You can revive dying ferns in most cases if the roots and crown still have life in them. Start by checking what is causing the decline before you take action. Most dying ferns suffer from too little humidity, wrong watering habits, or poor light conditions. Fix the root cause and give your fern time to bounce back with proper care.
Saving dying fern begins with an honest look at what went wrong. I rescued a Boston fern that my neighbor left on my porch looking like a pile of brown sticks. Every frond had died but the crown felt firm when I squeezed it gently. I cut away all the dead growth, fixed the watering, and boosted humidity around it. Eight weeks later new fiddleheads poked through the soil.
Ferns can regrow from healthy root systems even when all the fronds above the soil have died. The crown sits right where the stems meet the soil surface. This crown stores energy the plant needs to push out new growth. As long as the crown feels firm and shows green when you scratch it gently with your nail then your fern can recover.
Pull your fern from its pot to check the roots for signs of life. Healthy roots look white or tan and feel firm when you touch them. Rotted roots turn brown or black and feel soft and mushy to the touch. Sniff the root ball too since rotten roots smell sour and bad. If most roots look healthy then your fern has a good chance of making it through.
The fern revival steps start with trimming away all the dead and dying fronds. Use clean sharp scissors and cut each frond right at soil level. This might leave your pot looking bare but that is fine for now. Dead fronds drain energy from the plant and can harbor pests. Removing them lets your fern focus all its resources on pushing out new healthy growth.
Cut away any rotten roots while you have the plant out of its pot. Use the same clean scissors and snip off anything brown or mushy. Try to keep as many healthy white roots as you can. Repot into fresh soil in a clean pot with drainage holes. The new soil gives roots a fresh start without any fungus or bacteria from the old mix.
Fix the conditions that caused the problem in the first place. Check humidity with a hygrometer and aim for 30% or higher around your fern. Move the plant away from heating vents and drafty windows. Place it where it gets bright indirect light but no direct sun. These changes stop new fronds from suffering the same fate as the old ones.
Keep the soil lightly moist but not soggy while you wait for signs of life. Ferns without fronds use much less water than healthy plants do. Check the soil every few days and water only when the top inch feels dry. Too much water now will rot the roots you worked to save. Hold off on fertilizer until you see strong new growth.
New fronds appear in 4 to 8 weeks if your fern is going to make it. Watch for small curled fiddleheads pushing up from the crown. Recovering sick fern takes time so be patient through this stage. If nothing appears after two months then the crown has died. At that point the plant is beyond saving and you should start fresh with a new fern.
Read the full article: 8 Expert Tips: How to Care for Ferns Indoors
