A Detailed Guide to Bird's Nest Fern Cultivation Methods and Precautions
The bird's nest fern, also known as the nest fern, mountain sushua, crown fern, etc., is a perennial shade-loving herbaceous foliage plant of the genus Asplenium in the family Aspleniaceae, with extremely high ornamental value. Suspended indoors, it also has a distinctive tropical flavor; planted beneath tropical garden trees or on rockeries and rocks, small potted plants are used to decorate bright living rooms, meeting rooms, studies, and bedrooms. Now let's take a look together at the cultivation methods and precautions for the bird's nest fern!
Growth Habits of the Bird's Nest Fern
The bird's nest fern is distributed in many tropical regions, growing epiphytically on tree trunks, rock walls, and other places, with many fallen leaves of other tree species accumulating at its base, shaped like a bird's nest, hence its name. The bird's nest fern has short, thick rhizomes, with fronds clustering from the underground stem and spreading out from the center to form a nest shape. It likes high temperatures and cannot tolerate strong light, and is especially fond of attaching to tree trunks or rocks beneath the forest in Yulin or monsoon forests.
Propagation Methods of the Bird's Nest Fern
1. Sowing: In spring, first mix fine sand and humus soil evenly, sterilize at high temperature, put into a sowing pot and press flat, evenly scatter mature spores onto the pot soil, then immerse the whole pot in shallow water, using osmosis to fully moisten the pot soil, cover with glass to retain moisture, and place it in a warm, moist, and shady place. The spores can germinate in 7 to 10 days, and after about 1 month, green prothallia will grow. After 3 months, when several true leaves have grown, they can be potted for cultivation.
2. Division: Propagation of the bird's nest fern by division is generally carried out in mid-to-late April. Select robustly growing plants, cut the rhizomes together with fronds and root clusters into several pieces, or pull off the small offset plants growing beside them, cut off 1/2 of the fronds, pot them separately, cover with a small amount of leaf mold soil to create a moist, ventilated, well-drained small environment for them, and control the ambient temperature at around 25°C. The survival rate is relatively high. Note that the pot soil must not be too wet, to avoid causing root rot.
Cultivation Methods of the Bird's Nest Fern
1. Temperature: For the bird's nest fern, whether as a home potted plant or in production cultivation, it is best to maintain a greenhouse temperature above 15°C in winter so that it can continue growing. When conditions do not allow, at least maintain a greenhouse temperature no lower than 5°C. If the temperature is too low, it easily causes the frond margins to turn brown, and may even cause plant death due to cold damage.
2. Light: The native environment of the bird's nest fern is in moist jungles, mostly as an epiphyte, and it can grow normally with only a small amount of scattered light. Therefore, potted plants can be kept year-round in a brightly lit indoor spot for care. If placed outdoors in the shade of trees or in a greenhouse for a short period in spring and autumn, it is even more conducive to its growth and can increase the glossiness of the fronds.
3. Water: During the growing season, the bird's nest fern should be watered thoroughly, especially in summer. In addition to frequently watering the growing medium thoroughly, the fronds must also be rinsed 2 to 3 times a day, while sprinkling water on the surrounding ground to increase humidity, maintaining a relatively high air humidity in the local environment. This can both increase the glossiness of the fronds and is very beneficial to the germination of spore-bearing fronds.
4. Soil: The potting medium for the bird's nest fern can be mainly leaf mold soil or peat soil, vermiculite, etc., mixed with a small amount of river sand, or it can be made by mixing fern roots, crushed bark, moss, or crushed brick particles with a small amount of humus soil. In addition, adding a little crushed lime to the pot each spring is beneficial to the growth and development of its offset plantlets.
5. Fertilizer: For potted bird's nest ferns, during the vigorous growing season, it is advisable to apply a dilute fertilizer balanced in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium once every half month, which can promote the continuous growth of large numbers of new fronds. If the plant lacks fertilizer, the frond margins will also turn brown. When the summer temperature is above 32°C, or the winter greenhouse temperature is below 15°C, all forms of topdressing should be stopped.
Precautions for the Bird's Nest Fern
1. The bird's nest fern is suitable for growing in peat soil or leaf mold soil, and the suitable temperature for its growth is 22-27°C.
2. Under high temperature and humid conditions in summer, the bird's nest fern needs more spraying when new fronds grow, to maintain air humidity.
3. Cultivating the bird's nest fern does not require too much sunlight; it can grow normally with only a small amount of scattered light.
4. During the growing season, the bird's nest fern should be watered thoroughly; when the indoor temperature is low in winter, keep the pot soil moist.