I live 100 miles from the Texas coast and we had some mild frost this winter which turned my ferns slightly brown & discolored. If I cut back all or mostly all of the winter damaged fronds, will they come back in spring?
2007-02-03 06:39:38 · 4 answers · asked by Don B 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
What type of fern do you have? It is important to note that different Genera of fern require different treatment and pruning. Some ferns would likely die if you removed all of the fronds...generally if it is a non-deciduous fern you should keep the leaves, even if discoloured or damaged. In spring (ie no further chance of frost) you can wait until new fronds begin to unfurl, and then selectively remove the worst damaged fronds. Just because the leaves are ugly now does not mean the plant doesn't need them to photosynthesize.
2007-02-03 06:56:12 · answer #1 · answered by plant freak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can remove the damaged fronds. BUT wait until the last change for a freeze. You do not want the new growth to freeze, that could kill the plant. You can cut the whole plant back to the ground. There should not be a problem with the runners sending up new shoots.
2007-02-03 14:46:01 · answer #2 · answered by perplexed 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Living in UK and dealing with frosts on a regular basis the general rule here is, frost browned leaves (or fronds) will protect the new shoots from other frosts. Don't cut them off until the risk of frost is passed.
2007-02-04 12:18:13 · answer #3 · answered by intelligentbutdizzy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wait until spring, until all danger of frost has past, then pull of the dead fronds. I live 60 miles south of Chicago, so your mild weather will come a lot sooner, check with the WEATHER CHANNEL.
2007-02-03 15:31:28 · answer #4 · answered by LINDA D. 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