How to grow maidenhair fern in pots?

Among the ferns suitable for cultivation in pots, the maidenhair fern is one of the most beautiful and delicate plant species. In fact, it is characterized by beautiful and numerous fan-shaped leaves, which grow abundantly on slender hanging branches. Care in pots requires constant attention, both to guarantee the plant the correct humidity and to avoid infestations of fungi and parasites. In the apartment it adapts to not excessive temperatures and, above all, to positions not too exposed to the sun.

How to grow maidenhair fern in pots, in order to beautify an apartment or a not too sunny windowsill? This is the question that many gardening enthusiasts will surely have asked when they get to know this one beautiful fern. With fan-shaped leaves and very rich fronds, the maidenhair fern has now found space in many homes as indoor cultivation, even if its care requires a little more attention, as it is a decidedly delicate plant.

Just because quite delicate plant species, before proceeding with the cultivation it is advisable to check that there are the necessary conditions for its luxuriant growth. For this purpose, it is useful to ask your trusted supplier of botanical products for an opinion, to verify that the maidenhair fern can adapt to the climatic conditions typical of your place of residence. Here is some useful information.

How to grow maidenhair fern in pots

The common term maidenhair identifies theAdiantum hair-springa fern belonging to the family of Adiantaceae. The plant has been known since ancient times for its beauty: it is in fact characterized by delicate fan leaves, which grow numerous on slender hanging branches. Although reaching quite small heights – about 40 centimeters – the generous branches make the plant truly showy, so much so that it resembles a thick mane of hair. In nature it grows spontaneously along rocky walls, rocks or on the wooded slopes of hills and mountains, where it finds the right humidity to be able to develop undisturbed. But how do you grow it in pots?

Need of the plant

As already mentioned, the maidenhair fern is a fairly delicate vegetable and care in pots requires a little more attention than other ornamental varieties. Starting from need of the plant:

• Climate: the maidenhair fern grows in mild and not excessively hot environments, with temperatures not exceeding 20 or 22 degrees. It needs good and constant humidity, necessary for the survival of its slender leaves;
• Ground: the preferred soil is soft or medium-textured, fresh and highly draining. Although the plant prefers humidity, water stagnation at the root level can cause its death;
• Exposure: the maidenhair fern does not like direct exposure to sunlight, especially on the hottest days of the year. In fact, too intense solar rays can damage the leaves;
• Watering: the intensity of irrigation varies according to the time of year. It must be almost daily in summer, when the plant could suffer from the heat, while less frequent in winter. Furthermore, it is always useful to spray water on the leaves, so that an average humidity is always guaranteed.

Grow maidenhair in pots

The maidenhair can certainly be grown in pots, always paying attention to the delicacy of the plant. First of all, you need to choose a container of adequate size: the plant will in fact tend to extend very wide, with numerous fronds, consequently you will need a pot that is able to support this extension. After that, a bed of gravel and shards or expanded clay balls will be prepared on the bottom, to increase the drainage capacity of the soil. It may also be useful to mix the soil with a little compost or other organic fertilizer, to increase the nutrients available to the plant.

Maidenhair can be grown from seme, however the most common methods of multiplication are different. First, for division: in spring, the roots with sprouts are divided by hand, to be replanted directly in several pots. Alternatively, the plant produces in late summer spore on the ends of its leaves: this strategy is very useful for the species for multiplication in nature, while it is more difficult for cultivation in pots. In any case, when the spores appear mature, a frond is shaken so that they detach, for example on a sheet or a fabric cloth. The spores are then collected and sown in pots, slightly moistening the soil so that they can develop.

Plant care

The maidenhair fern needs some cyclic cures, to be able to grow without too many hitches even in pots. First of all, it is always necessary to check the state of the leaves: if clear and yellowed, they could signal excessive solar spraying. If dry and not very vital, on the other hand, they should suggest an insufficient supply of water or exposure in insufficiently humid environments.

It is also important to cyclically check for the presence of mushrooms e parasiteswhich could irreparably damage the plant. In particular, the maidenhair is often the victim of the action of scale insectsto be combated even with simple natural remedies, such as neem oil dissolved in water and sprayed regularly on the leaves of the fern.

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