Hi everyone
Ihave this fern, (I guess it is Rumohra adiantiformis leatherleaf
fern) a very lush green happy looking plant, in the last couple of
weeks the tips of the leaves have started trungin brown and dryng out.
I remove those dry tips whenever I see those. I tried keeping it in
the bathroom, thinking it might be needing more humidity. Does anyone
have an idea why this might be happening?
C. from Chicago
One possible physical cause for the dry tips might be tip damage . A fern
frond grows from the tip & if the tip has been injured at all, it will die &
dry out. Removing that brown tip may only make it dry out further down. I
notice people seem to love to touch or finger the ends of a fern frond & it
often kills the tip. So has anyone been touching the ends or is it in a spot
that gets brushed up against lots? Leatherleaf ferns like moist conditions
too but it shouldn't affect just the tips of the fronds.
If this isn't the case & the tip die-back has no other reason you can think
of, then possibly it's a fungal disease. Leatherleaf ferns are liable to a
few fungal diseases. I'm directing you to a page that has photos of a few
diseased fronds for you to compare. Take a close look & see if yours look
like any shown. http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/foliage/resrpts/rh_93_18.htm
The site mentions using a fungicide since it's meant for commercial growers so
I'm not sure what to recommend if you think it is a fungal disease. I read
that fern anthracnose first appeared in Florida in 1993 & rapidly spread,
causing up to 100% losses in some fern nurseries. Not sure where you live so
it's possible that the fungal spores may have come in on clothing or in soil
of another plant (IF a fungal disease is the culprit).
I hope it's just fronds being bumped up against. That's easy to remedy.
Judy
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