Shibaraku deshita, neh!  (it has been a while).

But now it is 2026 – which will definitely be a better year than last.  So a belated Happy New Year to all my (10) readers.  LOL.  Maybe I’ll have 11 this year.

Anywho, I have 3 great tips and rather than post them together, I will do a post for each once a week.

The first is about Maidenhair Fern care.  I really love this delicate looking plant ever since I stayed at an airbnb in El Cerrito.  The owner had a huge healthy pot of Maidenhair in her bay window and said she discovered how to care for it.  I wish I had asked her how back then, but instead I figured I could do it so kept trying and trying while killing pots of them.

I always thought that the fern could not handle any air movement so I raised them indoors next to a closed window and they survived but did not thrive.  I would use special use fertilizer for ferns but that seemed to weaken them.  The ferns looked more and more pathetic with passing time so one day, I put them out on the lanai where it gets quite windy, cut off the brown stems and fronds and basically gave up on them.

I had an elephant Maidenhair (really big leaves) that might be dead and still looks dead, a micro leaf one with really tiny leaves that was almost dead, a regular one that was huge and in a hanging basket above my desk that got straggly, and 2 new ones from City Mill in small pots.  All of them on a shelf on the lanai.  Like they were on death row from a firing squad.

I would google search proper care for Maidenhair ferns and it all came down to humidity, soil, and water – which we have in Hawaii.  I used to only water on Sundays and Thursdays when they were indoor but started watering more often since the soil would dry out faster outside.  Poor things were still shrinking and dying.

And THEN, one google search turned up with a spray bottle, so I figured, why not?  I have one that I use for ceramics when I do play with clay and I started spraying/misting the leaves of all those sad plants every day.

AND THEY LOVE IT!  They are growing new shoots and staying green as they sway in the wind.  Woohoo!

So, long post short, Maidenhair likes to grow outside and they need a daily mist/spray of water on their leaves.  Easy peasy!   I am so happy now, and so are they.  Phew!

Update:  One VERY important tip for Maidenhair Ferns.  NEVER let the soil dry out.  The leaves get sad and crispy.  These will turn brown and ugly.  However, the plant still has a chance (ask me how I know).  Cut off the dead/dying stalks close to the base but be careful of the baby new ones.  Apologize to the plant, continue to water regularly and spray.