Distinctive features, nuances for caring for an ostrich on the site, recommendations for reproduction, difficulties and ways to solve them, facts to note, types. The ostrich (Matteuccia) is a plant belonging to the genus belonging to the Onocleaceae family. But people ignorant of the botanical classification, most likely, will perceive this specimen of flora as a fern and will not be mistaken, since the ostrich is it. His native territories fall on the continent of North America, but despite this they can be found at this time already in various regions of the world with a temperate climate. Namely, in the wild, ostriches are not uncommon in the lands of Northern and Central Europe, they did not bypass Asian areas with their attention, but in our country there is also a rather large population of this example of the green world.
This plant received its scientific name in Latin in honor of the famous Italian scientist Carl Matteuchi (1811-1868), who studied physics and was active in government. In memory of this scientist, the Matteuchi Medal was instituted in 1868, and the first to whom it was awarded was Hermann Helmholtz (1821–1894), a famous physicist and acoustician from Germany, who, in addition, was also a doctor, physiologist, and psychologist. Following him, this award was awarded to Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and many prominent figures of the scientific world.
However, among flower growers, the plant is called the Ostrich Feather or Ostrich Feather for its unusual appearance, since the fronds (leaves) are really similar to the feathers of this giant bird. You can also hear how the ostrich is called the raven's wing, the German ostrich, black grass or ferruginous, river fern and motley, or, quite unattractively, the bug. All these names are associated with the characteristics of this plant: with its external outlines (black color of the stem); with the ability to drive away biting insects; love for growing along the banks of large and small river arteries.
The height of the ostrich depends directly on the climatic conditions of growth, so in warm temperatures the plant can reach up to 4 meters, and in cold climates it grows only up to one and a half meters. The rhizome has a creeping shape, and there are also wide fronds. Vayi are leaf plates of all fern representatives. From such leaves, a dense basal funnel is collected from the plant. In the very center of this funnel-shaped formation, you can see growing small fronds carrying spores. Larger but sterile leaves are located along the edges of the funnel. The structure of all leaf plates is pinnately separated, they take on a bright green color.
It is customary to divide ostrich leaves into two types:
- sterile, which can reach 1, 5–2 meters in height and are located so that a funnel of feathery outlines is formed;
- spore-bearing, of which there are 2-3 units, their sizes do not differ in size (only 50-60 cm) and such leaves are located inside the formed funnel.
Their slices are twisted in shape, reminiscent of plump "sausages".
It is the outline of the ostrich that distinguishes it from other ferns. The shape of the deciduous mass resembles a vase with an empty center, since the shoots grow without spores at the same time and therefore sterile fronds are placed on the top of the bulbous rhizome. And only by July-August is the formation of spore-bearing leaf plates.
With the arrival of autumn and winter, large leaves begin to dump, and only leaves with spores remain visible. When the sun warms up in the spring, the edges of the spore-bearing wai will open and the spores will fall to the soil surface, where they will actively germinate. Already in May days, when warm, constant weather sets in, you can see young shoots from the first leaves around the mother bush. At first, these leaves are wrapped inward. But since morning frosts can still occur in summer, young shoots often even die, but the ostrich has the ability to easily recover and by July a funnel-shaped fern bush is again formed. Only then can you see unusual sporiferous plants that can be used as dead wood in the design of phytocompositions.
Nuances regarding planting and caring for an ostrich
- Location for the fern. It is better to choose a place for disembarkation in which direct sunlight will not fall on the ostrich, it should be open enough. If the exit of the flowerbed where the plant will be planted is under the sun, then it should be remembered that a very moist soil is needed, but even then the height of the bedbug will not be too large. Also, the wai color becomes less saturated.
- Temperature. The ostrich differs in that it can tolerate lowering the thermometer column to 10 frost. In the summer, if the heat indicators approach or go over the mark of 25 units, then the plant will quickly wither and dry out.
- Watering. Since in nature the ostrich bird prefers to grow on rather wet soils, any drought is harmful to it. Therefore, if the weather is dry in summer, you need to spray the foliage mass. The soil should always be well moistened.
