Ostrich fern cultivation and management techniques: generally not harvested in the first year, only harvested the following year
When planting ostrich fern, you need to choose a shady slope with moist soil. Later, you also need to combine deep plowing with fertilization to improve the soil before planting. The temperature needs to be kept around 10° to 25°, and growth stops above 30 degrees. During planting, control the density properly. Later care requires regular watering, but not excessively; just keep the soil moist. In rainy seasons, drain promptly, carry out intertillage and weeding regularly, fertilize regularly, and build a shade shed, and so on.
1. Site selection for planting
Ostrich fern has strong adaptability to the environment, but it has high requirements for the growing environment. The general growing temperature for ostrich fern needs to be around 9 degrees to 28 degrees, and growth stops above 30 degrees. It also has certain requirements for moisture; it likes moisture and is not drought-tolerant. The soil at the planting site should be rich in humus, slightly acidic, and preferably loose on top and firm below. It is best to be located in a half-shady, half-sunny area or to have some shade. After choosing the planting site, we also need to combine deep plowing with fertilization to improve the soil, generally mainly with decomposed farmyard manure, and finally open furrows and make beds for planting.
2. Planting method
The planting methods for ostrich fern include hole sowing and strip sowing. For hole sowing, the spacing between each hole needs to be about 30 to 45 cm, while for strip sowing, plant at a row spacing of about 42 cm and a plant spacing of about 35 cm. When planting, we need to note that each hole should have at least two to three seedlings planted in it, and the planting density per mu is about 4,000 to 6,000 plants. Properly controlling the planting density is beneficial to the later economic value of ostrich fern.
3. Planting methods
There are two planting methods for ostrich fern. The first is spore propagation, generally collecting seeds around late May, then placing the seeds in a suitable environment to promote germination, and sowing after most of the spores have sprouted and differentiated. The second is division propagation. This method is relatively simple. Generally, the divisions are dug out one day before planting and then planted. It is also important to note that digging them out together with the base soil at the end helps increase the survival rate.
4. Later care
Ostrich fern is suitable for growing in a moist environment. After planting, we need to water regularly to keep the soil moist, but we also need to control water; it should not be too much, otherwise it will cause the roots of ostrich fern to rot. In rainy seasons, we need to drain promptly to ensure the normal growth of ostrich fern. About half a month after ostrich fern emerges, carry out intertillage and weeding once. This can reduce nutrient loss and also improve soil permeability, thereby promoting nutrient absorption and increasing its growth rate.
Note: Later, we also need to fertilize regularly and reasonably. To properly control daily sunlight, we also need to build a shade shed, which is beneficial to the growth of ostrich fern. Ostrich fern can generally grow to about 70 to 100 cm. Ostrich fern in the first year is generally not harvested; you need to wait until the following year to harvest. Harvesting needs to be done in batches, and after harvesting, additional fertilizer is needed, which can improve the yield and quality of ostrich fern. Note that after harvesting ostrich fern, to prevent the plants from aging, shade cloth needs to be covered promptly.