CARE OF POT FERNS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 236, 18 September 1936, Page 13

CARE OF POT FERNS

How many people exclaim “Oh I cannot grow ferns.” I am afraid the biggest majority of ferns bought of the nurserymen struggle along for a few weeks and then slowly wither away. The reason for this is obvious. Ferns require shade and moisture and must have it just as human beings require meat and drink. Many varieties will not stand winds or draughts of any description. Their natural home is in the depths of the woods and forests where the hot rays of the sun and the cold winds do not penetrate to dry up their ample supply of moisture. So when people place pots of ferns in sunny windows and then cause a draught by leaving the window open, no wonder the poor little fellows perish. Very often where the rooms are lighted with gas or heaters are used, the heat poisons the air and the ferns slowly turn yellow and die. Many ferns are lost through careless transplanting. Lots of our readers have picnicked in the bush and pulled up a nice looking fern to take home and plant in a pot only to watch it slow]}’ die. Great care must be taken in lifting the roots for a number of ferns are covered with a furry down

which acts as a sponge to feed the plant with moisture. If this is broken off the plant has nothing to sustain its foliage and while the plant bravely struggles to make new roots, the plant perishes. Carefully loosen the earth round the plant to set free the young fibrous roots or remove in solid block containing all the roots. Before potting soak the pot for 10 minutes in a basin of water to allow tihe porous pot to become thoroughly wet. The best potting soil is well rotted leaf mould which can be collected at the time of obtaining the fern from the bush. Watering ferns is a point worth watching. Many ladies intend to be kind and give their pots a little drop every day and Blink that they have had sufficient. The result is that the top appears moist while the bottom of the pot where the roots are collected is quite dry. Another fault is to stand a fern in a saucer of water. This is quite in order if the pot is not left too long, but some people leave it continuously in this state with the result the soil becomes soured and the pots take on a green slimy appearance. From experience, my best advice to you all is to submerge the whole pot in a bucket of water until the earth stops bubbling. This should be done once a week iu the winter and twice during the warmer weather.