Most ferns LOVE water. They want damp soils all the time. Ostrich ferns are one of a few that will actually grow in full sun as long as kept wet. They tend to prefer more sun than any other fern, so ensure they are getting constant indirect sun light. They will come back if you baby them. I’ve done the same before with them. Start by filling up your sink or tub with water so it will hit about half way up the pot. Then put pots in and soak until they are very wet all the way to the top (a few hours), then let all the excess water drain from them until they are only dripping a little at the bottom. Then put them back on your tray in their sunny spot and fill the bottom of the tray with ½ - 1 inch of water. then let them go and just ensure your tray is always kept filled with the water so the ferns can pull it through the holes in the bottom of the pot. That should work. Give them some time to send up a new frond, it won’t happen immediately since you had to cut it all back. Ostrich ferns are actually quite hard to kill, and can get a bit out of control in a garden, so pots is a good idea for them. Just remember they are a deciduous fern, so they have to go outside in the fall and winter. They won’t do well without a cold season.

I grow ostrich ferns in zone 6 outdoors. They go totally dormant in fall/winer, or late in summer if they don't get enough water. Even when there is a drought and they fail early, they always pop back up happily in spring for me. I suspect ostrich ferns need to endure freezing temps when they are dormant since they are listed as growing in zones 3-7. The warmer zone there is 7, but it still reaches way below freezing in winter. Put the pot outside for the winter. Oh, what zone do you live in?

@liquidfeet Z6 Boston

I'm not sure which zone but I'm in Canada. We have snow at least 5-6 months a year. The bulbs right now are outdoors and some nights, the temperature is below freezing. I've been watering the tray that the pots are in and just top it up whenever it's empty. At this point, I'm just waiting for it to come back in spring.

That should work. We had a drought here on the north shore of Boston this summer, and most of mine toasted by the end of July. I know from past experiences that they will come back. Some are still green, though. It all depends on the spot they are growing in. Ostrich ferns are quite hardy. They endure.

Don't water this winter it if the water is going to freeze into solid ice. It is dormant. It doesn't need water now. The ice may destroy it.