I bought this Boston fern last week at Lowes. I like it a lot and I hope it will survive our dry climate. I've been trying to gift it a humid environment by spraying it with water everyday. I also put an open diaper at the base of the urn, and then the fern in its original pot on top of that. That way, any overage of watering will be absorbed by the diaper and hopefully provide some humidity at the roots. Any tips or thoughts from fern lovers?
Unrelated to the fern, and twice as interesting, we had an un-welcomed lizard visitor for about 10 minutes. When we opened the door for a friend stopping by, a large lizard, trapped between my friend and the door, found his escape route into our house. He scrambled to a corner by the master bedroom door. Mark happened to be in the master bedroom, so I called him on his cell and asked him to save us/me. As soon as he opened the door, the lizard skidded awkwardly under the hall closet door. Not much traction on our wood floors - he was unusually slow.
Mark cleared 10 wheat buckets and the vacuum out of the closet, and I got a cheap disposable bowl so he could trap the thing. (The bowl went straight to the trash after this ordeal. Mark suggested I just wash it. Nope. Not a chance. I also mopped the floor.)
The boys were fascinated.
The release was a relief. But that lizard has since been back to his old tricks - hanging out at our front door, looking for bugs, I presume. Didn't he learn his lesson?
I could not have handled a lizard hiding in our house. What if I stepped on him in the dark? What if he crawled into my shoes? Or my bed? The. Willies.
12 comments:
yes, we've had reptile visitors too! I usually open the back door wide and take a broom to them. Once I swept one too far and he landed in the pool. I felt bad, so I fished him out with the net and intended to fling him into a planter near the fence, but he ended up going over the fence. Poor lizard was probably traumatized, and I need to learn my own strength I guess!!
Go Mark! Trap that nasty think and get it out of the house. I completely understand throwing the bowl away!
I've had a couple of lizards scramble into my house too. EEEKKKK! One scrambled under a bookcase and when I looked under there I saw a GIANT wolf spider and freaked. Then I realized that the wolf spider was fake and David must have stuck it under there eons ago. Jim came home and saved me.
Oh Sarah, I freak out with lizards. When I was single, I had a cat and a cat door. The cat would bring me lizards at all hours of the night. Still alive. She'd drop them in the living room and meow and I knew to grab the glass bowl and a paper plate. It was awful. The first lizard that I had to clean up by myself took 45 minutes I was so scared. Not fun. Hope this is your last one.
Glad you were able to trap the little guy. My kids are so into random pets and they always give me the chills! They found a frog that they trapped by putting it into the window well. I couldn't stand the thought of walking downstairs and seeing a frog jumping around in the window. I made them set it free!
That was pretty funny though, to see you there, in your big brimmed hat and swimsuit, with a broom in your hand, ready for action...or to run as fast as you can! We had a lizard trapped between the screen and the window, but I learned my lesson after you house and didn't touch that window! They say the lizard was more scared than me...I doubt it! Sorry I kinda provoked him into your house!
The fern is beautiful. I kill all our plants so I don't have any advice but I sure hope it makes it. :)
The fern is beautiful. I kill all our plants so I don't have any advice but I sure hope it makes it. :)
Muche,
It so wasn't your fault. That lizard likes our front door.
I love that fern! And I'm really laughing that you're that scared of lizards. I had no idea!
My mom was a wiz with boston ferns. I grew up with them and have had them in my home for years. Her trick was in how she watered it. She filled a pail with water and let it sit in the large laundry sink or kitchen sink if this is all you have. Then she would take the fern in its original pot and immerse the, pot only, into the water in the pail. (Not the leaves) She held it there til she could not hear or see any more bubbles and lifted the fern to the side of the pot for the excess water to drain for a few minutes before she moved it back into its decorative urn. The trick is to keep the soil moist but not stand in water. I do this at least once a week in the summer and if we are going through a heat spell... even more often. In the winter once a week is plenty. You can tell it needs water because the pot will be much lighter in weight. Good luck with the fern. I think they add so much good oxygen into a home!
Thank you Constance!
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