Question
I have two enormous queen ann ferns i purchased from in front of our local grocery store early this year.  They were in hanging baskets and I transplanted them into some hummus rich potting soil and topsoil mixture and placed them on the front of my porch.  Now, winter is here, and I hate to lose them.  What is your recommendation
for wintering them.  I live in zone 5, Carmel, Indiana.  Thanks for your help.  John Pitts

Answer
John,

I am about 100 miles northeast of you, just north of Fort Wayne, IN so I am quite familiar with the climate. Ferns need high humidity. Their natural habitat is very tropical jungles. They do  like cold temperatures and dry air caused by central heating systems. They like very bright light like they had on your front porch all summer and high humidity like they get in jungles and in Indiana Summers. If you happen to have a large unfinished basement they would love to hang out there with each of them in a large clear plastic dry cleaners bag and a 2 tube florescent light fixture hanging about 8-12 inches above them on a timer turned on for 14 hours a day. That would keep them in the best possible condition until they can go back out on the porch and enjoy the summer. Open the bag at least once a week for a half hour to exchange the air. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breath out oxygen and in the process they help clean the air.

They may need to be divided in the spring. Just literally cut them in half and pot them each in 2 separate pots no bigger than the one they are in now. Dividing must be done between April 1st and July 30th.

If you do not have a basement to keep them in for the winter you can hang them near a bright east or west window and still but them each in a large clear plastic dry cleaners bag doing the air exchange thing once or twice a week.  If you do not want to use the plastic bags you will need to put a humidifier or a cool mist vaporizer near the plants to keep the humidity higher and keep your ferns happy. They like at least a 40% humidity. In the spring they can go back out as soon as the night temperatures are above 50 degrees. If you have any more specific questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene Kittle