Description of nephrolepis from the genus fern, its varieties, methods of reproduction, climatic features of the content, possible difficulties during cultivation. Nephrolepis (Nephrolepis) is one of the most common domestic ferns, the genus of which has existed for millions of years on the planet, and has seen many bygone eras, including the era of the dinosaurs. Its name comes from the Greek term nephros, which means kidney and lepis, which means scales. This is an incredibly beautiful, gracefully delicate plant. Due to its exotic appearance, this fern is very often used in interior design. But nephrolepis, in addition to decorative, also has properties that are extremely useful for human health. For example, by purifying the air from various harmful substances that are emitted by finishing materials or modern furniture.
Of a kind, nephrolepis is most applicable for home cultivation. In comparison with other ferns, which can often cause an allergic reaction, nephrolepis is not allergic (the exception is individual intolerance). The plant is unpretentious in care, it develops and grows rapidly, so many people prefer to keep it both at home and at work. Nephrolepis will look beautiful both in a hanging planter and in an ordinary pot on a windowsill or shelf.
Nephrolepis has a rhizome, from which strong leaves extend. Young leaves are straight, but after a while they droop, gracefully hanging over the edge of the pot. Most often, nephrolepis is used as a tapeworm located in a single planting. Under these conditions, the plant will grow large and lush. The leaves of nephrolepis are delicate and very fragile, therefore, they can be damaged if there are other plants nearby, which is important to consider when making green phytocombinations.
In floriculture, nephrolepis was known at the end of the 19th century during the reign of Queen Victoria. In home floriculture, one of the most common fern species is sublime (N. Exaltata) and cordifolia (N. Cordifolia). Previously, these species could only be kept in cool rooms, but in 1894 the British bred a special variety called Boston. The Boston Fern (Bostoniensis) is adapted to warm indoor environments. Since that time, the genus of ferns has become an integral attribute of many aristocratic houses.
Nephrolepis should be purchased for two to three years. Since young plants have not yet fully matured in order to transfer them from a flower shop or greenhouse to indoor conditions. Nephrolepis, which is about three years old, will take up to two months to develop in a new home.
Types of nephrolepis
- Nephrolepis exaltata (Nephrolepis sublime) - the most famous type of ornamental fern. The homeland of this fern is the humid tropics and subtropics of New Zealand. It has a not very long erect rhizome, from which elongated curved odd-pinnate leaves of light green color emerge. It can be both ampelous and terrestrial plant.
- Nephrolepis Bostoniensis (Nephrolepis Boston) - is one of the many ferns that are suitable for use as a houseplant. Boston Nephrolepis has graceful, green, hanging branches. They will look spectacular in a hanging basket or if you put the planter on the edge of a bookcase or shelf.
- Nephrolepis cordifolia (Nephrolepis cordifolia) - a fern with erect, growing almost upward leaves. The tubers are covered with silvery white scales, the leaf segments are rounded, covering each other. The leaves of this fern are actively used today in decorative bouquets.
- Nephrolepis biserrata (Nephrolepis xiphoid) - a tall, large fern, the length of the leaves can be more than two meters.
Nephrolepis care
Below we will talk about how to properly care for nephrolepis at home. It will consider how it reproduces, what kind of watering, lighting is needed, as well as other features of the cultivation and maintenance of this ancient plant.
- Lighting and location. Nephrolepis requires diffused light or partial shade. You can place the fern near the window, but only so that direct sunlight does not fall on it. Its content is also permissible under fluorescent lamps in the closed rooms of the halls of hotels and shopping centers. If possible, in the warm season, it is better to take the plant out into fresh air.
- Temperature. The ideal summer temperature should not exceed 25 degrees. If the temperature is higher, then the plant requires abundant spraying to avoid drying out of the tips of the leaves. In winter, in the room, the mercury column should not show a value below 14-15 degrees.
- Watering. The soil should be constantly moist, not overdried, but not overly moist. In the warm season, watering nephrolepis should be plentifully, in the cold season, moderately and not so often. It all depends on the temperature in the room.
- Humidity. Nephrolepis, like all ferns, needs high humidity. The tips of the leaves dry out from overdried air in the plant. Therefore, nephrolepis is recommended to be constantly sprayed, to create a humid environment.
- Fertilizing and feeding. Feeding nephrolepis should be carried out from early spring to early autumn, once every few weeks. It is not recommended to fertilize the plant in winter.
