maidenhair fern - how to keep? alive?

[wrasse]

I'm not very good with house plants.
Although my 2 red banana plants have over-wintered nicely... almost touching the ceiling. I'll put them back outside in a month or so.
I really like the look of maidenhair ferns and I've tried them a few times. They aren't that expensive and I saw 2 for a £5er, so here we go again...
I mustn't let the soil dry out - I know that much... but does anyone out there grow this plant? Any tips?

[sidguppy]

it's allergic to central heating, but also to cooling off too much

if the wet soil gets really cold, it's gone.
cold wet roots will "shock" a plant, once the rot starts, it's a goner.


best way to keep that one alive is in a greenhouse; it's a tricky plant

[Mike_Noren]

Depends on which species, but I guess Adiantum capillus-veneris is the most common in culture. If so it's probably best grown outside, in wet shady areas of your garden - depending on its origin it may be fully hardy (and native) in large parts of the US and Europe. Like many moisture-loving plants it's difficult to maintain indoors during the winter due to the combination of high temperature and dry air - a double whammy for a plant like this. In, say, a rainforest terrarium where the humidity can be maintained it would stand a better chance.

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Our native Adiantum capillus-veneris is a tricky plant to grow outside in the UK, even though it is a rare native of the Burren etc. it is really a dweller of wet, shady cracks in limestone cliffs, which isn't an easy habitat to replicate. The Himalayan Adiantum venustum is much easier, or A. pedatum is another possibility for moist shade, although A. pedatum doesn't like a limy soil.

The problem with naming Maiden-hair ferns is that they tend to look very similar, which means that the plant you buy may be any number of species or cultivars. The plant normally sold as a house-plant is possibly A. raddianum. They are all quite tricky as they need reasonable light, but not direct sunlight, must be moist and have high humidity, but will die with over-watering. If you treat them like a Phalaenopsis orchid (although they are happy a lot cooler) you won't go far wrong.

cheers Darrel

[wrasse]

The plant normally sold as a house-plant is possibly A. raddianum

just googled that... I think that's the fella.

Struggling with these, again...

I challenge you all to have a go. Fish keeping is easy peasy compared to growing these.

[sidguppy]

I got a central heated house, extremely well insulated and I added floor heating on top of it....

so I'll pass!

did it to clamp down on the electricity bill of heating the tanks; just heating the entire house is a lot cheaper, cause gas is so much cheaper than electrickery

as a result it's quite comfy, but also bone dry. can't keep ferns in here, let alone Maiden Hair Fern.

hell even the Stapelia's and the Cacti needed extra water!

[L number Banana]

I keep my ferns in the bathroom. Seem to like it there, low light, high humidity. Also you can place a tray of water with pebbles in it to set the pot on. Don't let the plant pot touch the water, hence the pebbles. Keeps a nice cone of humidity around the plant.

If you're worried about it drying out, use a cotton 'wick'. Slide the string or fabric strip into the soil and trail the other end into the water through the bottom hole. Some people use hydro-gel pellets to hold extra water in the soil but I can't tell you what they're made of, trade secret. Anyone know?

The plant you have can handle spells of both higher light and dryish soils. They go through this in nature. Just don't throw it out if all the leaves fall off and it's looks dead. If that happens, stop watering if the soil is moist and let it re-establish. If the plant looks dead from drying out, soak the whole thing to saturated and don't water again until the new shoots start to appear. They always go 'dead' in dry spells. Like sidguppy said though, too much water will kill them since the roots need oxygen. Dry roots can come back, a rotted root, not so much.

Geez, finally something I can answer too. Happy days.

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Geez, finally something I can answer too. Happy days.

That is a good answer, and covers a lot of things I should have added.

... just heating the entire house is a lot cheaper, cause gas is so much cheaper than electrickery. as a result it's quite comfy, but also bone dry. can't keep ferns in here, let alone Maiden Hair Fern. hell even the Stapelia's and the Cacti needed extra water

Do you still get state subsidised gas in the Netherlands? it used to be a common complaint amongst English glass-house growers that they couldn't compete with Dutch because of their gas subsidy.

I've got this great vision now of Sidguppy in shorts and sun-glasses, glass in hand, watering his cacti whilst it snows outside.

cheers Darrel

[RickE]

I keep my ferns in the bathroom. Seem to like it there, low light, high humidity.

My Phalaenopsis also love the bathroom windowsill and are almost constantly in flower. It only gets direct light in the early hours of the morning but is kept fairly warm. Might have a go with a fern, they look really nice but I have always passed them by because I know they are difficult.