Ferns are among the oldest representatives of the plant world of the Earth. In those days, they were comparable in size to modern trees. Having successfully survived the repeated climate change on the planet, ferns have successfully survived to our days and are found in almost all natural zones, including the Arctic and deserts.
A lot of folk legends and beliefs are associated with ferns. One of them is a fern flower, which blooms on the night of Ivan Kupala and reveals the secrets of the location of underground treasures to anyone who finds it. A more detailed study of ferns showed that these plants do not have any flowers, but propagate using spores formed on the lower surface of the leaves.
Beautiful rosettes of openwork fern leaves have long attracted the attention of lovers of indoor floriculture. Potted ferns first appeared in the greenhouses of rich Victorian houses . Since then, the fern fashion has experienced ups and downs several times. Currently, indoor ferns are again one of the most popular decorative foliage plants. Like other indoor plants, fern is used for landscaping residential and office premises, beautiful cirrus leaves of ferns are used in the preparation of bouquets and flower arrangements. In the interior, they are wonderful both as solitary plants located in hanging baskets, and in the form of compositions consisting of decorative foliage and flowering houseplants.
Fern Care Features
In room conditions, more than two thousand species of ferns from different parts of the land can grow, but only a few dozen are actually grown. The classic fern consists of a rosette of curved cirrus leaves, called vayas. Some species have solid leaf plates - this is the bones, leaflet and platycerum. Adiantum and cybotium look like small bushes with thin stalks and delicate graceful leaves. All indoor ferns love high humidity and plentiful watering. An earthen lump in flower pots with ferns should never dry out, but at the same time, excessive watering, threatening to rot the roots, should be avoided. To maintain the required moisture level, plants need to be periodically sprayed with water, other methods of increasing humidity should be applied.
It is widely believed that indoor ferns grow better in the shade and do not like direct sunlight. This is not entirely true. Many ferns need a bright diffused light, but not a bright sun. Such conditions correspond to the location of plants on the eastern or northern windows in the house.
Air temperature should be moderate. Ferns do not like heat and do not tolerate temperatures above 22C, but at the same time they suffer when the temperature drops below 10C.
In heated rooms in the winter, there is always very dry air, which has a detrimental effect on ferns. It can be problematic to grow these plants in apartments, since it is difficult to select the required temperature and humidity regime. Optimum conditions for ferns can be created in closed flower displays, greenhouses, conservatories.
Transplantation and reproduction
Indoor ferns do not require frequent transplants. Young ferns are transplanted in the spring as the plants grow. Transplanting an adult plant is necessary only if the roots fill the pot.
A new fern plant can be obtained by dividing the bush into several parts. This is usually done in the spring when transplanting. It is possible to grow ferns from spores, but this is a more complex method, available only to experienced gardeners.