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The genus of adiantes, a relatively small fern living in the tropical and subtropical zones of the Earth, combines many independent genera. Some of them, for example, “Venus hair” and other varieties are very popular with indoor plants.
In nature, ferns of this genus live near water bodies, on nutrient friable soils. Plants easily tolerate their stay in the penumbra, and although adiantma are thermophilic, they negatively perceive the heat and dryness of the soil and air.
Moreover, ferns are not the easiest plants for home use, adiantum growing and caring for them are of interest to many gardeners. And indeed, delicate green plants are worth it to spend a little time creating the proper conditions for an unusual decorative leafy culture.
Creating conditions for growing adiantum
So what should be done so that the adiantum, accustomed to humid air, humus-rich soil and changing temperatures throughout the year, felt comfortable in a city apartment?
Among the basic conditions that need to be created for a fern, this is the level of illumination required by the plant, the mode of irrigation and fertilizing, as well as the florist will have to choose a ground for the adiant and a place with the proper temperature.
Lighting for Adiantum Growing
The best place for requiring care and home grown adiantum is partial shade. Therefore, the plant can be put on the window sill, overlooking the north-west or east side. In the summer, if the fern falls under the direct rays of the sun, it is moved away from the window or covered with a translucent screen. Otherwise, the adiantum standing in the sun will lose its brightness, its foliage will become faded, it may turn yellow or fade.
At the same time and in full shade you should not expect that the fern will delight emerald green. Special attention to the state of the plant is necessary when changing seasons when the daylight hours are shortened or lengthened. However, without good reason, the location of the capricious adiant in this regard is better not to change.
If at home the adiantum care, as in the photo, meets the plant's requirements, the fern meets good growth, new leaves and long life.
Air temperature for adiantum
One of the most important conditions for a green pet's health is maintaining acceptable air temperature. In nature, the optimum temperature for the growth and development of adiantum does not exceed 20–26 ° C.When there is a period of rest, and the plant falls into a kind of hibernation, the air is cooled to a level of 15 ° C.If the conditions of growing adiantum at home coincide with the natural ones, the fern does not disturb the grower neither the yellowing of the foliage, the appearance of dark spots on it or the development of rot on the stems and the underground part of the plant.
In addition to maintaining the temperature background, it is important to protect the adiantum from drafts and hot air flows from the heaters.
At the first signs of withering due to hypothermia or, conversely, the action of the dry air of the room, the plant can be cut. It is better to cut off the damaged parts to the ground level, while the adiantum, if adjusted for maintenance, will quickly restore the lost.
Watering and feeding plants
When growing and caring for adiantum, the organization of watering a plant is very important. The fern is extremely negative about the drying of the soil layer, where its rhizomes are located, but excessive soil moisture is also undesirable for adiantum. Therefore, it is best to establish regular, but moderate watering, carefully observing that between the procedures the top layer of the substrate has time to dry out.
In contrast to many indoor plants that are sensitive to the hardness of irrigation water with spots on foliage, adiantum is more dependent on the presence of chlorine compounds in moisture.
So that the plant does not lose its attractiveness, moisten the soil with properly settled water. And the owners of aquariums can water the fern with merged water during replacement:
- In the warm season, when the plant actively forms new leaves and grows, watering should be more frequent and abundant, for example, up to 2-3 times per week.
- At the time of "hibernation", from mid-autumn to spring, you can water the fern once a week.
Home grown adiantums react poorly to a high concentration of fertilizing, therefore, it is better to apply all fertilizers from spring to autumn in half the dose. The frequency of fertilizing at this time is once every two weeks, and the formulations used should not include lime. In the cold season feeding is not planned.
Air humidity for a fern in an apartment setting
At home, growing an adiantum is often difficult due to excessive dryness of the room air. If the leaves on the fern began to dry, it is urgent to take measures to moisten the air next to the plant. To do this, use household appliances, improvised means or installation of a pot with an adiantum in a tray with wet clay.
In especially serious cases, for example, in the winter months, when it is not possible to move the pot from a heated room, the adiantum can be sprayed with warm water, having previously protected the soil from the ingress of excess moisture.
If in a hot room the plant has lost almost all the leaves, you should not part with the pet. With proper care, grown adiantum will again become attractive and green. To do this, transfer the pot to a room with a temperature of 18–20 ° C and gradually begin to water the bush. If the roots of the fern are alive. The plant will soon respond with the appearance of new foliage.
The optimum humidity of the air can be considered the level of 60–70%.Therefore, in the summer months, the plant is useful to make in the garden or on a closed terrace.
Adiantum home care video reveals the subtleties of all stages and will help in practice to prevent mistakes that threaten plant disease or its weakening due to the invasion of pests.
Planting and caring for adiantum at home
Under natural conditions adiantum lives on small accumulations of soil, which is huddled between rocky protrusions and stony placers. In fact, a fern of this genus leads the way of life of a lithophyte, which means that at home it is necessary to pick up a similar soil and a suitable container.
Adiant pot should not be deep. Ferns have a superficial rhizome, so it is more important to provide space for growth in a wide capacity. At the bottom of the pot, a powerful layer of drainage must be arranged, and then a special soil for adiantum is poured.
A special feature of the primer designed for adiantum is that it should have a slightly acid reaction, be well wetted with water, but not trap excess moisture.
The main requirement for a substrate is lightness, nutritional value and breathability, therefore a component for it can be humus, perlite or vermiculite, peat and sand, cleaned from rough inclusions. It is useful to add crushed sphagnum, bark and charcoal to such a ground for adiantum. When planting an adiantum, as in the photo, and caring for a plant, it is important to ensure that the root neck is not under the substrate, otherwise its rotting will not be avoided.
Spring transplant is used to divide an adult adiantum, for which small parts of the rhizome with several healthy leaves are carefully cut off. It is better to separate the roots of future ferns from the edge without disturbing the main lump with the main rhizome. Then the sections are powdered with charcoal powder, and planted in fresh ground for adiantum.
Vegetative reproduction at home provides an opportunity to quickly and without special knowledge to get young adiant plants, for which after transplantation they carry out the same care as for adult ferns.
