Question
I have about 40 six-inch pot table ferns which were planted in a shady area. They are watered sparingly twice a week in earth mixed with potting soil with good drainage. The leaves on some of the plants become almost transparent with only a skeletal structure remaining. Other leaves become curled on the edges and brown. About seven plants are growing with no trace of disease. It is likely that the plants were diseased when purchased. Any suggestions for treatment?  Thanks.

Answer
Jeanne,

Either visit the garden center where you purchased the plants or a good garden center that has an adviser available. You can even call around and ask for the manager at some garden centers and describe your problem and they will advise on which fungicide you need to apply to the plants and how to do it. They will nknow your area and what the fungi are atat are likely responsible and what will be effective in treatment. I am in northern Indiana and deal mostly in indoor plants. To me it sounds like cold temperatures could also be responsible for the damage and I have a friend in southern California so I know there have been some very cold days that they could have been exposed to perhaps even at the nursery before you bought them. I might call the nursery first and ask about any warranty if you havent owned them long. The fact that some are okay and others are not leads me to think it could be a problem that happpened to the damaged ones before you received them. Otherwise they would all be in the same condition. Those are just my thoughts. Good luck.

Darlene