Boston fern boasts pale green leaves that can stretch three feet (less in more-compact varieties). Hanging baskets with built-in saucers provide ideal growing conditions as well as dramatic appeal.
Light
Place in medium (indirect) light of east window.
Water
Allow soil to dry out between thorough waterings. Mist with tepid water. Raise humidity, especially in warm weather from March through September.
Temperature
Maintain temperatures of no more than 75 degrees during the day and no less than 50 degrees at night. Avoid drafts.
Comments.
Grow in clay pots; they breathe, keeping roots cool. Use porous soil rich in organic matter: compost, leaf mold, or peat. Pot up only when severely root-bound. Feed every two to three weeks with extremely mild fertilizer. Avoid insecticides. Don't confuse brown spots on undersides of leaves, which contain spores, with insects. Propagate by division in early spring, or by runners (threads off side of plant) or spores when mature.
