Delicate and ethereal Maidenhair Fern brings a surge of verdant vitality to a room the place you desire a tropical vibe.
Though pleasant to have a look at, these nodding leaflets demand excessive humidity, making this fern tough to please indoors. However do not write off this houseplant simply but. Right here you may uncover simply what it takes to maintain this fussy fern wholesome and thriving.
Get to Know Maidenhair Ferns
Maidenhair Fern is a foliage plant with arching, black, wiry stems lined with inexperienced triangular leaflets, referred to as pinnae.
One of the generally grown in a container, Adiantum raddianum is well-worth rising for its gorgeous foliage. It will dwell a very long time, too, should you can meet its want for top humidity.
This lovely fern grows from rhizomes, that unfold rapidly slightly below the floor of the soil. It could attain a width of 24 in (60 cm) or extra. You may get pleasure from many vegetation over time by propagating this fern. It is simple to divide.
Repot in spring when it has outgrown its pot, utilizing a container that gives good drainage. It is a good time to divide the fern, if wanted.
Considerably tough to develop, this tropical native calls for excessive humidity which isn’t sensible in most properties. This magnificence grows finest in terrariums the place humidity is stored at a excessive stage. Drafts and dry air will trigger leaflets to shrivel.
Pruning tip: Reduce the stems off on the base if the leaflets dry up or fall off. Hold soil moist and lift the humidity across the fern to encourage new development. Mist twice a day till new shoots seem.
Maidenhair Fern Issues, Options and Solutions
Yellow leaf suggestions are sometimes an indication of overwatering. Trim off yellow leaflets to maintain the fern wanting neat and cut back watering. Additionally, test the roots to see if they’ve rotted. Wholesome fern roots have white to mild brown suggestions. If the roots are largely black, eliminate it — it is too far gone.
Brown leaflets could also be attributable to low humidity, though outdated fronds naturally flip brown. Reduce them off and enhance the humidity round your fern.
Wilted fronds are probably a symptom of underwatering. At all times water totally to keep away from any dry pockets within the soil.
One thing bugging your fern? Not many pests trouble Maidenhair Fern. Nonetheless, scale and mealybugs are the commonest. Test the fronds repeatedly for infestations. They’re much simpler to treatment if caught early.
Are Maidenhair Ferns toxic? No, they’re non-toxic to cats, canines and folks. In fact, you do not need your pets nibbling in your houseplants, however that is one you will not have to fret about.
Repot in spring. Do not pack the potting combination; maintain it unfastened to assist drainage. You possibly can encourage a small fern to develop larger by transferring it to a barely larger pot. Need to maintain your plant small? Take away the plant from its container and prune off as much as one-third of its roots earlier than repotting it in the identical pot.
Sprays of sunshine inexperienced leaflets on wiry stems make Maidenhair Fern a sublime houseplant. Photograph credit score ©Elena VyaselevaRising Suggestions for Maidenhair Fern
Origin: Brazil and Venezuela
Peak: 6-15 inches (15-38 cm).
Mild: Average to vivid mild. No direct solar.
Water: Hold soil evenly moist, however not soggy. Bear in mind to make use of a pot with drainage holes in order that water can drain freely.
Humidity: Requires moist air that hardly ever drops under 50% relative humidity. For a wholesome plant, use a cool-mist room humidifier or plant in a terrarium. Brown leaf suggestions are a symptom of dry air.
Temperature: Common room (65-75°F/18-24°C) temps are ideally suited. This rainforest native would not like temperature swings. It is a good suggestion to maintain Maidenhair Fern away from drafty entryways and air vents the place it might catch blasts of chilly or sizzling air.
Soil: Mix half potting combine with half peat moss. Do not use potting combine that accommodates fertilizer (it may possibly dissolve too quick and burn delicate fern roots).
Fertilizer: Feed as soon as a month spring by summer season with a balanced houseplant fertilizer diluted by half. Fertilize after watering to stop burning roots.
Propagation: Division. This fern grows from rhizomes that unfold horizontally simply beneath the floor of the soil. Divide clump in spring, leaving rhizome hooked up to 1-2 fronds, and pot in its personal container.
