Hi my name is Pete and I am from Mansfield OH. I have 4 BIG and beautiful boston fern hanging pots. This is my first year with them and was told that you can divide them and that they are also a plant that will come back the next year if kept indoors. It is getting to the end of ohio's growing year and I was wanting to know How and when do you dead head them? how much and where do you divide them? Will they be ok in the unheated garage over the winter? also, how much water do you need to give them over the winter? Thanks for any input on this!!! Pete
I have had a few Boston Ferns in my day so I'll give it a go. They are tender, and so your garage would have to be very bright and quite warm to overwinter them there. I wouldn't go below 15 degrees Celsius, and even that may be too cold. I know they can take a cool room here in the Pacific Northwest, but we don't have Ohio's winters. Humidity is always a concern for ferns, although Nephrolepsis is more forgiving than some. Depends on your winters, how you heat your house/garage etc. Deadheading is when you cut dead flowers off of flowering plants, so I'm not sure what you're after there. They can easily be divided in the spring. I use a bread knife and cut them in two (assuming that you have fairly large plants to begin with). Repot the two pieces in fresh soil that is good for ferns (peaty and well-draining), and away you go. I divide my Boston Fern every year because it puts on substantial growth. They are very agreeable to being divided...afterward I tidy them up which is what you might be referring to. I cut off the old fronds and those air roots, or whatever they are called. Long green stringy things that grow like the fronds. Anyway, hope this helps.
I agree with Chester. Wait until spring, remove plants from pots, and saw away. The first time I did this was with a plant I rescued from a neigbor's trash can---used a big serrated knife and cut off the dead half, repotted the live part. Result was a plant I've still got today. Unheated garage? NO. Water depends on how dry your house is...I try to get mine in the tub for a shower once a week or so. Remember that the plant will be MUCH heavier after this maneuver!--- Light can be moderate. In winter, I have the aforementioned hanging by a south window, and another under lights. In summer these hang in a mostly shady area with good air movement. ---When you do repot, make sure you have ENOUGH pots, and more soil than you think you'll need...you'll need it!---The long stringy growths are called "stolons".
