I got this houseplant from a party in early July, and I think I’m slowly killing it… After researching, most websites have told me this is a Bird’s Nest Fern(?) and that it likes slight humidity with indirect light. I’m going to tell you all the rescue attempts I made and hopefully you’ll be able to tell me where I went wrong.
July 7-9: Looks good and healthy, just got it, watered once a week(fully soaked the soil, pot had drainage).
Aug 1: I repot in a pot 1/2 in. bigger in diameter, and do a soil mix of 2 parts succulent potting mix and 1 part regular indoor potting mix. Continue watering once a week, fully soaking the soil and making sure the pot has drainage.
Aug 18: The plant has been in indirect light near a North facing window all this time, but is starting to look droopy. Thinking it’s not getting enough light, I give it a fresh watering, and then put it in indirect light outside for a couple of hours to see if it perks up.
Aug 22: Plant is looking way more droopy and sad than before, looks like a tiny bit of the leaves may have burnt a little from their time outside— however there was already these marks before, they were just tiny and now look worse. I feel the soil and it is still SOAKED from the watering on Aug 18. I panic.
Aug 22 still: I ask Chat GPT where I went wrong, it says the soil mix, and I may need to check for root rot. Per Chat GPT recommendation, I do a 2 parts Miracle-Gro Indoor Mix, and 1 part Schultz African Violet Mix for my pot. I remove my plant, and gently rinse the roots in the sink to analyze if there is root rot. Roots are dark brown and thin, but are not squishy in any way and don’t smell bad at all. I LIGHTLY trim the ends that seem like they could maybe be soft, and allow the roots to air dry for about 30 minutes. I then transfer to the new potting mix in the same old pot, and make sure to barely cover to roots and don’t cover the inner crown as Chat GPT informed me this could cause root rot as well and Bird Nest Ferns don’t need to sit in soil cause they grow on/next to trees(?). Chat GPT also informs me how to make a humidity tray, that i place beneath the pot (pictured in Sept. photos).
Aug-Sept.: Watering about once a week, keep feeling the top inch of soil to see when it dries before i decide to water. But i fully soak the soil and ensure that it’s fully draining. Still looking sad and upset, drooping, leaves loosing their color…
Sept. 12: I move the plant next to a South- facing window where it gets indirect light to see if things improve.
Sept. 29: I’ve been continuing the same watering process, and the plant does not seem to be getting any better 🙁
I kill almost every plant I own, not for lack of effort… I’ve googled so much and I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Is this even a Birds Nest Fern? Ugh, please help…
by dxphnx_
5 Comments
I’m no expert but I think maybe it’s too much watering, I have a similar looking plant but smaller, no idea what kind it is but I barely water mine and it’s doing fine, I also think you’re moving it around too much, find one good spot where it gets good indirect sunlight and leave it there.
You seem to have remedied the issues, but it could still die from all that shock so take it as a learning experience.
I’d suggest leaving it. Don’t do anything else. Don’t let it get too moist either. Humidity doesn’t mean wet soil, it means the air around it. Soil should still have opportunity to dry out a bit between waterings to prevent rot.
So leave it be, mist its leaves. Wait and see what happens. If you feel you found a good place, stop moving it around. It’s a fern and needs to stay put. If it needs more light, maybe set a lamp or grow light beside it.
Don’t move it outside, temp can shock it too.
A plant should only really be moved outside under certain circumstances, and that’s usually when it’s already robust so it can survive shock.
If it dies, get another one and try again. You learned a lot and maybe after a fresh start all would be well.
I think you might be watering too much. Wait til the top 2-3 inches of soil are dry before watering. I don’t ever water on a schedule, I check my soil on a schedule. Check every 2-3 days outside and every 3-5 inside, for me, but it will depend on your climate and all.
Where it’s at now, I would repot so you can check the roots and make sure there isn’t any rot. The same pot should be fine, but you may want to go a little smaller depending on the size of the root ball. And idk if I missed it at all, but if you mist this baby, please stop 🥰
Sometimes its simply because it lost roots from slight overwatering or transplant shock, and it needed time to grow roots before it goes back to absorbing water and growing. And often times during that time, if you are watering on a schedule, instead of going by moisture level, you end up really overwatering it and getting rot.
Add to that the constant stress of someone trying to save the plant by repotting, excessive feeding, constantly changing light conditions, etc. and it can lead to the plant calling it quits. Often times the best solution for a stressed plant is to leave it alone and give it time.
Has it enough sun? how bright is it where she lifes?