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help with pot bound Bird’s- nest fern

Noami Santos-Lamb

3 years ago

Hello I just got this bird’s- nest fern about 3 days ago and I noticed it’s súper door bound. I looks healthy and had some new leaves so I don’t think it has root rot. I Need help figuring out if I should re-pot it. And if I do, how to do that without harming the plants roots too much, and killing it.

Pleaseee help me I don’t want to kill it.

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Comments (6)

MA D
3 years ago
I would most likely not repot it quite yet, give it a bit of time in its new residence. These guys can be a little melodramatic. If it’s seemingly healthy and still producing new leaves, it’s okay for now. You will likely have some really solid growth in the meantime. I have made many mistakes by repotting immediately after purchasing a new plant and caused undue stress. In fact, my biggest rookie mistake was the constant itch to repot at the first sign of roots.

With that said... You COULD definitely size up an inch or two when you’re ready to pot. I would pot in a loose peat based mix. (Or coco coir blend if you have any), and NOT disturb the roots, as they look fragile. I would plop that in a new pot with a 1/3 of soil and just fill the potting mixture around it and allow it to loosen on it’s on. It is not always necessary to loosen and spread the roots.. Unsure where you are in terms of humidity but I live in dry Colorado climate and use pebble trays for all my ferns and they respond very well. I have two birds nests in the shower l and they are very happy and have no crisping, which occurs easily in them. I hope this helps!
popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years ago
Like MA D, I also live in dry Colorado. I have found that a wicking system works well for ferns for me.

This Rabbit's Foot fern came in a handy wicking pot at Lowe's. I just put it in this Talenti jar where I can retain about an inch of water for the wick but not have the bottom of the pot touching.

I transplanted this Button Fern into this clear orchid pot, added a wick, and it sits in this glass vase with a water reservoir

This seems to be the only way I can keep ferns alive here in drysville.
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Whether or not the plants are 'choking' each other would be a function of how congested the roots are in the entire soil mass. Root congestion restricts growth because the soil becomes packed with 'conductive' roots, roots the primary function of which is to move water and nutrients, rather than to gather them. This leaves a reduced volume of soil to support the fine hair roots that do all the real work. The 'center' you refer to would be called the 'crown'. If the roots have filled the pot and are restricting growth, you should consider repotting/root pruning or separating and repotting the plants in the future, but winter is a poor time to consider work as major as that. Instead, wait until early summer when the plant(s) have gained some energy and they are better able to tolerate the stress. If the smaller plant is an offset from the larger, you can simply cut them apart with a longitudinal cut so each has a healthy portion of the root system. Dust the cut with powdered sulfur if you want, to help thwart any rot organisms that might want to wreck your day. If the plants are individuals, tease or cut the root mass apart to separate the plants & repot. Don't be afraid to cut the plants back and prune roots. This type of treatment forces growth from cells closer to the root systems, which are ontogenetically younger (juvenile) and more vigorous, which is where the term rejuvenation pruning comes from. Al
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Comments (2)
Bergeby, of all the ferns, this one might be the easiest to grow inside. I love BNFs and think that they are very striking. Take a hint at the type of habitat in which ferns thrive in nature and give them a peat/bark based potting medium. Since the mix should be kept moist, it must be coarse textured and fast draining. 'Most' potting media on the market don't fit that description without some altering. Amendments like bark fines would be a plus. Some commercial mixes are made with pine bark as the primary ingredient and those are great. Do not purchase a potting soil declaring 'moisture ' control and please don't underpot your plant. As far as watering goes, no one can give you a schedule. Ever! You need to use your fingers to dig around into the soil to feel for moistness. Here are some of the factors that influence the need for watering: type of plant, type of potting medium, type of container, size of plant in relation to container, temperature of the room, humidity levels, time of year, amount of light, plant vigor. Holy cow! Once you gain some experience, you will be able to judge the need for watering simply by lifting the pot to judge its weight. The coarser your mix, the more forgiving to overwatering. All plants grown in a container will require fertilization from you. That is a given. Beware of scale insects on ferns. They are kept under control at the grower's greenhouses by chemicals and may pop up after being in the garden center and your home for a few weeks. Scale insects are a real threat to indoor ferns, as they can be sensitive to common solutions used to control pests on indoor plants.
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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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Comments (5)
If it sits on the grass to water and drain then sneaky snails could have snuck in within an hour. And caterpillars are laid as eggs on plants by flying insect adults. It does look like damage from one of these munchers though. Kind of a relief, I believe. Do you have lettuce or even potatoes? You can lay them on top of the media to try to attract snails then squish and flush them. Also, if you repotted it and havent had it long its entirely possible there were snail eggs on the roots and they hatched after you repotted. Some people spray roots with hydrogen peroxide to kill snails and their eggs but I'm not sure how a fern would handle such treatment.
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MA D
3 years ago
Good call. Both of your ferns look fantastic! My little button fern is very sad right now and my rabbit foot is nowhere near this fluffy and green. (The latter was over potted and I’ve just been rolling with it) I have always shrugged off the moisture wicks for the sake of pot aesthetics but I definitely see the value and I’m going to give it a whirl. Thank you for sharing!
Noami Santos-Lamb
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you for your replies! I will hold off on te potting and see how it does! I make my own potting mix from substrate, perlite, and orchid bark but I will get coco coir and add ir to the mix once it’s time to move to a new pot.
popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years ago
Naomi, my button fern is in a mix like you describe. Some potting soil, perlite and orchid bark. I just leaned a little heavier on the portion of potting soil with it than I do with my other plants (such as aroids or hoyas).
Noami Santos-Lamb
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you!

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