I would guess there are some municipal constraints that control what you can do with a spring. It might be smarter to landscape in a way that allows the water to ebb and flow than to try to shunt if off your property - if that is where mother nature and the city decree that it should be. Also, where do you want the water to go - check that it is OK for it to go there. The more you can tell (and show) about the problem and the area, the better the information you will get. Karin L

I'm new to house plants, but i've killed one birds nest fern before and the second is thriving (this is how we get to be good at caring for a particular kind of plant it seems you have to kill one and learn from your mistakes). What i've found is that it's easiest to water from UNDER the plant. What i mean is when the surface of the soil in the pot is dry (check it every other day folks you don't want it to get starved). Take it and set it in a shallow bowl of water mixed with the right amounts of liquid miracle grow houseplant food. Let it soak maybe 15-30minutes or until either all the water is absorbed or the surface of the soil is moist. If the soil is dry on the top and the water is all absorbed add more and check every so often. when the soil is thoroughly moist, remove the plant and drain for a few minutes (i stick it in the kitchen sink) and then return it to it's normal home. My 4 inch plastic pots sit inside glazed ceramic containers to dress them up and keep moisture from getting on the windowsill. Watering from underneath avoids crown rot (which i understand to be a problem common to this plant), and it assures even moisture in the soil, i've noted it's hard to get the soil fully watered when watering from 'overhead' esp since i have a 4inch pot for my birdsnest fern. Also i noticed in TOO HIGH lighting conditions the leaves get really really pale almost white even after just one day. When not watered enough the leaves get really dry and start getting brown spots at the edges. With crown rot i started loosing leaves rapidly and no new leaves would spring up out of the crown. I can tell my plant is healthy the way i've been caring for it now (after a few months after bringing it home from the nursery) the fronds have gotten darker (they started almost yellow and are now darker)and i'm getting new buds poking through the crown. My birdsnest fern is in a west facing window with a 6 foot porch overhang. It gets gentle light until the end of the day just before the sun sinks over the horizon. It doesn't seem to prefer bright light, nice 'understory' kind of filtered light seems to suit it well. (like what you'd get under a tree) I've started watering all my houseplants from underneath (with exception of my orchid which gets misted). The african violets and my birdsnest ferns love being watered this way from my experience. I've only had these about 6 months but for now it seems everything's going quite well.

There is also pickrel rush, ice ballet milkweed,cinderella milkweed (pink) ribbon grasses, several types of rushes, many types of sedges, spider lillies all types, mints all types ( warning mint can be very invasive), pink flamingo water celery, obediant plant, most types of cannas once they are up and have the first leaf unfurled, many types of taro,lousiana irises, japenese irises, ragged robin, hardy purple thalia, if part of it is shaded in the afternoon white butterfly ginger, elephant ears, calidums, celosa,impatiants ( impatiants can take full sun if wet enough). If you go to the ponds forum you would be surprised at some of the terrific plants that like wet feet.

Likely the mites will kill the babies.....sad. Usually the mites stay in the nest as long as there is something there to bite. Spray the area around the nest with a solution of Dawn....Don't spray the birds or nest directly....but as close as you can get.