Our Boston Fern Is All Brown Roots and Hardly Any Green Fronds (12 Yrs Old)

Question

What do we do? How long do Boston ferns survive?

Charlotte

Answer 1

It sounds like your fern is too root bound. While this plant does like to be root bound a little, it starts to produce those roots when it is root bound. I suspect that the loss of green leaves is tied to the fact that the plant is so root bound that it can't get enough water.

I would recommend repotting to a larger pot or significantly increasing water.