How to Propagate Boston Fern

You will need a clean sharp knife or garden shears, a wide shallow pot with drainage holes, peat-based potting mix, and a spray bottle for misting.

1. 1 The best time to divide is during spring repotting when the plant is entering active growth and can recover quickly from root disturbance.
2. 2 Water the fern thoroughly the day before to make the root ball more pliable and reduce transplant shock.
3. 3 Remove the fern from its pot — for hanging baskets, carefully slide the plant out by tipping the basket on its side and gently working the root ball free.
4. 4 Gently shake off excess soil to expose the root structure. Boston Ferns have dense, fibrous, shallow root systems that may be tightly matted.
5. 5 Identify natural division points — look for areas where clusters of fronds emerge from separate sections of the rhizome.
6. 6 Using your hands, carefully pull the root ball apart into 2–4 sections, each with several healthy fronds and a good root system. For densely matted roots, use a clean sharp knife to cut through the root ball, making clean cuts rather than tearing.
7. 7 Dust cut surfaces with cinnamon powder to prevent fungal infection — ferns are susceptible to rot at wound sites.
8. 8 Plant each division in its own pot with fresh peat-based potting mix at the same depth as before. Use wide, shallow pots that accommodate the fern's spreading root system.
9. 9 Water thoroughly and mist the fronds to increase humidity.
10. 10 Place in a warm, humid, shaded spot for a week to recover — avoid direct sun and dry air during this critical period.
11. 11 Resume normal care after 7–10 days, including regular misting and watering when the soil surface feels dry.

Some Boston Ferns produce above-ground runners (stolons) — long, leafless stems that extend outward from the main plant, similar to Spider Plant babies.

1. 1 Identify a healthy runner with a small cluster of leaves at its tip.
2. 2 Fill a small pot with moist peat-based potting mix and place it next to the parent plant.
3. 3 Pin the runner tip into the moist soil using a bobby pin or U-shaped wire, burying the tip about 1/2 inch deep. Keep the runner attached to the parent plant — it continues to receive water and nutrients through the stolon while developing its own roots.
4. 4 Keep the soil consistently moist and mist the tip daily to maintain high humidity.
5. 5 After 3–4 weeks, give the runner tip a gentle tug — if you feel resistance, roots have formed.
6. 6 Cut the stolon connecting the new plant to the parent, and treat the new fern as an independent plant.
7. 7 If your fern does not produce runners naturally, you can encourage them by providing high humidity (60–80%), consistent moisture, and bright indirect light during the growing season.

This method is for experienced growers who want the challenge of growing ferns from scratch. You will need mature fronds with rusty-brown spore cases (sori) on their undersides, a sterile container with a clear lid, fine peat moss or fern-specific growing medium, distilled water, and a spray bottle.

1. 1 Select a mature frond with visible rusty-brown spots on the underside — these are the spore cases (sori).
2. 2 Place the frond spore-side down on a clean sheet of white paper and leave it in a dry spot overnight. The spores will fall onto the paper as a fine brown powder.
3. 3 Sterilize your growing container and medium by pouring boiling water over them, then let cool.
4. 4 Sprinkle the collected spores thinly over the surface of moist, sterile peat moss in the container — do not bury them, as they need light to germinate.
5. 5 Cover the container with a clear lid or plastic wrap to maintain 100% humidity.
6. 6 Place in bright indirect light at 65–75°F (18–24°C).
7. 7 Mist the surface with distilled water if it begins to dry out.
8. 8 In 4–8 weeks, a green moss-like layer (prothallus) will appear on the surface — this is the fern's gametophyte stage.
9. 9 Keep the prothallus moist; after several more weeks, tiny new fern fronds will emerge from the prothallus.
10. 10 When the baby ferns have 2–3 true fronds, carefully transplant them into individual pots with fern potting mix.