How to grow asparagus fern so it thrives? Care tips shared
Asparagus fern, also known as cloud bamboo, is a perennial evergreen climbing plant of the genus Asparagus in the Liliaceae family. It originated in southern Africa. Asparagus fern prefers a warm, humid, semi-shaded environment. It is not cold-tolerant and not drought-tolerant. It prefers fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. Asparagus fern likes warmth, and in winter it should be placed in a sunny spot. If it is kept for a long time in winter in a place without light, with poor ventilation or cold, the branches and leaves are prone to turning yellow and withering. At this time it can be moved to a warm place with sunlight, with the room temperature kept between 12°C-18°C, and watering appropriately controlled, and it can gradually return to normal. The details are introduced as follows:
The growth habits of asparagus fern
Asparagus fern is not cold-tolerant, not drought-tolerant, likes warmth, a semi-shaded environment, and avoids frost. Asparagus fern has strict requirements for potting soil: it requires loose, fertile, well-drained soil with good air permeability, and the potting soil is best neutral. It can be prepared with leaf mold, sand and decomposed fertilizer. Asparagus fern is not cold-tolerant, and is also afraid of heat; the suitable growth temperature is between 15-25°C. It can neither withstand direct light nor stay in a shaded place for too long. Watering should not be excessive; master the watering principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet. Applying fertilizer once a month can meet its growth needs. One- to two-year-old asparagus fern has the greatest ornamental value. Three-year-old asparagus fern begins to send out stems and tendrils, and a support should be set up for it to climb. If you do not want to set up a support, you can also cut off the climbing branches at the root. Asparagus fern is not cold-tolerant; the overwintering temperature is 10°C.
The cultivation methods of asparagus fern
Seedling raising is generally carried out from May to October. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water for 10-20 hours; after soaking, mix the seeds with plant ash. Cover with about 1 cm of soil when sowing. The seeds are averse to light when germinating, and under shaded conditions they emerge in about 15-25 days; after two rounds of seedling separation, they are planted in small pots. It is semi-shade tolerant, likes a well-ventilated environment, has no strict requirements for soil, and needs little fertilizer and little watering, so as to keep it as upright and short as possible.
The propagation methods of asparagus fern
Asparagus fern can be propagated by sowing or division, and the sowing method is generally used more often.
1. Propagation by sowing: Seed-bearing mother plants are usually grown in the ground in a greenhouse, and asparagus fern seeds mature successively from December to April of the following year. Because asparagus fern seeds have a short lifespan, they should be sown promptly after collection or stored in sand. When sowing, remove the seed coat, take out the seeds and sow them in a shallow pot or sow them individually in a flower pot with an inner diameter of 7 cm. If sown in a shallow pot, sow the seeds individually at a spacing of 2 cm between plants and rows, press the seeds into the soil, cover with 2-3 mm of soil, cover the shallow pot with glass, and provide shade. Keep the temperature at about 20°C, and they germinate in about 20-30 days.
2. Propagation by division: For plants 4-5 years old, division can be carried out in early spring. Operate carefully and damage the roots as little as possible. After the plants recover, strengthen fertilizer and water management to encourage new shoots to emerge. This method has a low propagation rate, and after division the new plants are not neat in shape, so it is used less often.