Lady ferns such as Adiantum raddianum and Adiantum fragrans are dependent on certain measures for care. The demanding plants can be cultivated with these for years.
Characteristics
- Plant family: Hemlock family (Pteridaceae)
- Genus: Maidenhair ferns (Adiantum)
- Origin: worldwide, missing north of the 60. Latitude, absent in arid areas
- Growth habit: herbaceous, bushy, upright, evergreen
- Height: 10 cm to 110 cm (depending on the species)
- Leaves: 10 cm to 110 cm long, uniform, hairy stalk, glabrous on both sides, shiny or blunt, green
- does not form flowers (multiplication via sporangia)
- trains Indusia
- is considered non-toxic to pets
- Most of the species are not hardy
Location
Once you've decided on a maidenhair fern, the choice of location is extremely important. Since Adiantum is a genus of ferns, it is important to pay particular attention to the amount of light provided, because the plants are quite sensitive in this regard. Even Pete in the London Zoo is quite dark. The following location is ideal:
- Light requirement: shady to partially shaded
- Protect from direct sun
- Temperature: 18 ° C to 25 ° C
- tolerates temperatures up to 12 ° C
- high humidity
- protect from drafts
- ideal bathroom plant
- never place over a heater
Note: If you live in a warmer region like the Mediterranean, you can plant your maidenhair fern outdoors regardless of the species. Just make sure you have adequate protection from the direct sun.
Substrate
Choose a lean and low-salt substrate for the maidenhair fern. The plant does not react well to salts in particular. High-quality orchid soil or potting soil is recommended with a pH value between 5.0 and 6.5
lies. If you choose potting soil, use one of the following drainage agents to loosen it up a little:- Quartz sand
- Perlite
Repot
Lady ferns are repotted every two years over the spring. The new pot should contain drainage holes and be selected according to the size of the root ball. The following points will help you when repotting:
- Take the plant out of the pot
- Check roots for damage and rot
- Thoroughly remove unhealthy roots
- fill a new pot with substrate
- Insert the plant
- Fill the pot with the rest of the soil
- Lightly press
- moisten well
Note: You can also place the bucket on a saucer filled with gravel. As a result, the humidity does not drop as quickly and the ferns always receive sufficient water during maintenance.
to water
A lot can be done wrong with adding water. Maidenhair fern is dependent on sufficient moisture, but must not be watered too often, otherwise waterlogging occurs. Waterlogging is fatal for lady ferns as it leads to root rot. To prevent this problem, follow these steps when pouring:
- water as needed
- Soil should stay slightly moist
- never wet
- Use lime-free water (rain or filter water)
- Temperature: room or lukewarm
- never water over the plant
- Always add water to the substrate
Note: Root rot can be treated by repotting the plant. Check the roots for a white coating, remove this and allow the entire root ball to dry before placing the fern in the fresh substrate.
Fertilize
The ferns are only fertilized during the vegetation phase in summer. The ferns are growing
over the winter, but you do not need any additional nutrients over the cold season. In general, Adiantum species tolerate only a few nutrients, which should be taken into account when fertilizing. Ideally, you should use a lime-free flower fertilizer over the irrigation water for fertilization. The intervals for fertilization from March to the end of August depend heavily on the type of substrate:- freshly repotted: not until the following year
- nutrient-poor or normal: 4 to 6 weeks
- nutrient-rich: 8 to 10 weeks
Cut
One of the simplest maintenance measures on the plant is the pruning. You don't have to wait for a specific time as the leaves can be removed all year round. Always cut off the leaves that have dried out with disinfected and sharp scissors. This is how you maintain the vitality of the maidenhair fern. You don't have to worry if you cut a little more off. Maidenhair fern grows vigorously.
Overwinter
The maidenhair fern does not need any special winter care. It also doesn't matter whether you have an Adiantum fragrans or Adiantum raddianum, the plants are cared for over winter in the same way as in summer. Slightly frost-resistant species such as the common maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) are an exception. These can be kept outdoors until the first frost and should then move to winter quarters. Don't worry, the fern won't mind the temperature difference. During the winter, make sure that it is not too dry and that the temperature does not drop below 12 ° C. This is very hard on the fern. Drafts should be avoided even more, as they are too cold in winter.
Multiplication by division
Division is the easiest way to propagate a healthy maidenhair fern. To do this, the plant is carefully removed from the earth. Select rhizomes that have at least one eye or three fronds and cut them off. Now they are placed in a suitable substrate, moistened and cultivated at temperatures of around 20 ° C. You don't have to do more here.
Propagation by spores
Propagation by spores is just as easy, only takes a little longer. To do this, proceed as follows:
- cut off a frond
- place on a sheet of paper or foil
- let it dry out
- look for spores on the paper or foil
- they fall off as they dry
- Plant spores in potting soil
- cover with quartz sand
- moisten well
- Place cling film over the growing containers
- alternatively use a mini greenhouse
- Temperature: 20 ° C to 22 ° C
- It takes 3 to 4 weeks for the first seedlings to form
- Repot from a suitable size
Aphids
Aphids (Aphidoidea) are typical pests that attack lady ferns. The reason is that the air is too dry, which makes it easy for the lice to choose the Adiantum plants as a food source.
The animals can be recognized as light to white dots on the upper side of the leaf of the lady fern. The colonies can be of different sizes. Furthermore, the plant appears weakened. If the infestation is small, just spray the ferns thoroughly with water. Just make sure that you dab the leaves after use so that no small leaves can settle. If the water treatment is unsuccessful, you can use one of the following home remedies to wipe the leaves daily for a week:- black tea
- Water and milk (1: 2)
- 1 l of water with 50 g of soft soap
Tip: If you have the feeling that the maidenhair fern would not tolerate the treatment with the home remedies, use plant protection sticks. These can work effectively against the aphids.
Spider mites
The most common pests on Adiantum plants are spider mites. Tetranychidae settle on the ferns when the humidity is too low. The arachnids can pose a major problem, especially during the winter, as the dry heating air weakens the lady ferns. An infestation can be clearly recognized by the following symptoms:
- Leaves become blotchy
- turn white or gray
- later gray-brown
- Plants weaken
- Leaves can dry up
- spider mites can be seen on the underside of the leaf
- Visible webs
The sucking behavior of the spider mites means that the plant no longer feels well over time. For this reason, you should use home remedies to combat the pests. You should use the home remedies that you can also use against aphids. Alternatively, there is the plastic bag variant:
- isolate the infected plant
- Wrap the fern in a plastic bag
- The bag must be transparent
- Leave the plant wrapped up for about 10 days
- Pour over the entire waiting time
- Spider mites must have died by now
Small leaves
In addition to aphids, you have to watch out for an infestation by aphelenchoides. These pests are nematodes which, as parasites, can seriously affect your Adiantum specimens. An infestation by the animals can be recognized by the following symptoms:
- Foliage forms glassy spots
- later turn brown
- at the end the entire leaf is brown in color
- Leaves can die off
You can play it safe and remove a leaf to check for small leaves. To do this, you need to cut the leaf into smaller pieces and put the pieces in a glass with water. As soon as the small leaves threaten to drown, they swim out of the leaf pieces and can be seen in the water. The cause for a settlement of the pests is the spraying of the plant with irrigation water, whereby they get into the leaves. Fortunately, the infestation can be contained in a few steps and the plant usually recovers afterwards:
- remove affected leaves
- Dispose of clippings in household waste
- Do not spray the plant any more
