Hi
That is one genus of ferns that has eluded me lol I usually slowly kill them even when I get the tropical species .
All seem to require very high humidty like over 60 percent
yet seem very sensitive to overwatering as you mention.
Would assume you have a tropical species since your growing indoors but even if it's a temperate should grow for several months . my longest survivors were kept in an outdoor terrarium and my guess as to why was the very high humidity level. Anyway hope that helps a tiny bit
If you learn any tricks please share They are gorgeous!! lol gary

Hi Isa and Gary,

I just got a maidenhair fern, too. I'm not sure which type. I'm still fussing with it - trying to make it perfectly happy.... which, from what I'm learning, is the difference between survival and death for this plant. LOL! I've got mine in the bathroom - high humidity - glass blocks, which let in a lot of light - but then I recently read "no drafts". I guess that rules out the blowdryer. Hmmm. Now I think I may have to relocate it?

How are your plants doing?

Carol in Jacksonville

Do you have photos? There are hundreds of species of them coming from a wide range of climates. I've got 2 species that are quite tough but I've killed some of the more delicate ones. Bathrooms with bright light should be ideal for many of them, but they still need a bit of air movement. Of course, not from a blow dryer. For plants, air can stagnate a bit in a bathroom.

Here are some photos of mine. It came from a family whose father passed away - it was his plant - I don't want to lose it. I can see that it may have mealybugs? The plant was in the tenuous condition when I received it a few weeks ago and I haven't done much better with it.

The pot is a plastic pot (although it looks like clay). It does have drainage holes at the bottom.

The bright spots are not yellow leaves; those are a few rays of sun coming in through the bathroom window. It is not direct sunlight - it is through shutters and then sheer curtains. It just looks very bright in the photo.

I have watered the plant by placing the whole pot in a larger container and filling the water from the outside (into the larger container) so that the plant gets a good soaking from the bottom up. Let it sit for about 15-20 min and then let drain.

What type of Maidenhair Fern do I have?

Would this plant do better in full shade outside? Or maybe just for the summer?

I have read tons of conflicting advice: many sites that say never let the plant dry out. Just as many that say to let it dry out completely between waterings. Which is correct?

How would you treat the mealybugs? Alcohol on cotton swab? Insecticidal soap? Something else?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Carol

tropicbreezent,
Thanks for the help! I've been moving it around and I know that's not helping it, either. I'll get it resettled in the bathroom again and leave it in that spot.

I took care of the mealybugs both by squashing and the alcohol and swab combo. Do they leave a powdery residue behind as them move up and down a stem, or are those smaller/younger mealybugs? Also, this was my first experience with the alcohol, swabs and mealybugs: they turned immediately yellow upon touching them with the swab - and seemed to stick to the swab itself. Is that what they do? Do they die immediately?

Thanks!
Carol

I mainly use the squash method, but the alcohol method is very popular and often talked about on garden forums. I've noticed that if the mealybugs jump off a plant there's still some white fluffy stuff left on it. I think it's just something they put there to help camouflage themselves, making it all look like one large webby mass. Probably the alcohol removed some of the fluffy stuff and exposed the actual animals body underneath. I'll have to try looking at some under a microscope to get a better idea. If they don't die immediately I'd reckon they'd be pretty drunk anyway.

Thanks, tropicbreezent. The squeeze method, though kinda gross at first, was the easiest but there was some very, very tiny powdery stuff left along the black stems. I ran the swab up and down the stem to try and clean that up, too. Not sure the plant liked it, but I hope it will recover.
Carol