Help Needed: Bird's Nest Fern
AddyBeez | CA, USA, Zone 9b
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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AddyBeez | CA, USA, Zone 9b
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Help with Bird's Nest Fern
Comments (3)Whether or not the plants are 'choking' each other would be a function of how congested the roots are in the entire soil mass. Root congestion restricts growth because the soil becomes packed with 'conductive' roots, roots the primary function of which is to move water and nutrients, rather than to gather them. This leaves a reduced volume of soil to support the fine hair roots that do all the real work. The 'center' you refer to would be called the 'crown'. If the roots have filled the pot and are restricting growth, you should consider repotting/root pruning or separating and repotting the plants in the future, but winter is a poor time to consider work as major as that. Instead, wait until early summer when the plant(s) have gained some energy and they are better able to tolerate the stress. If the smaller plant is an offset from the larger, you can simply cut them apart with a longitudinal cut so each has a healthy portion of the root system. Dust the cut with powdered sulfur if you want, to help thwart any rot organisms that might want to wreck your day. If the plants are individuals, tease or cut the root mass apart to separate the plants & repot. Don't be afraid to cut the plants back and prune roots. This type of treatment forces growth from cells closer to the root systems, which are ontogenetically younger (juvenile) and more vigorous, which is where the term rejuvenation pruning comes from. Al...See MoreBird's Nest Fern - Bottom Fronds Turning White
Comments (1)G'day, my Bird's nest fern has done this as well. Doing some research i read some place that it could be using hard water for a long time. the town i live in is quite renowned for having very hard water so perhaps it is true. I am doing to try watering only with the filtered water. fingers crossed :-)...See MoreWhite bugs on birds nest fern
Comments (16)That isn't my photo, that's one that was posted in a comment to me. I have a close up of the base of mine further up in the discussion. There's one of the white specks on the right that you can see quite well. If you look at it and have any suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks...See MoreBird's Nest Fern in dire straits!
Comments (3)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....See Morepetrushka (7b)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAddyBeez | CA, USA, Zone 9b thanked petrushka (7b)AddyBeez | CA, USA, Zone 9b
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAddyBeez | CA, USA, Zone 9b
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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