My grandma's fern collection taught me to actually look at roots for the first time

I was helping my grandma repot her huge Boston fern last spring in her greenhouse up near Asheville. She pointed out how the roots were circling the pot like a snake and told me I had to slice them apart or the plant would choke itself out. I had been watering my own ferns on a strict schedule for years and wondering why they always went brown and sad after six months. After cutting and untangling the root ball and giving it fresh soil, the thing bounced back in like three weeks and doubled in size by summer. Now I check root health on every plant I bring home, not just the leaves. Has anyone else had a surprising plant issue that came down to something happening under the soil instead of above it?

2 comments

2 Comments

angelac6329d ago

Oh man, I killed three spider plants before I realized I was basically drowning their roots in my obsession with watering schedules.

nancy_davis29d ago

Drown those roots, why don't you? I swear @angelac63 plants are like that one friend who says they're fine but really they're suffocating. I did the same thing with a peace lily - turned it into a swamp monster before I learned to just let the soil dry out a bit. Now my plants get watered about as often as I remember to check my tire pressure, and they're thriving. RIP to your three spider plants though, they died for your education.