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I moved to Saint Augustine Fl from Chicago and I don't know how to water this plant where I am at now. The tag said allow to dry between waterings. It's in a 9" pot and I don't know how much to water or how often. I feel so stupid as I never had plant problems like this before.
I watered it with two 16 oz glasses of water and the plant was still dry. Then later in the day I added 16 more ounces and it was still dry. I left it alone.
Some bottom leaves turned yellow (not many) and some of the leaves still drooped.
The best way I've found for knowing when to water is stick your finger down a couple inches into the soil--a lot of times the top will look dry but down an inch or two it's still really wet, and if you have a plant that's supposed to dry out in between waterings it'll be bad for it to water if it's still wet just underneath the surface. Over time you can also learn to judge by the weight of the pot whether it's dried out or not.
Sometimes when a plant gets to dry and you water it the water just runs right through the soil and out the bottom. I would follow ecranes sugestions and if it still feels dry set it in a bowl of water for a couple of hours and then let it drain well. If it is to dry it will soak up from the bottom easier than pouring from the top.
Your plant may be going through a transitioning period! You have took this fern from IL. To FL. that's a big transition. The humidity level in Florida is different than what your plant is/was probably use to in IL. therefore your plant is receiving more water (via air moisture) than what you realize. If I were you I would chill out a bit and let my plant tell me what it need's ...you may need to "let up" a bit on your watering habit for now.
How long has your fern been in it's current pot? When potting soil gets old, it doesn't absorb water as well and it will run right through as you describe. The soil tends to get a dry crusted look and will pull away from the sides of the pot.
