Distinctive features of Blehnum, creation of conditions for cultivation, recommendations for fern breeding, diseases and pests, interesting facts, species. Ferns have always been mysterious plants, especially when humanity did not yet know how they reproduce. How many legends and tales prescribed magical and unusual properties to these green inhabitants of the planet. But as soon as everything was explained by spore reproduction, interest in these representatives of the flora gradually faded away, but still specimens of the fern family are very loved by many growers for their beautiful foliage. Consider one such species with decorative non-fading leaves, so similar to bird feathers - Blechnum.
It belongs to the large family of Derbyankovs (Blechnaceae), whose representatives mainly grow throughout the entire territory of the Earth, where a tropical and subtropical climate prevails, but there are a number of varieties that are settled in the temperate zone. However, the homeland of this plant is considered to be the lands of New Caledonia and South America. The family includes about 140 varieties. The plant is popularly called Derbyanka.
Blehnum is an evergreen fern with a tree-like growth, up to a meter in height. Its rhizome is strong and can sometimes rise slightly above the soil surface in the form of a small stem. Often it has a stepped structure, shaded from light brown to black. These rungs are formed by hard flakes. The trunk is clearly visible in fairly old specimens.
Leaf plates - fronds, as they are called among representatives of ferns, have an appearance with a pinnate or double-pinnate deep dissection. The surface of the lobes is leathery, with a smooth or serrated edge. Leaves are classified as sterile (sterile) and fertile (spore-bearing). Sporangia on leaf lobes are arranged one by one linearly along the midvein, on each side. In fertile wai, the spores are arranged linearly in piles, and they may lack veils. The leaf rosette resembles the “cap” of palm leaves. The length of leaf vai can vary in the range of 60–80 cm. No flowering.
Blehnum is mainly used by designers for landscaping gardens or parks, if climatic conditions permit, but also in large halls and rooms, Derbyanka looks quite picturesque. However, due to the great capriciousness to air humidity, lighting and temperature, growing them is somewhat difficult. Often used for cultivation "tropical window" - a structure made of glass, when a pot with a plant is located between two casements of windows and where you can constantly maintain high levels of humidity, heat and light. Some growers use panoramic aquariums for growing.
Creation of conditions for the cultivation of Blehnum, care
- Lighting and placement for fern care. Derbyanka grows well in good lighting, only direct sunlight will be a hindrance, so you will need to take this into account when placing the pot. Blehnum is recommended to be placed on the southwest or southeast windowsill. On the southern window, the plant is obscured from aggressive UV currents with the help of curtains or light curtains. In winter, such an arrangement will not bring harm, since the activity of the luminary has decreased, but here illumination with the help of phytolamps is required. As mentioned above, it is recommended to build a "flower window".
- Content temperature Derbyanka should not exceed 28 degrees in the summer, but a greater increase will lead to the fact that fern fronds begin to dry out. In the autumn-winter months, it will be necessary to slightly lower the thermometer readings (to approximately 18–20), but so that they are not lower than 16 Celsius. It is imperative that you need protection from the hot air coming from the central heating batteries; for this, you can put a screen or put a wet cloth on the devices. Since blehnum is very afraid of the action of drafts and cold air, then when ventilating in winter, the plant is placed away from an open window, and it is also worth moving the pot with a derbyanka away from the air currents driven by the air conditioner.
- Watering. In the spring and summer months, the soil in the blehnum pot is moistened abundantly, well moistened with an earthen lump. Watering is carried out when the top layer of the soil is dry (it can be taken in a pinch - if it crumbles, then watering is carried out). With the arrival of winter, the moisture content is significantly reduced, but the soil should not dry out to a dusty state. Water for irrigation is taken only soft, free from lime impurities and at room temperature. You can filter tap water, then boil it and settle for several days.
