The greenhouse volunteer told me my fern was "screaming" and honestly he was not wrong

Lisa Patel · 2026-10-19T15:10:06.596169+00:00

So I'm at the city greenhouse on 5th St last Saturday, helping repot stuff for their spring sale, and this older guy named Ray who volunteers there picks up my Boston fern and just holds it up to his ear like a phone. I kid you not. Then he goes, "hear that? that's a plant asking for less water." I laughed because come on, but he flips it over and the roots are brown and mushy at the bottom of the pot. He says the leaves curl down when it's drowning, not when it's dry, and I'd been watering it every other day for like 8 months. Eight months! I felt like a monster. He just shrugged and said most people water on a schedule instead of looking at the plant. Now I stick my finger in the soil first and the thing has put out 6 new fronds. Has anyone else had a plant person call them out like that? I still think about it every time I pick up the watering can.

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The greenhouse volunteer told me my fern was "screaming" and honestly he was not wrong | Botany Lovers - HW Forums