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Story
May 16, 1936
Atlanta Daily World
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
What is this article about?
Article by Hilda B. Johnson offering practical tips for successfully caring for house ferns, covering watering, cleaning, feeding, and repotting to ensure healthy growth and beautiful fronds.
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Caring For The House Fern
By HILDA B. JOHNSON
Are you successful in caring for a house fern or are you a complete failure? Do you give your plant all your attention and yet it fails to thrive with all your frequent care?
Watering done the right way is very important. The soil should be dry before watering: this prevents the soil from souring because it lets in the air. Set the flower pot in three or four inches of water for an hour or so that all the soil in the pot is thoroughly soaked.
Never pour water on the top of the soil. It runs down between the earth leaving the center absolutely dry. Wash the leaves by spraying the top of the plant with a plant spray with a little force. Even if the fern doesn't need watering, lay it down on its side and spray the leaves thoroughly without wetting the soil every three or four days.
If the leaves of the fern is free of dust it will be able to breathe.
If the fronds on the fern is light in color and not full then it is feeding time.
Feeding must be done with extreme care and not applied too freely. It is best to dilute the food with water. By reading the directions carefully on the box you will know just how much fertilizer should be applied per square foot. Over feeding burns and destroys all the tender roots and does serious injury.
When repotting be careful not to disturb the roots too much. But be sure to pack the new soil firmly. Use the next size pot. An extra large pot will cause the plant to grow only roots and not top.
It Is the long graceful fronds that makes a fern beautiful.
By HILDA B. JOHNSON
Are you successful in caring for a house fern or are you a complete failure? Do you give your plant all your attention and yet it fails to thrive with all your frequent care?
Watering done the right way is very important. The soil should be dry before watering: this prevents the soil from souring because it lets in the air. Set the flower pot in three or four inches of water for an hour or so that all the soil in the pot is thoroughly soaked.
Never pour water on the top of the soil. It runs down between the earth leaving the center absolutely dry. Wash the leaves by spraying the top of the plant with a plant spray with a little force. Even if the fern doesn't need watering, lay it down on its side and spray the leaves thoroughly without wetting the soil every three or four days.
If the leaves of the fern is free of dust it will be able to breathe.
If the fronds on the fern is light in color and not full then it is feeding time.
Feeding must be done with extreme care and not applied too freely. It is best to dilute the food with water. By reading the directions carefully on the box you will know just how much fertilizer should be applied per square foot. Over feeding burns and destroys all the tender roots and does serious injury.
When repotting be careful not to disturb the roots too much. But be sure to pack the new soil firmly. Use the next size pot. An extra large pot will cause the plant to grow only roots and not top.
It Is the long graceful fronds that makes a fern beautiful.
What sub-type of article is it?
Gardening Guide
Instructional Article
What keywords are associated?
House Fern
Watering Technique
Leaf Cleaning
Fern Feeding
Repotting Ferns
Story Details
Story Details
Advice on caring for house ferns: water from bottom when soil is dry, spray leaves regularly without wetting soil, feed diluted fertilizer carefully, repot in next size pot without disturbing roots much, and pack soil firmly.