- Transfer. Ferns up to three years old are transplanted every year. At a later time, the pot is changed as needed, the plant is placed in a container for planting a little larger. Nephrolepis transplant is performed in April-May. The soil is used light with an alkaline environment and an admixture of sand.
Expanded clay is poured into the pot so that excess water remains at the bottom, otherwise the sour soil can lead to plant disease. Transplant soil can be purchased in flower shops and greenhouses; this is a special soil for ferns with all the necessary trace elements. But the transplant substrate can be prepared independently. In this case, the soil mixture is made up in the following proportions:
- peat - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part;
- leaf land - 4 parts.
Bone meal can be added to the finished substrate. For every two hundred grams of the mixture, one gram of bone meal. It is also useful to add charcoal, which will reduce the likelihood of root rot. The neck of the rhizome should be above the soil level, this must be taken into account when planting nephrolepis. The first two weeks after the soil change procedure, the substrate must be watered abundantly. The planting capacity should be wide and low, since the rhizome grows in breadth.
Reproduction of the fern Nephrolepis
- 1 way. One of the easiest ways to reproduce nephrolepis is by dividing by rhizome. Breeding can be done throughout the year, but it is recommended in early spring. It is possible to divide only a large plant with several points of growth. Each split part must have at least one such growth point.
- Method 2. This method is more complicated and consists in the fact that reproduction occurs by spores. Spores are small dots on the back of the leaves. Spores should be wiped off with a sharp object on paper or cloth. Take a container, put drainage there, then place light soil, for example, sand with peat. Water the substrate well and scatter plant spores on top. Cover the container with polyethylene and leave in a dark place. Ventilate every day. Seedlings should appear after 1–2 months after sowing. When sprouted spores grow a little, they will need to be thinned out. Leave a distance between shoots of 2-3 cm. Grown plants are transplanted into pots for further cultivation.
There is no particular reason to hope for such a method of reproduction, since at home this plant very rarely forms suitable spores. But nephrolepis has many tendrils-appendages, which can also be used as reproduction. It is necessary to cut off several antennae, dig into a light soil or into a peat tablet no deeper than 10 cm. Leave the antennae tips on top.
The substrate is moistened and made sure that it remains so moist at all times. After a few weeks, roots will appear, and then young shoots. When nephrolepis gets stronger, it can be separated and transplanted into a larger pot.
This type of fern as nephrolepis cordifolia reproduces tubers. A young plant, obtained as a result of self-cultivation, is better adapted to indoor conditions than one bought in a greenhouse.
Nephrolepis diseases and harmful insects
If there is low humidity in the room, a spider mite may appear on the nephrolepis. This fairly common parasite is a frequent inhabitant of indoor plants, and it is almost impossible to prevent its appearance. The tick bites through the plant and sucks out the cell sap, resulting in small white or yellow dots. If the plant is severely affected, the leaves where the tick has visited become colorless, dehydrated and as a result dry out.
Therefore, in order to prevent nephrolepis, it is recommended to regularly and carefully examine for ticks. You also need to ventilate the room more often and spray the plant abundantly, since the spider mite does not like high humidity. If a tick does appear, the fern should be washed with warm water and laundry soap. Thus, mechanical removal of the pest occurs.
Another way is to treat nephrolepis with an alcohol solution. From a sprayer or ordinary cotton wool, the affected areas of the leaves are treated. The elimination of ticks must be taken responsibly, because if you ignore the careful processing, the tick will remain and destroy the plant completely.
In addition to spider mites, pests such as scale insects and mealybugs can appear on nephrolepis. If the plant is watered very abundantly during the cool season, gray rot can also occur.
Possible difficulties and problems when growing nephrolepis
One of the most common problems is yellowed leaves and brown leaf tips. If old leaves dry up and turn yellow, this is a common process, but if young leaf plates are exposed to this, then this indicates dry air in the room or the presence of harmful insects. If these negative factors are eliminated in a timely manner, then the leaves of nephrolepis will delight you with a beautiful juicy green shade all year round.
The faded color of the leaves and brown spots on them indicate that the plant is exposed to direct sunlight. Pale leaves can also indicate the opposite - the plant does not have enough light and sufficient nutrition. If nephrolepis grows poorly and slowly, it means that it lacks space and needs to be transplanted into a larger pot. Black, rotten leaves indicate that the plant is suffering from a fungal infection.
For information on how to care for the nephrolepis fern, see this video:
