Maidenhair

Family. Adianthaceae.

Homeland. The plant originates from Brazil and Venezuela.

Description. The Adiantum genus includes about 300 ferns growing in tropical and subtropical zones, depending on the species and external conditions, can reach 15 - 120 cm in height.

Under the ground there is a thin, horizontally located rhizome, covered on top with small scales of a dark color - dark gray or brown.

The fronds are very decorative. The petioles, as a rule, are dark and shiny, reach a length of 25 cm, so one of the most common species in culture is popularly called "Venus hair".

The leaves are light, triangular. During the maturation of spores, the fronds are bordered by dark stripes.

The genus is quite unpretentious and with proper care will live indoors for a long time.

Height. 15 - 120 cm. The growth rate of different species and at different times of the year varies greatly, but in general it develops slowly, and it is worth cherishing each emerging leaf.

Reproduction

Ferns are most often propagated in the spring by dividing a large bush during transplantation. You can divide specimens that have enough growth points in the root system.

1. Before dividing, the fern is not watered for several days, drying out the soil.  
2. The rhizomes are divided into several parts with a sharp sterile instrument.
3. The wound surface resulting from division is treated with charcoal powder or ash and planted in separate pots.
4. Each division should have 2-3 of its own fronds and well-developed roots.
5. To help the seedlings adapt to the new conditions faster, they are covered with a transparent plastic bag or a plastic cap to maintain a high level of humidity and are sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle from time to time.

You can try to propagate maidenhair fern by spores. This method will require much more time and effort, but will allow you to observe the development of the fern from the very beginning.

Spores can be sown on the surface of the soil in the spring. 

1. To sow spores, select a plastic transparent container with a lid and place a small drainage layer on its bottom.
2. The container is filled with fresh, loose peat-based substrate with leaf humus and river sand.
3. The soil in the container is thoroughly moistened with warm water using a spray bottle.
4. Since fern spores are too small, they are pre-mixed with a small amount of sand or the tip of a toothpick lightly moistened with water is used for sowing.
5. The spores should not be covered with a layer of soil on top.
6. The crops are covered with a transparent lid to create a greenhouse effect and maintain high air humidity.
7. The container is placed in a well-lit place, but not exposed to direct sunlight, with a temperature of about 22 ° C.

Fresh spores have good germination, and it can also be increased by using bottom heating.

The crops are ventilated daily by removing the cover and removing any condensation that appears from it.  The ventilation time is gradually increased.

The first shoots may appear within a week. Germination does not occur all at once - some bushes can linger in the ground for 2-3 months.

If most of the spores in the container have sprouted, the lid can be completely removed and the air can be moistened with warm, settled water from time to time.

When each seedling has 2 leaves, you can start picking, carefully transplanting the bushes 2-3 specimens into small cups.

When replanting, try to damage the delicate root system as little as possible.

The first feeding is done 2-3 weeks after picking. The nutrient solution is used in a very low concentration.

Sometimes plants kept in good conditions self-seed.

Diseases and pests

• The root system is adapted to a humid environment, but if moisture stagnates, rot occurs. Yellow leaf tips are often a sign of over-watering of the soil and can be cut off.
• Leaves get burned when direct sunlight hits the surface and can die completely.
• Excessive lighting will also be indicated by the pale color of the leaves. 
• Ferns dry out and their fronds become thin and papery when kept in a dry atmosphere, although older branches may turn brown simply due to age. Trim off such fronds and increase air humidity.
• In poorly ventilated and dusty rooms, plants begin to get sick - try to keep the room where the flower is grown clean. 
• Ferns do not like the substrate to dry out and can often even die from drought.
• Polluted atmosphere has a negative impact on health - the tips of the leaves begin to dry out and turn brown.
• Curled leaves indicate too cool and humid conditions.
• When the weather gets too hot, the leaves will dry out and die. 
• If you keep the fern at normal room temperature all year round, and especially if you place the pot close to heat sources, the entire above-ground part may die. Do not throw away such a bush right away - if the rhizome remains underground, then when you change the place to a more suitable one, the fronds may grow again.
• If the fronds begin to turn yellow in large numbers, then the plants may not have enough nutrition or watering.

Pests rarely bother the fern, sometimes mealybugs, scale insects, spider mites, nematodes, thrips and aphids appear. Check the leaves regularly.

Care at home

Soil

A substrate consisting of ½ peat is suitable for growing maidenhair fern.

The flower prefers nutritious soils rich in organic compounds - for example, a mixture of peat with leaf soil and humus. You can also add a little finely chopped pine needles to the substrate - this will help maintain the necessary acidic reaction of the substrate.

