Well it sure would be helpful to know what kind of fern it is and how much sun it is getting.

But generally speaking, most ferns lose their fronds periodically. It's normal. Each frond gets brown near the crown and gradually works its way to the tip. It's always wise to prune fronds with brown areas off the plant because it sends a chemical signal to the plant to grow more fronds.

It's always a good idea to repot periodically. Get a bigger pot, make sure it has good drainage. Pull the fern out of the existing pot, shake as much of the old soil loose as you can. Prune any brown roots, and if it is potbound, loosen the roots and get them untangled around the edges. Fill the bottom of your pot with some nice potting soil and mix in some decayed leaves or a little ground peat. Mix and stick your fern in the pot and add more of the same soil mix. Gently pat the soil and tamp the pot to make sure there are no air pockets. Water generously and keep it in the shade. Do not give plant food at this time. It should green-up in a few weeks and get some new fronds. When it does you can put it back into fitered light.

It's all pretty easy.

Lainey

thanks Lainey. I guess I should have started pruning off the brown fronds before they were ALL brown! If I were to trim the fronds with brown crowns I would have about three left. I will try to re-pot it as you suggested and prune the worst of the fronds. Lesson learned.