- Fertilizers for bedbugs, they are introduced regularly, as soon as spring comes and before the leaves are shed (September). It is necessary to use organic and complete mineral complex preparations. However, since ferns can grow on depleted soils, feeding is not a prerequisite.
- Transfer It is carried out in the spring, when the leaves have not yet begun to develop, or at the time when the sporangia have developed and ripened. To do this, it is recommended to carefully dig in the ostrich bush and remove it from the soil, but basically only part of the rhizome with a bud is deposited. The substrate can be either lean or rich, but low acidity is recommended.
- General care. However, on a personal plot, it is better not to plant a group planting of an ostrich due to the fact that the bushes on their own can take up ever large spaces. Then you should arrange mini-fences from a special material. They should not be located close to the bush, but at a short distance. At the same time, they try to make the "fence" so that its height is at least 10 cm. All this is due to the fact that the stolon roots have a peculiarity to be located at a depth of 2-3 cm, but they can often crawl over the soil surface. It is recommended to carry out the excavation and removal of the young ostrich operator in time, which is formed spontaneously. Such measures are often laborious, therefore, experienced gardeners advise simply to reduce watering and then the bug will not grow so actively.
- The use of the ostrich. Since this fern is very fond of wet soil, the shaded shores of artificial reservoirs are decorated with it, and beautifully flowering representatives of the flora are planted nearby, with the same preferences: irises, lobelias, loosestrife or lilium.
Recommendations for self-breeding of the ostrich
Reproduction is carried out by sowing spores or using a vegetative method.
The process of reproduction with the help of spores is very laborious, but quite feasible. Disputes must first be collected. In this case, the frond is cut off with sori (such a group of spores is visible on the back of the leaf lobe, in the form of brown tubercles), which grows in the center of the rosette of sterile leaves. If there is no desire to spoil the decorative appearance of the plant, then you need to hold a very hard brush on the back of the frond, but before that, put a piece of paper under it.
Then you should select well-ripened sori - this will be indicated by their rich brownish-brown color. If we focus on the time interval, then the spores of the ostrich are completely suitable for sowing, becoming from the end of summer to the end of September. The collected spores are placed in a paper bag and dried a little more (at least 7 days). It is interesting that the germination capacity of spores is not lost in this state until 5–7 years, so you can not sow them right away. If sowing is carried out, then the spores are cleared - all debris and excess particles should be removed from them. The spores then resemble a rather fine golden brown dust. Then they are sown in prepared soil. This is pure peat or mixed peat and leafy soil, steamed in a water bath - this is how the substrate is loosened and moistened. The soil mixture is poured into a pot or container, tamped well and spores are poured over it. A piece of glass is placed on top of the pot or wrapped in a plastic bag.
The container is placed in a warm and bright place with shade from direct sunlight. Care consists in moistening the soil when drying out from a spray bottle. After 14 days, you can see how a green bloom has formed on the soil. If the seedlings grow too densely, then it is recommended to dive - the earthen surface is cut into 1x1 cm segments and transferred to a new pot with the same soil.
When the seedlings reach a height of 5 cm, they begin to spray them with warm, settled water every 7 days, the shelter from the pot has not yet been removed. If the sprouts are still too densely packed, they will be split open again. After the height of the ostrich sprouts becomes 5–6 cm larger, they gradually begin to accustom them to indoor conditions - airing is carried out, gradually increasing the time without shelter. Spraying continues in the same mode. When 1, 5–2 years have passed from the time of planting, young ostrich singers can be transplanted to a permanent place in the open ground.
The method of vegetative propagation is simpler. The time for such reproduction is early spring, until sterile shoots began to grow back, or at the very beginning of August, when the spores are ripening. In this case, it is recommended to separate a part of the creeping root from the mother bush, its size should be equal to 20-30 cm. This part usually contains several buds. After that, the fern cut is planted in another prepared place. The scheme in which young ostrich singers are planted should be 50x50 cm. The parts are placed in a substrate, sprinkled with it and abundantly moistened.
