Ferns are beautiful, lush additions to any garden or indoor houseplant collection. With their interesting frond shapes and textures, ferns are easy to maintain and make excellent container plants - I have many different varieties.
As a passionate gardener, I am inside my greenhouses as often as possible - checking on my many plants, making sure they are in good health, and when my schedule allows, trimming, watering, and doing all kinds of maintenance care. Recently, I noted to my gardeners that some of the ferns needed repotting. A general rule of thumb is to repot ferns every two to three years, when the plant shows obvious signs of outgrowing its current vessel and as a way to provide fresh fertile soil.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I have hundreds of plants in my main greenhouse – categorized by type and light needs on long, sliding tables that provide access to every plant when needed. This section is for some of my potted ferns.
The fern is a class of nonflowering, herbaceous vascular plants with roots, stems, interesting and complex leaves, that reproduce by spores. This is a delicate lacy fern.
Crocodile or alligator ferns are epiphytic ferns named for the markings on their long, lance-shaped fronds. The crisscrossed veins on the foliage resemble the scaly skin of the large semi-aquatic reptiles.
Some ferns have fishtail-like fronds. Ferns thrive best in bright, indirect light.
Ferns primarily come in various shades of green, but some are also bi-colored. Types of ribbon ferns are recognized for the elegant, often variegated fronds, which can feature creamy white centers bordered by dark green edges.
And these are bird’s nest ferns – one of my favorite ferns. They grow slowly, only about two to six inches per year. Fronds eventually reach a maximum size of about three feet long, with plant diameters reaching about three feet wide. I have many mature specimens. These are still young, but will grow beautifully with the proper care.
The bird’s nest fern is so named because the center of the plant resembles a bird’s nest. It is also occasionally called a crow’s nest fern. Here, one can see a new frond growing from the center rosette.
When selecting a pot, consider plant size and growth habit as well as root size. The pot should be at least one inch wider than the plant’s root mass.
Most of these pots are made by master potters, Guy Wolff and his son Ben. And according to Guy, I have the largest collection of his pots to date. These are just some of them organized under my greenhouse tables and ready to use.
In production line fashion, Matthew first covers the drainage hole with a pot shard. The shard keeps soil from falling through the hole and allows for better drainage.
It does not happen often, but pots do occasionally break. I save all the shards just for this purpose. Stones from the yard also work nicely.
For these, I use Scotts Moisture Control Potting Mix, which is specially formulated to protect against over- and under-watering and feeds for up to six months.
A quality potting soil must have good water retention capacity and good porosity. It should also feel light, airy, and not show any signs of mold. Ferns thrive in well-draining, moisture-retentive soils rich in organic matter, and ideally with a slightly acidic pH between 5.5 and 7.0.
Matthew removes a plant from its old container. This pot was too small and shallow. The growing bird’s nest fern definitely needed to be repotted.
Because the root ball is healthy, Matthew doesn’t have to do any excessive scarifying. He just teases and loosens the roots with his hands and places it into the new vessel.
Next, Matthew positions the fern firmly before backfilling.
Once potted and backfilled, Matthew presses down slightly on the soil to ensure there is good contact between the plant and the potting mix.
As a top dressing, I like to cover the soil with pea gravel. Matthew arranges one layer of gravel gently around the plant base. Pea gravel can be found at garden supply shops.
These newly potted ferns will do very well inside the greenhouse where they can be monitored regularly along with the other plants.
The right pot for the right plant provides the right amount of space and stability for proper watering and feeding. And the right light, humidity, and food will ensure it thrives for many years. What are your favorite ferns?
After weeks of frigid below-freezing weather, we're expecting temperatures to climb to the high 30s today and the rest of the week - a welcome change for all at my farm.
When conditions are extreme, it's important that my crew checks the animals several times a day to ensure they are all warm and comfortable. When it comes to my chickens, I make certain they are housed properly, fed all the best, most nutritious foods, and have enough room to roam and range happily in their pens. This year, I felt they needed extra support for the bitter cold. My neighbor, Gregory Goodwin, who shares my passion for raising chickens, makes his own feed and bedding mixes to keep his birds calm and well-nourished during winter's coldest days. He shared some with me and the flocks are loving it.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here in the Northeast, we’ve been battling bitter cold for three weeks – snow, ice, and temperatures in the single digits. This kind of weather can take a toll on the animals, especially the chickens.
My chickens have full access to heated indoor coops…
But they are also free to roam in their enclosures during the day. I line areas with hay to cover snow and ice.
But this year has just been so cold, I wanted to provide a little more support for these wonderful birds.
My neighbor and friend, Gregory Goodwin, also lives on a farm and cares for many animals. He creates these tonics to help his birds through the season. He saves some to give as gifts and recently dropped off some at my farm to try.
Gregory gets his corn from a restaurant depot. Corn provides energy through its high carbohydrate content. When chickens consume it, they need to work harder to digest it. In turn, this increases their activity and generates added internal heat.
Chickens can be given fresh or cracked, dried corn. I provide lots of high-quality corn for my birds – they love it.
Gregory’s Winter Poultry Tonic includes the corn, wheat berries, and regular feed. The mix increases both their calorie and carbohydrate intake to raise and maintain their body temperatures and overall health.
