My neighbor told me to water my new fern every single day

She said it was a Boston fern and needed constant moisture, so I did that for two weeks straight. The leaves started turning yellow and dropping, and I thought it was a lost cause. I finally looked it up online and saw they only need water when the top inch of soil feels dry. After cutting back to twice a week, it's finally putting out new green fronds. Has anyone else gotten plant care advice that sounded right but was totally wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

richard_mason4mo ago

Is it really that big of a deal if a few leaves die?

barnes.morgan1mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh come on, now. A FEW leaves dying is usually NOT that deep. I swear people act like every yellow leaf is a sign of some plant apocalypse when half the time it's just the plant being a plant. My monstera dropped like 3 of its oldest leaves last month and it's absolutely FINE, pushing out new growth like crazy. But if you're losing leaves from the TOP or they're all turning brown and crispy at once, yeah that's different. I think people just need to learn the difference between natural shedding and actual distress signals instead of panicking over nothing.

olivia_lewis94mo ago

Yeah, that's the trouble with blanket advice. In my experience, even the same type of plant can need different care depending on your home's light and humidity. It's always worth checking a couple sources before you commit to a routine.