Ferns “Many Genera” give a better
softening effect to an indoor environment that makes good houseplants. Many
people are familiar with that old favorite, the Boston fern “Nephrolepsis
exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’ ” a very easy indoor plant with rich green, arching
fronds; in the variety ‘Fluffy Ruffles’ they are rather upright and have
frilled edges. Even more foolproof is its relative, the Dallas fern (N. e.
Dallassi) which grows less than a foot tall. Well, there are many species of
tropical and subtropical ferns, however, lot of ferns that are native to more
temperate climates. These ferns would be well fitting to cooler parts of the
house but won’t survive in rooms that are too well heated.
Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidul)
type of spleenwort, has wide, shiny, wavy edge fronds that look more like
leaves and they can grow two to three feet tall. Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum)
also has leaf like fronds a bit like large holly leaves and is extremely
adaptable as an indoor plant. If you want something a bit unusual that’s very
easy to grow try rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia fejeensis) a beautiful feathery
fern from the South Pacific. Its long rhizomes look like brown, furry paws and
can be seen crawling out of the pot and hanging from its rim.
When supplying an office with
plants once set of these on a woman’s desk, and the fern made her so nervous
that she couldn’t sit next to it but most people find D. fejeensis charming.
Another exotic that is not terribly hard to grow is the staghorn fern (Platycerium
bifurcatum), who’s gray green fronds look like antlers like those of a moose
than those of a stag. It is an epiphyte, generally grown on a piece of wood or
bark, with its roots wrapped in moistened sphagnum moss.
Few ferns can tolerate much, if
any, sun and most grown indoors don’t like deep shade either. Give them bright
indirect or filtered sun and an average room temperature. The one thing they are
really fussy about is humidity. Generally, the more feathery its fronds, the
more moisture in the air a fern needs. Ferns with leaf like fronds are more droughts
tolerant. Misting or using a humidity tray may make the difference for you.
Moreover, ferns are shallow
rooted and should be grown in shallow pots in a light, organic soil mix. Keep
the soil evenly moist but not soggy the phrase “like a squeezed out sponge” is
often used to describe the right degree of wetness. The surface can be
permitted to dry out between watering in winter. However, water the base of a
staghorn fern when it feels dry. Indoor ferns do not need a period of dormancy,
though they may go dormant if the temperature is below 50 degree.
Thus, feed your ferns in the summer time every 2-4
weeks with a liquid fertilizer, but don’t mix it full strength because you can
damage the root system. Also they can be fed lightly about once a month all
year. You can move them outdoors in summer but not into direct sun. Ferns
spread by runners, which can be severed and replanted for propagation. To
propagate rabbit’s foot fern pin the tip of a “FOOT” to the surface of moist
sand with a hairpin. Source: CP
