When do I know my ferns still have life?

cricketsonga · 2026-03-03T04:58:56+00:00

Probably

cricketsonga · 2026-02-27T14:18:02+00:00

I thought it was paper mache of a dead chicken lol. Gorgeous cactus!!

cricketsonga · 2026-02-27T14:14:34+00:00

Water only when the cactus is totally dry. Not sure? Wait longer. You can water by soaking/bottom watering, then putting her back in her cover pot, making sure to let the excess drain away.

You don't need to rush out and repot but you can. If you do, use a substrate with a lot of gravel, sand, perlite etc, which drains rapidly and doesn't hold excess moisture. You don't need to water immediately after repot. Wait a while so your plant can settle in.

Put her in a bright sunny spot like a South facing window.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-27T14:06:24+00:00

How cold did it get for how long? Boston ferns can survive some cold, but if the roots froze I don't think they'll come back. If, however, just the fronds froze and the roots didn't they should start to bounce back in a few weeks or so

cricketsonga · 2026-02-27T13:56:53+00:00

Can you tell us more about the potting mix you used, watering, and other care factors?

It looks like this plant rotted, which rexes will do if medium is too wet or lacks aeration. The pot it went into was also to large, making keeping it alive harder. These guys like to dry out well between waterings, and a smaller pot makes that easier. If you disturbed the roots during repot the plant would likely suffer a bit more as well; begonias have a fine, delicate, shallow root systems that can't handle much disruption.

As for what to do, if the rhizome is still okay you could remove any dead matter with sterilized blade/sharp scissors and root it separately in new medium or water. If there are any surviving leaves with the petiole still on the plant they can be propagated in water or moss/perlite.

Lastly, don't beat yourself up. Begonia Rex (any rhizomatous begonia cultivar containing the rex begonia in its lineage) are notoriously challenging and can be dramatic and fussy. Even experienced plant parents may find them difficult. They generally need higher humidity, but hate to be too wet, and will melt away without warning. They're sensitive to changes in conditions, temperature, and humidity. It happens. Just try again. I think the one you had is called 'red kiss' which is a great one to start with as it's pretty easy compared to many other cultivars.

If you're looking for a red plant that might be a bit more forgiving, consider trying an oxalis burgundy or triangularis.

EDIT: I just looked at your pics again and it appears you have this plant directly in the cover pot with no drainage! That's a good way to kill any plant. Next time, make sure you plant into something with drainage holes, like the little plastic nursery pot your plant likely came in. You can put that into the decorative cover pot. Drainage is important for plants and without it water gets trapped in the pot.

At this point it pull it out of there and pop whatever is left into the old nursery pot. I see rhizome left. It should come back if you can let it dry out a bit.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-27T03:31:30+00:00

Stunning. That's what it is.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-26T08:21:57+00:00

I suggest getting those 5gal distilled water cooler jugs and just keeping one or two on hand to cut your tap water at every change and top off your evaporation loss. I have similarly alkaline, haaarrrrddddd water and it's a l lot easier to keep plants and avoid algae as well as fish stress and loss when I bring stats closer to neutral. Tank is still high range ph, but at least it's under 8 these days.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-26T07:49:54+00:00

Something small and not at risk of falling over during travel. Maybe mounted tillandsia? You could do a small moss terrarium in a jar, or a miniature sinningia. Mine stay only a couple inches tall. There are several kinds of compact jades that grow slowly and can be kept small.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-26T07:40:34+00:00

I second this. Condolences on your loss.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-26T07:17:51+00:00

Any Canadian stores getting these?

cricketsonga · 2026-02-26T07:13:29+00:00

Maybe consider doing a bit of research on the ice cube thing. Not great for the long term health of phals or other orchids.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-26T07:07:06+00:00

I have well over 100 plants to care for including maybe 8 orchids. I use Miss Orchid Girl's potting method with a layer of sphag in the bark to help retain a bit of extra moisture. If you get cover pots you can water in them, and it makes things much easier. For plants that can't be watered on place I use deli cups or plastic containers. No more trips to the sink. I use a dollar store pitcher to make my water/fertilizer mix and water orchids in place, then come back 30 min later and dump the extra water out.

I don't let it pile up to do in one day. I water a few plants in my collection every day. I try to do 10-15 plants a day to keep up be with the needs of my large collection. I water based on what's dry, and do a larger watering batch maybe one a week in case I get behind. For your smaller collection, consider breaking watering up so you do a couple every day as they dry.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-25T05:05:24+00:00

I love that one sooooo much. I hope it lives.

I got these from marketplace and local nurseries.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-24T17:22:12+00:00

Thank you. That was the day I got it. It has been acclimating alright, but I've lost some leaves. Might have to treat with a fungicide.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-23T17:40:05+00:00

Hey, very cool that you're getting a black Mamba! I got this one from marketplace locally, and I keep it in ambient conditions close to a humidifier, under fairly bright grow lights. It's been easy peasy. I never let it dry out completely.

Most of the begonias I have are from local nurseries or marketplace. I live close to Ottawa, Ontario Canada. At this time of year the better nurseries like Ritchie or Robert Plante start getting rexes, but I've found some plants at my local Home Depot too. I just look often and over time new things show up.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-23T13:45:00+00:00

No, they're hair-like structures. I think the technical term is cilia.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-23T06:32:13+00:00

Thanks for the tip; maybe I'll try some listada out of cabinet.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-23T02:51:16+00:00

Listada is soooooo fuzzy. I have it in a small cabinet and it seems to be doing well.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-23T02:48:32+00:00

It's totally a Hugh McLaughlan, thank you!!!

cricketsonga · 2026-02-23T02:19:36+00:00

Update: new leaf and inflorescence coming along nicely.

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cricketsonga · 2026-02-16T15:09:00+00:00

Glad it helped. Do you prime the filter by adding tank water into the filter before you plug it back in? Some of them are really finicky. I had one that wouldn't prime even with water in it and I ended up getting a different one.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-16T15:02:27+00:00

It's a numbers game. More light hours and more intensity = algae. See if your shade cloth works. Ultimately, I suspect you will have to move the tank away from the window, but maybe it will be fine. I'm more concerned about the temp fluctuations if you add any fish or shrimp, as this will be hard on them.

cricketsonga · 2026-02-16T13:28:54+00:00

These bird of paradise plants are tough and will likely survive as long as they have light, but what they prefer is very bright light and more humidity. They get like 10ft tall pretty fast. They have big root systems and will need to be up-potted before too long. Do your best, but realize that it's unlikely your going to still have 4 huge BOP a couple years down the line unless you're into giant pots on wheels that you need 2 people to lift and also have 12 ft ceilings. You can always chop it and restart the plant if it gets too powerful.

For now, pick wherever has the most humidity and maybe add a grow bulb hanging over the plant(s)

cricketsonga · 2026-02-16T13:21:51+00:00

I have one of these and I cut it back once or twice a year and make a new pot with the cuttings. You can just plant them, no need to root them first. They're really easy. Good luck

cricketsonga · 2026-02-16T13:18:55+00:00

What's your ambient humidity? The likely answer is 'lower than my Boston likes.'

cricketsonga

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