Small pieces of pine bark can be added to the soil - it will keep the soil loose and fill it with nutrients.

Coconut fiber will make the soil moist and breathable.

Excess fertilizers can burn delicate roots.

The substrate should easily pass moisture and air - the root system must be able to breathe.

To improve drainage, you can add a small amount of coarse river sand or perlite and vermiculite to the soil.

Hydrogel balls are often added to the substrate for growing ferns.

How to care 

Ferns are quite difficult to care for, often without a closed "flower window" or showcase it is difficult to count on success.

The main difficulty in growing is maintaining high air humidity.

Timely remove old dried leaves, which are most numerous in the winter months.

Separate the fronds by hand or, if necessary, use a sharpened and sterilized pruner, cutting them as close to the base as possible.

Keep the soil evenly moist; high air humidity also stimulates the growth of the fern - spray 2 times a day.

Adiantum can be successfully grown as an open-ground herbaceous plant.

In spring and summer, it is worth taking the pot out into the fresh air. Before leaving the flower for the whole day, it is gradually accustomed to new conditions, taking it outside during the day and gradually increasing the time spent there.

In the open air, the fronds should be protected from sunlight, heavy rainfall and strong wind. It is worth bringing the pot indoors when night temperatures drop below 12-13 degrees Celsius.

Watering

The soil lump should be moderately moist all year round, but not waterlogged.

Water the fern generously, completely saturating the substrate.

For this genus, it is useful to use bottom watering - from time to time the pot should be immersed in water at room temperature.

To maintain soil moisture, you can cover the upper part of the substrate in the pot with pieces of sphagnum moss or sprinkle it with expanded clay.

Each subsequent watering should be carried out only after the top layer of soil about 5 mm thick has slightly dried out.

For watering, use soft water - bottled, rain and melted or simply filtered water.

Excess moisture that appears in the tray after watering is not removed immediately in warm months - it drains only after 15-20 minutes.

Containment temperature

In winter, keep the room temperature at least 15°C — lower temperatures and cold drafts are harmful to the bush.

This fern does not like extreme heat or places near the heating system.

In the spring and summer months, the flower is kept at a temperature of about 22°C. With the onset of summer heat, the pot should be moved to the coolest place, and the air humidity and frequency of watering should be increased.

At temperatures above 25°C, maidenhair ferns begin to get sick and may even die.

Plants do not like sudden changes in temperature conditions.

Fertilizing 

From spring to the end of summer, fertilize with a liquid nutrient solution used for hydroponics, or with a highly diluted regular fertilizer for decorative foliage plants in small quantities.

Top dressing is carried out only on damp soil - the delicate root system can be burned by a strong solution.

Fertilizers are applied every 2 weeks in spring and summer. In autumn, the frequency of top dressing is reduced, the nutrient solution is diluted to very weak concentrations - the ferns go into a dormant state.

In the winter months, top dressing is stopped and resumed only in the spring, with the first signs of new growth.

The dormant period lasts 3-4 months and begins in mid-October.

The fern tolerates a lack of nutrients better than their excess in the substrate

Lighting

Location - from light, but not in direct sunlight, to semi-shaded. When grown in deep shade, the leaves may stretch out and the fern becomes loose. 

Direct sunlight can fall on the maidenhair only in the early morning or late evening hours, but it is better not to test the flower's strength and place it in partial shade.

The most suitable windows are those facing north or east. When growing on the south or west side, the pot should be deepened into the room or covered with a curtain from the scorching sun.

Spraying 

Adiantum requires high humidity - 50% relative and more. It grows best in greenhouses, where the humidity is maintained at a fairly high level.

Dry air can cause the leaves to dry out.

Increase the humidity in the room by constantly spraying the fronds with water. For spraying, use well-settled water at room temperature or slightly above it.

To increase the humidity, you can also use a room humidifier or place the pot on a tray filled with wet expanded clay or sphagnum moss.

You can place several containers of water next to the flower - for example, organize an artificial pond or a small fountain.

Adiantum prefers ventilated rooms, but is afraid of cold drafts.

When kept in a cool room in the winter months, it is worth reducing the frequency of spraying and slightly drying the air.

Transplant

Replanting is carried out as needed, in spring - when the root system fills the pot.

Mature specimens will need to be replanted only every 2-3 years. Young ones can be replanted every year, gradually increasing the size of the pot.

The need for replanting can be said when the tips of the roots appear in the drainage holes of the pot.

Each time, the diameter of the container is increased by 2-3 cm.

A larger container causes additional leaf growth, but the soil not occupied by the roots retains a large amount of moisture, which causes rotting of the root system.

