Yes!

I cut off all of the old fronds on all of my ferns every year. They look much better.

I vote yes too, I also cut all the old fronds off every year, the new fronds will soon unfurl, before long it will look better than it did before.

A......

I cut all my ferns back too!

However, since the plant normally has these bend or fall to the ground and return to the soil around it, there may be a nutrient recycling process going on there that regular removal is interfering with.

bboy, you mean I unintentionally did something right? When I cut the fronds off I have the habit of snipping them in short pieces and placing them around the base of the fern as a mulch. I do that with a lot of plants if I see no disease present.

A......

I mulch heavily with compost so I don't worry about lost nutrition from removing the old fronds. :)

We have ferns all around our property. Sometimes I cut them back and sometimes I don't depending on the pace of my life each spring. I find that they look much better after being cut back.

aftermidnight, I love the idea of mulching with the cuttings ~ I think I will try that. :-)

Hello again!

I go out to our forest and get wheelbarrows full of mulch. Then I spread it around my beds. I have three big compost piles back there that I throw everything good in. (Including the cut fern fronds) I just turned them over the other day and the worms are having a party in them.

You have a forest? Cool!

Oooops, I should have mentioned this before, I have a couple of Polystichum setiferums I don't cut back, they seem to look good all year round, just do some minor tidying up with this one.

A......