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Container Gardening

Birds Nesting in Hanging Pots of Boston Fern - What to do?

15 years ago

So every year I get my ferns out early on the patio, some little bird decides to nest in one of them. One year I didn't discover it until it was too late and she'd already laid eggs. We had cute baby birds, but my fern was messy and kind of died off on that one side. Does anyone else have this problem? Have you found a way to prevent it? So far, I just try to keep a lookout and take the fern down if I spot a bird flying in and out of it. Not a very good solution.

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Comments (5)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
I've had that problem lots of times & I just keep pulling the nest material out of the plant & discard it. They usually give up & go somewhere else - like one of the dozen or so nest boxes around the yard.

Al
unpotted
15 years ago
I had the same thing happen to me involving a rabbit's foot fern. Although I enjoyed watching the parents raise the 3 little chicks, my fern suffered for it. What I did this year was to suspend sea shells above the hanging basket from the bracket with fishing line. They move and clatter in the breeze. My returning parents have had a look, but so far no nests. I do keep a few birdhouses along my fence as alternatives. It may be worth a try.
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I think that BNFs are much more adaptable to indoor conditions than most others...but if your home is excessively dry, then they might have problems, too. Have you any idea what the relative humidity is in the house? I'm sure that you know of the sensitivity of all ferns to the usual treatments for scale insects, their most dreaded pest. They do not like soap applications or horticultural oils one bit. Before spending that kind of money on this fern, be sure that you inspect it for pests VERY carefully. Nurseries are where pests find plants that we bring home.
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Miracle grow means they are probably too wet, not too dry, that is not a good mix. Can you replant in the garden but first amend the soil with something like the miracle grow, but then mix with your native soil? You can try to make al's gritty mix. But, I think they like the ground better if you have a some shade in Texas. I have a box with with a fern sand clay compost and peat moss, but in a pot you don't want any compost. Birds nest ferns may be hard to grow, I had one once it did not make it. They do well in green houses. This is just general advice. In the house could be too dry if the air conditioning is drying things out.
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Well, the (possibly) bad news is that it isn't an asplenium. If you look at the stems and compare against asplenium pics, you'll see a totally different leaf shape. Probably someone jammed in a tag that was lying on a shelf without regard to what the plant actually was. The (hopefully) good news is that it looks like a peace lily (spathiphyllum), which are better at coming back from extreme heat than aspleniums. It sounds like you've done everything right so far. In fact, if you wanted to submerge the pot in a sink full of lukewarm water for an hour, that might accelerate its recovery. You'll probably lose some more leaves due to shock, but that's normal. Peace lilies are semi-aquatic and very difficult to over-water. You'll notice the leaves unfurl from the various stems in the general clump, rather than each new leaf growing out of the center of an asplenium's roseate. Avoid placing in direct sunlight. Leaves turn yellow with too much light. Don't fertilize for at least a few weeks -- that would be too much shock for the roots. Once it's healthy again, you can fertilize to make it bloom.
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Remember they're epiphytes, so don't have the soil too high up around them.
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jodik_gw
15 years ago
This year, we're putting up several bird houses to give the birds alternative housing... I don't have any hanging baskets that invite bird nesting, but they do seem to choose nesting spots that I'd rather they not build in... such as the garage!
trowelgal Zone 5A, SW Iowa
15 years ago
Is there room to push some plastic forks in the soil, tines up? That makes it too uncomfortable for nesting.
Trowelgal
claudettegranata
16 days ago
Last year I found an adorable bird nest intdeep in the center if my GIANT Boston Fern on my deck. I never knew it was there! When the season was ovet I removed it.This year they are in the center of my GIANT hanging spider plant. They are ”house finches”. Just watch them bring their materials and know what they are doing. I water very gently & it works out fine. What a pleasure & privlege!!

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