It is better not to use ceramic or simply deep pots for planting ferns - choose small and wide bowls.

1. It is worth making fairly large drainage holes at the bottom of the pot for growing maidenhair.
2. Before replanting, the fern roots can be cut by a third of their length.
3. On the bottom, the first layer is drainage in the form of expanded clay, small river pebbles, foam balls. You can also use clay shards from old pots and broken bricks as drainage.
4. When planting, place the bush at the same depth it was in the previous pot.
5. If the plant looks healthy and there are no obvious signs of rotting of the root system, then instead of replanting, you can transship it. 
6. The rhizomes are sprinkled with fresh substrate and the surface is lightly compacted.
7. After transplanting, the flower is watered and if the soil has subsided greatly, then more soil is added to the voids.
8. The seedlings are placed in a place protected from direct sunlight and feeding begins only after a couple of weeks.

If there are signs of root rot, then the plant is carefully shaken off the old substrate, if necessary, inspect and cut off the rotten roots and plant only in new soil.

If replanting a large adult fern is difficult, you can replace the top 5 cm of the mixture with fresh soil instead.

Purpose

Maidenhair is absolutely not picky about light, but it is able to appreciate high air humidity, and therefore, this is one of the few plants that can be placed in the bathroom or kitchen.

Note

Representatives of the genus do not like rooms with polluted atmosphere - do not place the pot on the balcony facing the street with heavy traffic, or in rooms filled with tobacco smoke.

Green fronds of the fern are used in folk medicine as an antiseptic.

It is believed that the green mass has an antipyretic effect and can help with coughing - removes phlegm from the lungs.

The decoction has a positive effect on the condition of the hair and scalp.

The surface of the leaves is covered with a water-repellent layer - even the smallest drops do not linger on the fronds. It is for this feature that the plant got its name - "adiantum" - water-repellent.

Types:

Adiantum capillus veneris

 Herbaceous perennial plant, up to 0.5 m in height. Leaf segments are asymmetrical. The petioles are thin, rod-shaped, black or dark brown. Venus hair is very popular in culture as an ornamental foliage plant. Content temperature +16...+22 °C; in winter - not lower than + 10 °C. Prefers diffused sunlight, in summer - light shading, regular, moderate watering, the soil in the pot should not dry out. Optimal air humidity is 60%, spraying in summer. Ferns are replanted annually, adults - once every 2 - 3 years. Propagated by stem cuttings during transplantation and spores. The substrate consists of leaf humus, turf, humus or greenhouse soil and sand - 4:1:2:1 with the addition of crushed charcoal and acidic peat; pH 6 - 7. The plant is fed in the spring and during the period of active growth with organic or mineral fertilizers with microelements. 

Adiantum pedatum

      Compact, emerald green fern with oblong oval fronds. The petioles are dark, thin and long; at the top there are fronds arranged in a fan. Leaflets - feathers are arranged alternately. The height of this species often does not exceed 40 cm. It is a very frost-resistant species. 

Adiantum raddianum

This maidenhair is very close to the common type of Venus hair, it is the most heat-loving and at the same time unpretentious in culture.

Homeland - Brazil.

This fern is a tuberous fern. But it has its own requirements for maintenance: it is afraid of pollution, likes being cramped in a pot, peaty neutral soil, and high humidity. Grows well in rooms with windows facing north. By following these tips, you will be able to successfully grow it.

Large-leaved maidenhair - Adiantum Macrophyllum

A striking plant with stems 30-40 cm long, covered with delicate, paper-like leaves with small teeth on the edges; at first they are reddish, then become yellow-green. 

Adiantum tenerum

Perennial evergreen fern up to 60 cm high with long and narrow fronds consisting of numerous light green, rounded leaves. Young, newly emerged leaves are colored in a light shade.

Adiantum fragrans

A low-growing evergreen fern with delicate, long, drooping, narrow fronds bearing rounded light green leaves. The edges of the leaves have large teeth. 

Adiantum finely pubescent (finely hairy) - Adiantum Hispidulum

If you are faced with the question: which of several ferns to choose, then we advise you to choose Adiantum finely hairy, since this is one of the least picky representatives of the genus in indoor conditions.  A small species with a short creeping rhizome and long, narrow, gracefully curved fronds consisting of fused oblong-oval glossy leaves. Young leaves often have a pink tint.

Adiantum Caudatum

One of the largest subspecies of maidenhair is a plant with very delicate, thin fronds. The individual leaves are light green, arranged alternately, the upper side of the leaf blade is straight, and the lower side is divided into large denticles. Young leaves are colored pink and copper.