Trying to figure out why my new fern kept dropping leaves

I got this beautiful maidenhair fern for my kitchen window about a month ago. It looked great for a week, then it started dropping leaves like crazy. I thought it was the light, so I moved it. Still dropped leaves. I checked the soil, I changed my watering schedule, nothing worked. I must have spent three whole weekends reading plant forums and checking the roots. Finally, I stuck a little humidity meter next to it. Turns out, the spot above my sink is way too dry from all the hot water steam, even though it feels damp to me. The meter read 30% humidity, and these ferns need like 60%. I moved it to my bathroom and the leaf drop stopped in two days. Has anyone else had a plant that hated a spot you thought was perfect?

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3 Comments

alice8086mo ago

Wait, the steam from your sink made the air drier? That's the part that gets me. I always figured steam would add moisture. My brain just short-circuited for a second. Good call on getting the meter, I would have just kept drowning the poor thing.

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the_mason5mo ago

Tell me about it, my brain did the same backflip when I first learned this. Turns out, all that warm steam just makes the air in the room hold more moisture, so it actually sucks the water right out of the plant's leaves faster. It's like giving your fern a bigger thirst while moving it farther from the water. I felt so clever with my little misting routine before I realized I was just slowly cooking it. Now I trust the little meter more than my own instincts.

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miad196mo ago

My old Boston fern taught me that lesson years ago. I was convinced it was getting a perfect sunbeam until I realized I'd basically baked it.

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