Maidenhair fern plants are thrity and love humidity and moisture. So water them in regularly and misting them will clear dust, pests and help in humidity too.
Yellow leaves and stunted grown can occur with poor lighting too. So place near a window with enough bright indirect light for 5hours. Also do trial and error with regards of your house location for south or north window.
Turning brown? Low humidity could be a reason make use of humidifier to keep in optimum levels 50 – 60%.
Maidenhair fern plants are one of the high-maintenance houseplants that claim a bit more attention than normal indoor plants. Its lacy leaves grow on the coarse stems and display totally elegant when thrived properly in a wide planter.
This green vining plant can decorate your house or office interior with a touch of nature. A maidenhair fern plant is very particular about its growing climate and fundamental needs. So, here we give you some basic tips about how to keep a growing maidenhair fern plant healthy all the time by following these smart tricks-
Maidenhair Fern Plant Care: Quick Overview
- Soil: Light and fluffy soil with well-drained quality that rich in organic matter
- Water: It is a high-thirsty plant thus, choose to water it regularly at about 1-inch depth
- Fertilizer: Any water-soluble organic fertilizer like peat moss, leaf mold, etc.
- Sun Exposure: Sun with partial shade (bright indirect light)
- Hardiness Zones: Anything between 8 to 10
Quick Read: How to care for a dying yucca cane plant.
How to Care for Maidenhair Fern Plant:
As we mentioned before the maidenhair fern plant is a high-maintenance houseplant, thus check out its indispensable growing requirements and fulfill them accordingly-
Soil and Potting Mix:
A maidenhair fern prefers light, fluffy soil that must be evenly moist but well-drained, and not waterlogged. Try to make the soil fertile enough during the plantation with peat moss and organic matter. This kind of potting mix increases the water-retaining quality of the soil efficiently but keeps them well-drained as well.
Water Needs:
A healthy maidenhair fern plant needs lots and lots of water to thrive properly. Try to water it thoroughly after the plantation and pour 1-inch of water each day for the first couple of weeks. After it grows to a certain height, you should reduce the water application by once after every 2 days.
Quick Read: Begonia plant propagation and watering needs.
How often to water: In simple water your maidenhair every other day or if she is thirsty because of the season water daily to keep soil moist enough.
Fertilization:
Maidenhair fern plants don’t need much fertilization once it planted properly. Try to use organic plant food during the plantation. Any organic matter, leaf mold, fish emulsion, kitchen scrap-made compost, etc. once in a month to feed your growing plant properly. Try not to apply high nitrogen fertilizer ever to avoid any kind of leaf dispute to your maidenhair fern plant.
Light Needs & Humidity:
Like water needs, a maidenhair fern is also very picky about its proper climate. Place your plate in a place where it can get bright indirect light. Keep the temperature between 60 to 70 degrees F with a high-humid atmosphere to thrive best. It can stand warm conditions with 50 to 60% humidity during its entire growing session.
How to Prune:
You must trim off the unnecessary bushy part and unhealthy sections of a growing maidenhair fern plant to keep it healthy flawlessly. Find any discolored leaves or fronds that start turning brown. Cut that part off with a sharp shear or scissor. If you find any pests to bacterial infestation to your plant, try to trim that part too during this pruning session.
Trim off brown leaves, edges, old yellow leaves, and uneven growth if want to encourage your maidenhair fern to produce new leaves and make it bushy.
Related quick read: How to fix falling leaves of Jade plant.
Few More Quick Plant Care Tips
Some other useful tips to keep your indoor maidenhair fern plant vigorous, are-
- Try to keep the soil of your maidenhair fern plant evenly moist every single day
- Place it in a south or west-facing window, where your plant can get 4-6 hours of indirect bright light
- Never let the temperature down more than 60 degrees F, ever
- Sometimes use warm water for your growing maidenhair fern plant to maintain the perfect humidity level
- Don’t keep your place under direct sunlight and don’t overfertilize it in the name of care
- Stay updated about its troubleshoots and take proper remedies in time
- Try to go with homemade remedies or organic products instead of chemical pesticides
- Repot your growing maidenhair fern plant whenever it outgrows the present planter, mostly it likes to be in a small to medium container as they are slow growers.
- And cut dead fronds off to your plant, whenever you detect one to a healthy maidenhair fern plant.
Why My Maidenhair Fern is Dying?
A maidenhair fern plant is a delicate one, compared to the other houseplants. So, you have to be very particular about its basic requirements like water, fertilizer, temperature, or climate. Once it starts getting imbalance in these things, your healthy and growing maidenhair fern plant can die soon! Some common causes of a dying maidenhair fern plant are, as follows-
- Too much direct sunlight
- Improper temperatures like more than 75 degrees or less than 60 degrees F
- Low humidity level
- Infrequent watering and inconsistency in soil moistness
- Overfertilization or high-nitrogen fertilization
- And untreated troubleshoots
You should not forget that a maidenhair fern plant claims bright but indirect sunlight; evenly moist soil; frequent watering; mild fertilization; moderate temperature; and heavy humidity to thrive. Try to provide each and every single thing appropriately to stop your maidenhair fern plant from dying.
Save a Dried Maidenhair Fern
Img Ref: Watch Step by Step Video at Daisy Dawes – Youtube
Maidenhair Fern Plant Propagation:
Like normal green houseplants, the maidenhair fern plant can easily be propagated. Fortunately, you can propagate a maidenhair fern plant from divided plants with rooted fronds, cuttings, and spores too. The process of propagation is as it we mention below-
- To grow a maidenhair fern from its division, take a mature fern plant out of its current planter
- Untangled the roots and fronds off your plant, then, set them apart
- Take them and sow in two prepared planters separately
- To grow them from spores, take healthy fronds from your plant that has spores
- Now put it in a wet paper bag for a couple of days, and place a plastic bag over the top
- After a certain period, when it is rooted, take the rooted spore out, and plant in a planter prepared with most potting mix
- Each time, place the planter in a warm moist place of your house to boost the growth naturally at its initial stage when you are growing a maidenhair fern plant from its cuttings.
Propagate Maidenhair Ferns: Divide cut and grow
Image Ref & Courtesy: Watch Full Video at Johnny A – Youtube
FAQ:
Is Maidenhair Fern Plant Easy-to-Grow Indoor?
A maidenhair fern plant can be an easy-to-grow houseplant, only if you fulfill its essential requirements properly.
Is Maidenhair Fern Plant Toxic to Pets?
A maidenhair fern plant is not toxic to any of your house pets unless you let your pets ingest or chew its leaves ever.