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Outdoor fern garden help!
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Posted: Jul/04/2007 5:34 PM PST
I have a small fern garden (3 years old) that is doing very poorly right now. It has a mixture of maidenhair and ostrich ferns. All of them look like they are at the end of their season - droopy, brown tipped, some dried fronds etc. Now, in this part of southern Ontario, we did have some very hot, humid days early on but I made sure the ferns stayed moist. They reside in a very shady area and I've never had this happen before. Is there anything I can do to rescue them for the season? And what in the world could have happended to them? Thanks in advance, Deb |
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Posted: Jul/10/2007 8:00 AM PST
I've got some ferns that came up wild and with the current weather they've shriveled and all but died. My painted fern is a baby and well shaded, but I watered it throughly and put some potting soil around it because the ground was cracking near it. It may just be a dormancy or something we're experiencing from all this heat. |
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Posted: Jul/13/2007 10:03 AM PST
I tend to agree but I wasn't sure if it was weather related or if something else was happening. Last weekend I did some work with the ferns: added some triple mix to their soil and topped off with a good layer of mulch (as well as added some new ferns so it didn't look so nasty!). Hopefully, this will keep them happy for the season and just maybe, next year's fern garden will look better 
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Posted: Dec/28/2007 10:54 PM PST
My beautiful big ferns also dried up this summer. The squirrels were digging in em, there wasnt enough mulch and I think I need to plant some taller bush so they will be happy. I am thinking rodies. |
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Posted: Apr/25/2008 10:22 AM PST
My ferns did the same thing last year. I think it was a combination of the heat and drought. Kept them watered, but nothing beats a good rain  They have all come up great this spring. What are you mulching them with? I mulch mine with shredded leaves, covered with grass clippings to keep the leaves from blowing away. keeps the soil very nutrient rich. Every fall I work the stuff into the soil around them, then add new for the winter (easy to get the leaves, I usually have to wait to spring to get the grass clippings) |
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Posted: Apr/25/2008 2:54 PM PST
Hi, I'm new to the website and gardening in Northern Wisconsin. The ferns grow wild and thick here. How can I get rid of them without having to use roundup near my organic garden or our animals? We have dairy goats and ferns are unhealthy for the goats to say the least. Thanks TK |
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Posted: Apr/25/2008 6:56 PM PST
That's a toughy... Some ferns form colonies by runners (bracken, sensitive) so digging them out won't really get rid of them... If they are really dangerous to the goats, try taking down some of the trees so it's more sunny? I would hate doing that though... Fence them off so the goats can't get them? Probably not much help... |
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Posted: Apr/28/2008 9:20 AM PST
Hi TK, That's the first I've heard of ferns being bad for goats. They even sell the young fern frond, called fiddleheads, in the stores by us for people to eat. Do you have more info on the ferns being bad for goats? Just curious. Thanks, Robert |
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Posted: Apr/29/2008 9:15 AM PST
Hi Robert, Here in Northern WI, along with other native plants in our area,we have a lot of bracken fern growing wild every where!!! Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats mentions that this is not a good weed for goats to browse on. Not to mention that is does alter the taste of our raw milk. Fencing isn't really an option, We have 14 acres fenced off for them as pasture and the ferns are there too. We also find them very unsightly among our other native plants. They are great place for the snakes to hide and frankly I don't want to encourage any more snakes than necessary. Thanks for your interest. TK |
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Posted: Apr/29/2008 10:19 AM PST
Bracken will be very tough to eradicate- it forms huge colonies with lots of runners, plus it tolerates more sun than other ferns... and obviously an herbicide wouldn't be a good option as it will kill the natives you want and maybe hurt the goats... I'd call your local extension office for advice. |
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