Thanks for the diagnosis, rhizo! I'm relieved to know what it is... I'm planning to remove the plants from the pot, discard the soil, clean the pot thoroughly and rinse off the roots, and repot with store-bought potting mix. Should that be enough or do you think it should be treated with specific anti-fungals? What would those be? Thanks very much, Anchita

Actually, the plant in my pictures is extremely hardy. I've even over-wintered them in my unheated garage - check my zone. It grows in deep shade - the plant in the third picture is growing under a 4 ft overhang that is less than 2 ft above the plant. The other pictures were of the plant in a spot that gets full sun until 4-5, and they do very well there, too. If you want one, I'll save one of them when the frost comes & send it to you, along with some soil they'll do very well in. Lol - I will have cut it back to within an inch of the soil, so when it bounces back, all the foliage will be acclimated to your light levels. Cutting a plant back hard (I said in the spring, btw) rejuvenates it. Cells closest to the roots are more vigorous than cells far away from the roots, so when you cut a plant back hard, you get vigorous juvenile growth - which is probably why it's called rejuvenation pruning. It's likely your foliage isn't going to look as pleasing in the spring as it does now, so a fresh start after eliminating the ratty winter growth is kind of refreshing. How much water is in the soil has little to do with a plants ability to remain hydrated, unless the soil gets VERY dry. Plants are less efficient at absorbing water from wet soils than from soils that are barely damp. O2 is just as important as water to root function and metabolism, so a soil that holds lots of air when it's saturated is far superior to one that holds little air when it's saturated. I would absolutely skip the misting. It raises humidity for only a few minutes, and generally, more harm than good is apt to come from the practice. Humidity trays aren't very effective either, but they're better than misting. Best is to use a whole house or room humidifier to keep humidity levels more comfortable for the plant. The root cause of most foliage appearance issues lies in the level of soluble salts accumulating in the soil from your tap water & fertilizer solution. Low humidity doesn't cause the problem it only makes it worse. Al

I have a huge asparagus "fern" on my shaded patio in Southern Arizona. "He" get filtered sun in the early morning for about 3 hours, a spray of water every day, and a drink every few days. He is gorgeous and always lets me know when he's thirsty. Been in the same plastic pot for 3 years and now I need to repot him. As much as I love clay and terra cotta pots, I've learned not to use them for most plants here in this low desert. They dry out too fast. Geraniums for some reason do well in them. One hint I recently learned from my gardening guru, Jerry Baker, is to soak clay pots in water with some dishwashing soap for a couple of days. Put soil and plant in while wet.....soil won't dry out so quickly for the new baby.

First off Asparagus is not a fern, it is in the lily family. Second the yellowing is normal to an extent, just remove the yellow and the plant is good to go. You can move it outside for the summer it you want to get more light. A south or West facing window would be perfect for it. Also if given the proper care, you cannot over pot a plant. Root rot happens when the soil is too dense but if the soil is well draining, the pot size doesn't matter as much. Your soil looks like it has enough perlite in it.