Difficulties of cultivating the ostrich in the open field and ways to solve them
Like all ferns, the ostrich has increased resistance to various diseases and harmful insects. Among the main problems that may await a gardener who grows this plant in his garden, there is the spotting of leaf plates, which is provoked by a marsupial fungus called Tafrin. Then it is recommended that all fronds that have been affected be removed and burned, and the rest of the root system of the plant should be treated with fungicidal agents, among which Fundazol, Topaz or Granosan can be distinguished.
If we talk about those harmful insects that harm the ostrich, then the primacy remains with the fine-moth butterfly, which lays the larvae, recognizing young rachis with its food and then the fern foliage. But nevertheless, due to the natural properties of the ostrich opera, the number of pests is low and it is recommended to quickly collect and remove them.
Facts to note about the ostrich plant
As an ornamental plant, the ostrich has long been known to gardeners, but its properties were used not only in this area. Rachises (this is how young shoots of a fern are called) in some countries of its natural growth are usually eaten. This is especially developed among the indigenous Indians who live in North America. If these shoots are boiled or fried, then some people will taste the dish like broccoli or mushrooms. Often, rachises are pickled or salted for the winter.
The ostrich also has a medicinal property. It is commonly used in folk medicine to treat colds, as well as skin problems such as burns or wounds. This fern has the ability to relieve pain symptoms. Folk healers use the ostrich to chase away helminths.
Since this fern is popularly called a bug fern, it is worth noting this property - if decoctions, tinctures or powder are prepared from leaf plates, then all these preparations can be used in the fight against various harmful insects.
Do not forget that the ostrich is a threat to agricultural livestock, as it is poisonous. You can also note the fact that this representative of the flora is included in the Red Book of different regions of Russia.
Since ferns are one of the oldest representatives of the green world of the planet, which appeared when there were no bees yet and there was no one to pollinate, for themselves such plants were able to choose a way of their reproduction - by scattering rubbish, which are attached to the back of the leaves.
Description of ostrich species
It is also interesting that there is an opinion that in this genus there is only one single representative - Ostrich common, but other botanists are sure that there are 2-4 varieties. But gardeners do not go into such subtleties of science and all such species are simply combined.
- Common ostrich (Matteuccia struthiopteris). It prefers to settle in the forests of Eurasia or in moist forests, swamp areas and river banks. A perennial plant that can reach 1.5 m in height in northern areas, and if it grows to the south, then 2.5 m. However, when there is not enough moisture in the soil, its height will not exceed a range of 40-60 cm. Rhizome is quite long, the annual growth of which is up to 25 cm. Leaves are collected in a funnel. The leaf shape is pinnately dissected, reminiscent of the feather of a large bird, the leaflets have broad-lanceolate outlines. The petioles are short. The color is rich, bright green. The formation of sterile leaves occurs in mid to late spring. At first, the shoots are in the shape of a wrapped fist, fluffy and well compacted. When they grow back, they are straightening. By the beginning of summer, a bowl of wai has already been formed, and in August you can see how sporophylls of a feathery look begin to grow inside - shoots with a brown color and a leathery surface. Their height is rarely greater than 60 cm. The foliage remains this way until the beginning of autumn days, and then it turns yellow. It has winter-hardy properties and can hold up perfectly, not flying around until the first severe frost. The plantings of this variety form loose thickets. The next two varieties are already assigned to the different genus Pentarhizidium.
- Oriental ostrich (Matteuccia orientalis) also found under the name Pentarhizidium orientalis. The native area of growth falls on the lands of Japan and China. The height dimensions of this perennial are 60 cm with a width of up to half a meter. The outlines of the leaf blades are more graceful than the ordinary variety, but the conditions of detention require more effort.
- Intermediate ostrich (Matteuccia intermedia) referred to as Pentarhizidium intermedia. This plant in nature prefers to grow in the southern regions of China, and is also not uncommon in India. It is distinguished from other varieties by its low frost resistance, therefore this ostrich is very rarely used as an ornamental crop.
Read more about growing an ostrich on the site in the following video:
