant, (in most cases the leaves). The problem is corrected by giving the plant better drainage ( a media which will not remain too wet), monitoring watering of the plant more closely and carefully, and moving the plant to better light if necessary.
Brown, soft scale appear as brown bumps or immobile lumps on the stem, branches and leaves of Ficus plants. A sticky substance known as 'honeydew' is often found on plant parts, or near the plant where scale insects are found. A black sooty mould will often develop and grow on this honeydew. These insects can be controlled by using a dormant oil spray which suffocates them, or by rubbing the scale rather roughly with a piece of cloth that has been dipped into a Malathion solution. 'ALWAYS FOLLOW DIRECTIONS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS LISTED ON THE PESTICIDE CONTAINER'S LABLES'.
If still in doubt as to what the brown, round clumps are, send a sample to an Analytical Laboratory in your region for positive identification of the growths. Once they are identified, proper treatment can be administered.
