Houseplant Feature - The Boston Fern

If you don’t count the many cuttings and off-shoots, my personal houseplant collection contains around  50 houseplants. Sadly, my own Boston fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata) went to the houseplant graveyard some time ago (cause of death: under-watering).

The Boston Fern became a popular houseplant in the 1900s and has remained a staple feature of houseplant collections ever since. Ferns are normally “hard” to care for, in the sense that they need quite regular watering, but the Boston is much more able to deal with a little neglect. They are also one of the best plants for air purifying that you can buy.

A note on air purifying plants. You might not realise it, but the air inside your home is full of pollutants and chemicals which, over time, can become quite harmful to your health. Now, you’ll need a huge number of plants to make a material difference to the air pollution in your home, but ultimately, they can’t do any harm. The plants take in carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds in the air via their leaves, and as we all know, release oxygen. There are also a whole host of micro-organisms in the soil that are helping to absorb pollutants.

Boston Ferns are native to the sub-tropical regions of the Americas, and is widespread in these areas. Its natural habitat is the humid, shady conditions of swamps and floodplains.

The Boston Fern, like many of the other ferny houseplants, is non-toxic to both pets and people. However, we do not recommend that any part of the plant is consumed by humans or animals.

The ideal location for your Boston Fern is a cool, humid place away from direct sunlight. Bathrooms are great locations for the fern family. You should water your Boston fern once a week to every 10 days, keeping the soil moist but not saturated with water. Trim away any browning leaves to keep the plant looking neat and lush. Feed with a water-soluble, all-purpose houseplant food once a month between May and September. When it comes to re-potting, use a good-quality, peat-free houseplant soil and pot into the next pot-size up.

Boston ferns can grow to fairly large sizes and look great on high shelves or in hanging pots. Because they are fairly easy to care for, they’re an awesome plant for beginners.

For more information about the Boston Fern and air-purifying plants, please see the links below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66186492

https://www.healthyhouseplants.com/boston-fern-history-plant-stories/

Boston Fern Cheat Sheet