Boston Fern
Nephrolepis exaltata
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Thirsty and humidity-loving. Keep the soil consistently damp, and give it somewhere naturally humid — a bathroom or kitchen suits it far better than a dry, heated room.
Toxicity
Safe
Not known to be toxic to cats.
Safe
Not known to be toxic to dogs.
Source — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, toxic and non-toxic plant list; read from this species' own page
Pet-safety information is a general guide from the ASPCA's toxic-plant database and covers cats and dogs only. "If eaten" summarises the symptoms ASPCA lists for that plant; how an animal actually reacts depends on how much it ate and on the animal. It isn't exhaustive, isn't veterinary advice, and individual animals vary — never rely on it as the sole basis for a decision about your pet. If you think your pet has eaten a harmful plant, contact a vet immediately.
Care
- WaterEvery 3–5 days
- LightMedium light
- HumidityHigh humidity
- Temperature16–24 °C
The same interval the Sabz app schedules reminders from. In autumn and winter the app stretches it; see houseplants in autumn.
Common problems
Boston fern dropping leaves
A Boston fern shedding leaflets and going brown and dry at the tips is telling you the air is too dry — it is the first plant in the house to show the heating has come on. Move it away from radiators, into a bathroom or kitchen if you have the window for it, and stand it on a tray of wet gravel. Misting helps for minutes; humidity helps for months.
Boston fern yellowing fronds
Fronds yellowing all over, rather than browning at the tips, is either compost kept sodden or too little light. It wants to stay evenly moist, not wet — water every three to five days in summer, less in winter — in bright but indirect light. Yellow with soggy compost: ease off. Yellow in a dim corner: move it.
Boston fern wilting and grey
A fern that has gone limp and greyish all over has dried out completely, and its fine roots do not forgive it for long. Soak the whole pot in a basin for twenty minutes, drain, and keep the compost lightly moist from then on. Fronds that have crisped will not recover; cut them at the base and new ones follow from the crown.
Similar plants
- Duffii Fern safeNephrolepis cordifolia
- Roosevelt Fern safeNephrolepis biserrata
- Bird's Nest Fern safeAsplenium nidus
- Holly Fern safeCyrtomium falcatum
In the app
Add a boston fern to Sabz and the watering interval above becomes a reminder, the toxicity verdict sits on the plant's own page, and when a leaf turns, the Check-up reads what you have actually logged to say why.
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