How to grow potted asparagus fern well? A full breakdown of care methods

Asparagus fern is also known as yunpian pine, citian dong, jirong zhi and so on. It is a perennial herbaceous flower of the genus Asparagus in the Liliaceae family. Although it is not bamboo, its leaves are soft and light, evergreen all year round, and its stems have nodes and look like bamboo, giving it extremely high ornamental value. It can be placed in the living room or study, and while purifying the air it also adds a literary atmosphere. Let us take a look below at how to grow potted asparagus fern well!

Asparagus fern's growth habits

Asparagus fern likes a warm, humid, semi-shaded and ventilated environment. In winter it cannot tolerate severe cold, nor does it tolerate drought. It cannot be watered too much or the roots will rot, and in summer it should avoid direct sunlight. It is best cultivated in loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam rich in humus. The room temperature is best kept between 12 and 18°C. When it exceeds 20°C, ventilate to dissipate heat. The optimum growth temperature is 15 to 25°C, and the overwintering temperature is 5°C. It grows in the mountains and wilds, and is also cultivated in courtyards.

Asparagus fern propagation methods

1. Sowing: asparagus fern is usually sown in early April, and by autumn of that year it can become a commercial seedling or be displayed indoors. The sowing substrate is generally fine sand, and the container is a clay pot or wooden box. Place the seeds on the pot soil at a spacing of 2 to 3 cm, with 2 to 3 seeds per hole. After sowing, cover with fine sand 5 mm thick, and add glass or plastic film, keep the temperature at 20 to 25°C, and spray water frequently to keep the pot soil moist. About 30 days after sowing, germination and sprouting begin.

2. Division: when growing asparagus fern as a household potted plant, division propagation can also be used. It has a strong clumping habit, and a 4- to 5-year-old plant can continuously send up root-sucker shoots from the root crown, making the clump constantly expand. In spring, when repotting, the potted plant can be divided into several clumps and planted separately in pots to obtain new plants.

How to grow potted asparagus fern?

1. Pot soil: for asparagus fern, the pot soil should preferably be fertile sandy loam. It requires warmth and moisture, richness in humus, and good drainage. Generally, a mix of 4 parts garden soil, 2 parts leaf mold, 2 parts compost soil and 1 part sand can be used, and soil should be changed and fertilizer added regularly. If excessive fertilization causes "root burn", the pot must be turned out to remove the fertilizer, and the soil ball rinsed with clean water, then replaced with new soil for growing.

2. Watering: if asparagus fern is watered too much and the pot soil is too wet, it easily causes root rot; if watered too little, the leaf tips will scorch and turn yellow. Therefore, in the watering process, it should be determined according to the weather, growth condition and the wetness of the pot soil, following the rule of not watering when dry and watering thoroughly when watering. In hot and dry weather, water can be sprayed on the leaf surface to increase humidity and lower temperature. In winter, water less.

3. Fertilizing: asparagus fern does not like heavy fertilizer, but it also cannot lack fertilizer. Limited by the pot soil of container growing, nutrients must be supplemented in time to meet growth requirements. In the fertilizing process, apply little but often, and do not apply concentrated fertilizer, otherwise it will cause yellow leaves. Generally, applying a thin decomposed liquid fertilizer once a month is enough. After the plant has grown and taken shape, fertilization can be appropriately controlled and reduced.

4. Light: asparagus fern must not be exposed to the scorching sun when grown. In hot seasons, it should be placed in a cool and ventilated place. At the same time, during the flowering period asparagus fern is afraid of both wind and rain, so good ventilation should be ensured, and in good weather it can be appropriately placed outdoors to receive sunlight. In winter, the temperature for potted asparagus fern should be kept above 5°C to avoid freezing.

5. Placement: asparagus fern loves a clean environment with circulating air. If stimulated by harmful gases such as smoke, dust, coal gas and pesticides, the leaves will turn yellow, curl and even die. Therefore, asparagus fern should be placed in a clean, well-ventilated environment, away from decorative materials such as marble that release mercury gas.

6. Pruning

① Missing cladodes: when the growth position of the small cladodes on the main branch is not ideal or they are missing for some reason, short pruning can be carried out at an appropriate position on the main branch to force the dormant buds there to sprout. Generally, the height of the cut is the height at which the cladodes sprout, and the position of the thorn on the branch is the position where the cladodes sprout, while the thicker the branch, the higher the sprouting rate of the dormant buds.

② Renewal of the whole plant: if the branches and leaves of the whole plant grow poorly due to strong sunlight scorching, overly dry pot soil, lack of fertilizer or some unknown reason, the whole plant can be renewed. During renewal pruning, all cladodes can be cut off, but attention should be paid to the positions of the recurved thorns on the branches, because they determine whether the distribution of the retained branches is even. Pruning in the growing season generally makes it easy to sprout new branches. After pruning, watering should also be appropriately reduced, and the pot soil must absolutely not be kept too wet, otherwise the pruning will fail.

Precautions for asparagus fern

1. The soil for asparagus fern needs to be kept relatively clean, and when caring for it, no dirty things should be added to the soil. Regularly changing the soil and adding fertilizer is a good guarantee for the growth of asparagus fern.

2. Watering asparagus fern should adhere to one principle: do not water when dry; water less in spring and autumn, more in summer, and preferably not at all in winter.

3. When applying fertilizer to asparagus fern, note that it should be thin fertilizer applied frequently, with an appropriate amount being best, and nitrogen fertilizer is best. Especially after the plant is established, fertilizer should be appropriately controlled so as not to cause excessive vegetative growth.

4. While providing light to asparagus fern, remember that asparagus fern is semi-shade growing and is not suitable for long periods of exposure. As long as it is not taken outside in summer, it is fine.

5. Asparagus fern does bloom. When it blooms, it is not suitable to be exposed to wind, as this will make the flowering period very short, nor is it suitable to be rained on, as this will also shorten the flowering period and it will not bear fruit. When grown in pots, it should be cared for well during the flowering period.