And then he adds some extra water to keep the chickens well-hydrated.
Gregory mixes it up and offers it to his flock as a porridge.
Here he spreads it out on a tray and serves the birds.
His chickens seem to love the added treats.
This is Gregory’s Calming Poultry Bedding Mix. He combines equal parts – 1/3 lavender, 1/3 dried oregano, and 1/3 chamomile. He sprinkles it onto newly changed bedding to keep his chickens close to the heated coops. It encourages them to scratch up the bedding mix and keep them active.
Gregory dropped off some of his tonics for me to try. These tonics also help to keep the chickens calm and relaxed during times of stress, such as extreme weather.
Cesar pours generous amounts into their feeders and mixes it with their regular feed.
My birds are offered many feeder type options – with both dry and wet mixes.
They all seem to love the tonic mix.
It’s also very important to keep all the birds well hydrated during the cold. My chickens have multiple waterers that are checked and changed frequently. It is crucial to the water does not freeze.
This is a White Sultan Rooster – one of the birds I got from this year’s Northeastern Poultry Congress in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is doing well adjusting to the new environment despite the winter cold.
And the hens are still producing lots of eggs – did you see my Instagram post @marthastewart48? One day last weekend, I picked 49 eggs! It was the coldest day of the season. Thank you, ladies! If you raise chickens and live in an area where temperatures can get extreme, be sure to fortify your poultry food with good, high-calorie, stress-reducing ingredients and herbs – they’ll keep your chickens warm and happy.
Among my favorite plants are the exotic forms of succulents - they make excellent container specimens.
If you like growing plants, but don’t really have the time to care for them properly, I encourage you to consider growing succulents. Succulents are so easy to maintain and are able to survive prolonged drought because they store moisture in their fleshy stems, roots, and leaves. Not long ago, during a business trip out west, I stopped for a brief visit to see Flora Grubb, one of our 2012 American Made Winners, and got some beautiful small succulents to add to my growing collection.
Enjoy these photos.
I am always looking for interesting and unique plants to bring home and add to my greenhouse. I have amassed quite a collection of specimens over the years. Most of these succulents are from Flora Grubb’s San Francisco location. Succulent comes from the Latin word “sucus,” which means juice or sap. It’s also a nod to the nourishing leaves that help these plants survive in extremely warm conditions. They are often grown as ornamental plants because of their striking shapes.
Succulents are considered slow to grow with most varieties showing growth after several months to even years.
Succulents are known for their ability to store water, come in various colors and sizes, and require minimal care, making them popular among plant enthusiasts.
Succulent colors include shades of purple, green, blue, pink, and even red. Their colors can change based on environmental factors such as sunlight exposure, temperature, and water availability.
Some are smooth and some have decorative and sharp spines.
Before potting, Ryan puts together a suitable soil mix. The right soil mix will help to promote faster root growth and provide quick anchorage to young roots. I use Miracle-Gro potting mix specifically formulated for succulents. This mix contains sand and perlite to help prevent soil compaction and improve drainage.
Ryan moves several large scoops of potting mix into a bucket.
Ryan and I also like to create our own mix to add more of the elements preferred by these plants. Ryan adds more perlite, a lightweight, porous volcanic glass used to improve aeration and drainage in soil and other plant mixes.
Next, he adds some vermiculite, which is a naturally occurring mineral that expands when heated and is widely used to improve soil moisture retention and aeration.
And then he adds some horticultural sand, a very gritty sand made from crushed granite, quartz, or sandstone. Horticultural sand is often known as sharp sand, coarse sand, or quartz sand.
And don’t forget to feed. Ryan sprinkles a generous amount of Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Extended Boost, which feeds up to six months.
After wetting down the mix, Ryan thoroughly combines all the elements. Because succulents don’t like wet roots, it is important to use a soil mixture that is appropriate and will drain well.
Ryan chooses the appropriate size container for each specimen. I’ve been using Guy Wolff pots for many years – he makes every one of these by hand.
Each pot has a drainage hole. A clay shard is placed over the hole to help with drainage. I also like to use clay pots because they allow proper aeration and moisture to penetrate through the sides and to the plant.
Ryan fills the pots with the soil mix, adding just enough so it is filled just below the top rim of the pot. When potting several plants, Ryan works in an efficient production line process – filling all the pots first and then pot them up.
These succulent roots are light in color, long enough to hold the dirt in the pot, and veiny. Healthy roots will appear moist and will taper in thickness the further they get from the plant.
The Kalanchoe is a popular succulent plant known for its thick, fleshy leaves and vibrant, long-lasting flowers, making it an excellent choice for indoor and outdoor gardening.
This pincushion euphorbia is a succulent with spines on ribbed stems.
This succulent will last a couple years in this pot before it will need to be transplanted again.
Ryan adds pea gravel to the top of the pots. Pea gravel, so named because the pieces are pea-sized, is available at garden centers and comes in different colors.
The newly potted plants are placed into a crate and brought up to my Winter House porch.
And here they are now – joined with some other well-nurtured specimens. My porch is a lovely space for displaying potted plants. The floor to ceiling windows allow lots of light. Most succulents need at least half a day to a full day of sunlight. They’ll do beautifully in this space and will be a joy to watch grow and thrive.
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