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Bird's Nest Fern?

10 years ago

Hi,

One of the plants I recently got came with a label that read "Japanese Asplenium nidus fern", which I googled. I found a few basic tips, like to give it plenty of water but keep it damp not wet, and that it likes indirect sunlight, but I wanted more comprehensive information.

What sort of soil does this fern like/do best in? Does it prefer to be underpotted/root bound, or in a larger pot? What sort of watering schedule should I keep, and should I fertilize it? Any other general information that's important?

Thanks!

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Comments (2)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
10 years ago
Bergeby, of all the ferns, this one might be the easiest to grow inside. I love BNFs and think that they are very striking.

Take a hint at the type of habitat in which ferns thrive in nature and give them a peat/bark based potting medium. Since the mix should be kept moist, it must be coarse textured and fast draining. 'Most' potting media on the market don't fit that description without some altering. Amendments like bark fines would be a plus. Some commercial mixes are made with pine bark as the primary ingredient and those are great. Do not purchase a potting soil declaring 'moisture ' control and please don't underpot your plant.

As far as watering goes, no one can give you a schedule. Ever! You need to use your fingers to dig around into the soil to feel for moistness.

Here are some of the factors that influence the need for watering: type of plant, type of potting medium, type of container, size of plant in relation to container, temperature of the room, humidity levels, time of year, amount of light, plant vigor. Holy cow!

Once you gain some experience, you will be able to judge the need for watering simply by lifting the pot to judge its weight. The coarser your mix, the more forgiving to overwatering.

All plants grown in a container will require fertilization from you. That is a given.

Beware of scale insects on ferns. They are kept under control at the grower's greenhouses by chemicals and may pop up after being in the garden center and your home for a few weeks. Scale insects are a real threat to indoor ferns, as they can be sensitive to common solutions used to control pests on indoor plants.
greentoe357
10 years ago
Here are my notes on them.

Light: The more light, the more crinkled the leaves - but too much light or direct light will cause the fronds to yellow and die.

Temp: 65-85 best, no drafts.

Humidity: high. If the relative humidity drops below 50%, use a humidity tray or room humidifier.

Water: keep evenly moist between waterings. Tolerates occasional drying out. Water the soil, not the rosette, or the growing point may rot. Water less in winter. Yellow fronds are often a sign of overwatering.
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These ferns are easy to take care of, but probably not a good choice for dim rooms where they will dry out between waterings. Grow them in a bright room but not too near that sunny window. It's essential, with these plants, that you provide an exceptionally coarse textured medium so that you can keep it constantly moist without fear of causing root rot. The typical houseplant potting soil won't work. As far as humidity goes, I never accomodated mine in any special way. No trays, no misting in my house. But I do not overheat my home in the winter nor do I chill us out in the summer. Both of those bad practices dry the air like crazy! I'd avoid using BNF if you need something sturdy, a thrives on neglect kind of plant. My guess is that you can't keep the potting medium moist enough in your maintenance schedule. Yes...do use distilled water for houseplants to avoid chlorine, fluoride.
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I agree, those brown lines are spores. Your problems start from the fact that this fern is an epiphyte or a lithophyte. In other words they grow on trees or on rocks. The most covering the roots usually get is from the moss growing around them. In the rainforest type of environment they naturally grow in there's usually high humidity with frequent rain and water never sits long around their roots. Hence, as Rhizo has stated, the signs of chronic over watering. You need to treat it as an epiphyte.
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