How to Prune Ferns in the Northwest

Ferns are a common find in the Northwest. The climate of the Northwest is especially mild and provides adequate moisture for these under-canopy plants. Some ferns are evergreen, such as sword ferns. Evergreen ferns are hardy enough to take an annual pruning. Deciduous ferns lose their color during their dormant winter season and may not be as hardy as the evergreens. Reasons for pruning a fern may be more aesthetic, than necessary for plant health -- to rid the plant of ratty old growth and make visible the new. The best time to prune ferns in the Northwest is in the early spring, about February, before the new fiddlehead fronds appear.

Pruning clippers

Instructions

- 1
  Decide if your fern just needs a cosmetic cleanup or a severe cutback. Ferns are naturally self-cleaning, releasing old fronds as they mature. If the fern is old or has contracted a pest, cutting down will help promote new growth and revitalization. Deciduous ferns turn brown in the winter, but the old growth provides protection for the crown during the cold months. Refrain from pruning these back until spring.
- 2
  Cut off any dead growth or parts that appear scrappy from the base with the pruning clippers. This cleans up the fern and gets rid of any brown or unattractive parts.
- 3
  Cut the fern back completely to the crown with the pruning clippers for a fern that is old and established. Use a circular pattern, creating a dome. This leaves room for the new fronds to emerge in the spring. New fronds grow from the center of the crown at the base of the fern.

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