There I was with the really big fern to re-pot but had no idea how to see where to add additional potting soil. After a little thinking the solution came to me and was so simple. Got two long heavy duty zip ties from my work bench and initially connected them together a bit larger than the fern's pot. Cathy carefully put her arms around under the fern itself. She then raised her arms up until the fern was gathered together above the pots rim. I then raised the zip tie up the fern then gently tightened it until snug. I gently held the fern while Cathy pulled it out of its nursery pot. Next we switched positions. Cathy gently held the still restrained fern while I used my sharp garden scissors to score the fern's root ball so it would more easily grow into the potting mix. The master gardener at the nursery told me a fern should to planted in a pot that is two inches wider all around the root ball yet not overly deep. A fern grows to the side more than down. The pot was initially prepared by packing spanish moss into the bottom to provide a dense filter for the drain holes. Next I added potting mix on top of the moss to ensure the fern sat at the proper height The still bond fern was placed and centered into the pot. I then added potting mix to the approximate two inch gap between all sides of the root ball and the pot. The potting soil was packed in so no air pockets remained. Almost done now. I then gently sprayed water all over the newly repotted fern so it would settle. This step is important because the added potting mix may sink which indicates you need to add more potting mix. Thankfully no more potting soil was needed so using my garden scissors the zip tie binding was cut and the fern began falling back into shape. Here are a few photos of the project. We had a very good time time repotting.
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