How to grow a bird's nest fern? Detailed growing methods and precautions

The bird's nest fern, also known as the nest fern, shan su hua and crown fern, is a perennial shade-loving herbaceous foliage plant of the genus Asplenium in the family Aspleniaceae, with extremely high ornamental value. Hung indoors it also has a distinctive tropical feel, and it can be 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. Let's take a look together at the growing 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 as an epiphyte on tree trunks, rock faces and other such places. Its base accumulates many fallen leaves of other tree species over time, giving it a shape like a bird's nest, which is how it got its name. The bird's nest fern has short, thick rhizomes, and the fronds grow in clusters from the underground stem, 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 in Yulin or monsoon forests, or to rocks beneath the forest canopy.

Propagation methods for the bird's nest fern

1. Sowing: In spring, first mix fine sand and humus soil evenly, sterilize at high temperature, put the mixture into a sowing pot and press it flat, then evenly scatter the mature spores on the pot soil. Then immerse the whole pot in shallow water, using osmosis to make the pot soil fully moist. Cover with glass to keep in moisture and place it in a warm, moist, shady spot. The spores will germinate in 7 to 10 days, and in about 1 month green prothallia will grow. After 3 months, once a few true leaves have grown, they can be potted up for cultivation.

2. Division: Division propagation of the bird's nest fern is generally carried out in mid-to-late April. Choose robustly growing plants, cut the rhizomes together with the fronds and root clusters into several sections, or pull off the small offsets growing at the sides, cut off 1/2 of the fronds, and pot them separately. Cover with a small amount of leaf mold to create a small environment that is moist, ventilated and well-drained. Keep 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 root rot.

Growing methods for the bird's nest fern

1. Temperature: For the bird's nest fern, whether grown as a household 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 this, the greenhouse temperature should at least be kept no lower than 5°C. If the temperature is too low, the leaf margins easily turn brown, and the plant may even die from cold damage.

2. Light: The bird's nest fern's native environment is moist jungle, where it mostly grows as an epiphyte, so it can grow normally with only a small amount of scattered light. Therefore, potted plants can be kept year-round in a bright spot indoors. If placed outdoors under tree shade or in a greenhouse for short periods in spring and autumn, it will grow even better and develop more glossy fronds.

3. Water: During the growing season, the bird's nest fern must be watered thoroughly. Especially in summer, in addition to frequently soaking the growing medium thoroughly, the fronds must also be rinsed 2 to 3 times a day, while water is also sprinkled on the surrounding ground to increase humidity and maintain a relatively high air humidity in the local environment. This both increases the gloss of the fronds and is very beneficial for the germination of spore-bearing fronds.

4. Soil: The potting medium for the bird's nest fern can be based on leaf mold or peat soil, vermiculite and the like, mixed with a small amount of river sand. It can also 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 best 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 leaf 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, and the suitable growing temperature for the bird's nest fern is 22-27°C.

2. Under the high temperature and high humidity conditions of summer, the bird's nest fern's new leaves need more spraying to maintain air humidity as they grow.

3. Growing the bird's nest fern does not require much sunlight; it can grow normally with only a small amount of scattered light.

4. During the growing season, the bird's nest fern must be watered thoroughly; in winter when room temperature is low, keep the pot soil moist.