Ferns (Nephrolepis) don’t need to be pruned as much as orchids or bonsai trees but it is good to prune them once in a while. In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about when and how to prune ferns and when it’s best to let them grow without removing the fronds.
Pruning Ferns – The Basics
Pruning is a controlled form of foliage loss, so it is easy to direct to remove diseased or damaged material. This reduces the spread of disease and can prevent common fern pests from stressing the plant too much.
In the case of the fern, pruning is primarily a method of controlling its size, directing its shape, and removing damaged or dead fronds.
You can prune individual fronds to shape the plant and control size, but no more than a third of the foliage should be removed at a time using sharp, clean cutting tools.
When to prune ferns?
It is best to avoid pruning Boston fern in winter. The fern will be mostly dormant at this time, making it more difficult for the plant to heal after any pruning.
But, removing completely dead and dry fronds is always fine because they don’t need to be salvaged if they are pruned cleanly without cuts in living tissue.
For pruning to shape the fern, stick to doing most pruning in late spring and early summer when possible. This helps the plant recover as quickly as possible without risking getting sick.
Fall pruning is acceptable to give the plant a neater appearance after a summer of growth or to help it fit into a smaller indoor space.
If your fern has problems with brown tips or yellowing fronds due to sun damage or cold exposure, cut it back during the next growing season to clean it up.
How to prune ferns
Select leaves that have seen better days for pruning first. Aside from dead or dry foliage, you may want to remove any leaves that are bent, sticking up or down, or distracting from the overall shape of the fern.
Most people also prune to keep their ferns below a certain size.
For this type of size control, cut only 1/3 of the fronds and cut no more than 1/3 of all the fronds at a time.
Leave the plant a few weeks between these pruning attempts to control pruning. Since fern is relatively slow growing, it shouldn’t need to be pruned more than once or twice a year.
To encourage the appearance of a denser plant, you can trim the tips so the fronds stack closer together.
When pruning, try to move the leaves up and down. This moves the foliage around so you can see which parts need to be cut to get a consistent shape.
Again, cut no more than 1/3 of all fronds at a time, and no more than 1/3 of any frond. This technique gives you many options for reshaping a fern that has become scruffy or asymmetrical in its growth pattern.
Caring for ferns after pruning
Ferns can be returned to their original location after pruning, they do best in warm places in rooms with direct and indirect sunlight.
Avoid overwatering after pruning. Misting and moisture supplements are fine, but the plant won’t need much water for the first few days to a week after pruning.
If you only removed completely dry dead foliage, no special care is needed.
Wait at least three to four weeks after pruning before fertilizing your fern. It is also best to avoid pruning for at least two weeks after fertilization.
You can always stop fertilizing the plant briefly during the summer months to create a window of time to shape and prune the plant.
Do not try to combine pruning and transplanting on the same day, otherwise you may shock the plant too much. Leave a few weeks between these two stressful events to give the plant time to recover.
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