Yes. After they unfurl in the spring they are too soft to hold up for awhile. SO wait until they firm up and do several test runs with them before using them. I just cut into a bucket of water and that seems to be all they need. THe ones I work with are sword ferns, so what I say applies only to them but might be looked at for whatever kind you use. I pull the foliage off below the water line. Gloves work best for this as they can shred yuor fingers if you are working with many.