My ferns are looking brown. When I water them a coffee/tea stain pours out the bottom. What is causing this?

Question

The ferns looked awesome last weekend. I have had ferns hanging on my porch for 25 summers. This is the first time I have ever seen this. I have never seen this type of solution come out of the bottom.

Answer 1

Yep, sounds like root rot.  Take the fern out of the pot to see if there's some nasty bug in the soil eating the roots.  

Root rot is a non-curable fungus.

Answer 2

Root system is rotted and plant can not absorb water. Repotting may help if it's not too far gone.