By Emmie01
United Kingdom
What to do about burnt fern?
I made the mistake of putting this fern outside during the heat wave last month and the leaves got burnt. It’s back in the house now. But what can I do to get rid of the burnt leaves and encourage new growth now? Thank you!
- 21 Aug, 2018
Answers
I agree the dead parts are dead. you could trim the burnt bits away and give it a good feed and mist the leaves regularly. It will soon produce new growth.
But is it actually a fern? It reminds me more of a Spathiphyllum or peace lily.
21 Aug, 2018
Thank you! When you say trim, you mean just trim the leaves, rather than say the stalks? I’ll do that gradually.
I think it is a fern, I remember looking it up. Definitely not a peace lily - I have one and it’s much darker and not at all frilly.
21 Aug, 2018
yes just remove the burnt tips & edges, it may mean cutting the leaf by half but you would loose the burnt bit rather than the full leaf. then as new growth appears remove the worst of the leaves.
re its id, do the back of the leaves have sporangia, if so how are they arranged? this will help with its id.
21 Aug, 2018
It looks more like a ginger or Ctenanthe, to me. Same difference, though: trim off the burnt parts, and feed it lightly to help it to regenerate.
21 Aug, 2018
Pull out the ugly yellowing leaves at the base and cut off all the brown ends. It doesn't matter if you cut the leaves in half: it will immediately look much better and will soon start to recover.
Actually, on a second look you do have a number of healthy all-green leaves. I'd be inclined to cut off all the others near the base.
22 Aug, 2018
You can't do anything about the burnt leaves. Dead is dead. Except as the plant regenerates new leaves, gradually cut the damaged leaves off starting with the worst ones. Don't cut them all at once, it will cause further shock. Just continue with it's normal care and let it quietly recover on it's own.
21 Aug, 2018