Features of maidenhair care
An elegant variety of maidenhair fern enjoys the attention and love of flower growers. Its delicate small leaves form a lush bright green bush on numerous thin but strong shoots-strings. With proper care, it retains its rich color and develops well. However, if you do not pay enough attention to the fern, it will quickly begin to dry out, the bush will become bare over time and little will remain of beauty.
What does the maidenhair love and how to make sure that the shape of the bush retains its bulk, and the leaves - a rich color? Everything is very simple - you need to create comfortable living conditions for the plant and not forget about the vital procedures, namely:
- choose a suitable place for a flower with a comfortable temperature and lighting;
- ensure regular watering;
- carry out feeding as needed;
- maintain the shape of the plant by sanitary pruning;
- replant periodically.
Temperature conditions and lighting
The maidenhair does not tolerate high temperature and dry air. Comfortable for him are values of at least 15 degrees Celsius in winter and not more than 25 degrees in summer.
To keep the twigs from stretching and growing lush, the fern needs good, but diffused lighting. From the direct rays of the sun, the leaves fade and dry, therefore it is important to make a protective curtain on the windowsill or to put the maidenhair in the shade of other indoor plants.
Maidenhair does not like drafts, so it is better to choose a window for it that does not open, and not to rearrange the pot too often.
Fern watering mode
The soil in the pot must be constantly moist. It should not be allowed to completely dry out, otherwise the flower will immediately react to this by yellowing, drying out and discarding the leaves. Although, when watering is resumed, the plant quickly recovers (even if the entire ground part has dried up), and new shoots sprout from the roots.
Infrequent waterlogging maidenhair can transfer calmly, but only if there is a drainage layer in the flowerpot. In its absence, decay processes begin in wet soil.
In addition, it is necessary to spray the bush every other day, which will increase the humidity around it, and wash off the dust from the leaves, since the plant does not tolerate it.
The word "maidenhair" is translated as "do not wet", that is, water does not stay on the plant.
Do I need to fertilize?
In principle, if the maidenhair is provided with nutritious soil, it does not need additional nutrients, at least during the first year of life. But if the bush grows weakly, it is possible in the spring to feed it with special complex fertilizers for decorative deciduous plants in liquid form once a month.
When preparing the working solution, the dose should be reduced by half of the recommended dose.
Pruning features
The maidenhair does not need formative pruning, but to maintain a decorative appearance, an annual inspection of the flower should be carried out in the spring. It is better to cut off all dried branches, as well as shoots with yellowed leaves, so that they do not take away strength.
Need for a transplant
Maidenhair does not grow very quickly, but nevertheless, after two or three years, its root system grows and begins to look out of the pot. Then it should be transplanted into a more spacious container. At the same time, the soil is also completely changed. For too large specimens, it is enough just to remove the top layer of the substrate and pour in a new one.