- Fertilizer for Derbyanka paid every two weeks. Used for feeding liquid solutions for indoor decorative deciduous plants. It must be remembered that blechnum is quite sensitive to excess doses of fertilizers, so they are reduced by half of the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. In winter, they do not fertilize, and after transplanting or buying, fertilizing is not applied for more than 1, 5 months, sometimes up to six months.
- Transplant and selection of soil for Blehnum. The operation will be carried out mainly in the spring, when the root system completely fills the space allotted to it (it will master the earthen lump). In the pot, it is necessary to make small holes (in the bottom) for the drainage of non-assimilated moisture and lay a drainage layer. Two days before the transplant, the Derbyanka should be watered. The new container should be 4 cm larger than the old one.
The air humidity when growing a fern should be high, but Blehnum has a negative attitude towards spraying, therefore, it will be necessary to increase the moisture in the air in other ways:
- vessels with water are placed next to the pots;
- air humidifiers are installed;
- the flowerpot can be placed in a deep pallet, at the bottom of which a little water is poured and a layer of moisture-retaining material (expanded clay or pebbles) or chopped sphagnum moss is poured;
- in winter, a wet towel is hung on the central heating radiators.
It is necessary that the soil has a slightly acidic reaction. You can use a substrate suitable for fern plants, or you can make a soil mixture yourself from the following components:
- leafy soil, peat soil, humus, river sand (in proportions 2: 1: 1: 1);
- peat soil, humus soil, chopped sphagnum moss, river sand (in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1).
Chopped pine bark or vermiculite can be mixed into the substrate.
Tips for breeding blehnum at home
You can get a new derbyanka bush by dividing the rhizome or sowing spores.
During transplantation, the rhizome of an overgrown bush is carefully cut with a sharpened knife. When dividing, it is important that each part has a sufficient number of growth points. When a plant has only one or a small number of them, it is better not to divide the blehnum yet, otherwise you can lose the entire bush. Slices are sprinkled with charcoal crushed into powder. Then the delenki will need to be planted in separate pots with a prepared substrate. The capacity should be 2 cm larger than the plant's root system. They are placed in a pot, sprinkled with substrate and moistened well. At first, the plant grows slowly, as it builds up the root system, young growth is visible after a month. In the heat, in the summer, seating is not carried out.
There is a possibility of reproduction with the help of collected spores, which are formed in the lower part of the fertile wai. After ripening, it will be necessary to scrape off the spores from the cut leaf with a knife onto a blank sheet of paper and sow them in early spring. It is best to use a special nursery for this, in which the temperature indicators will always be approximately equal to 21 degrees. The drainage layer and disinfected soil are scattered in the container. The soil is well moistened, and the spores are evenly dispersed over its surface. The container with crops is covered with a piece of glass or covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm and dark place for germination.
Every day, you will need to air the seedlings for 10-15 minutes, the substrate should not dry out. Until sprouts appear, the container is kept in the dark - this time stretches for 4-12 weeks. Then the container is transferred to a brighter place and the shelter is removed. When the sprouts stretch out a little, you will need to thin them out, leaving only the strongest, located at a distance of 2.5 cm from each other. When young blekhanums develop normally and a little more time has passed, you can transplant into separate containers, 2-3 pieces with peat soil.
Difficulties in growing Derbyanka
Problems appear due to violation of growing rules:
- at the ends, the leaves turn brown if the air is dry;
- yellowing of foliage and the appearance of a brown spot on it is a sign of an increased temperature in the room (over 25 degrees) or watering is poor and irregular, spraying is not carried out;
- if the growth of the fern is very poor and the foliage has turned yellow, then the reason lies in low humidity or the proximity of heating devices (central heating batteries), it can also occur when the substrate in which the blehnum is planted is too heavy or the capacity is very wide;
- with too intense lighting in a plant, leaf fronds become lethargic, translucent and faded;
- the color of the foliage turned pale and became dull, and the tips acquired yellow or brown tones, the plant began to grow poorly or stopped growing altogether when there was not enough nutrition, the pot was too small or very large;
- if the heat indicators are very low or the blehnum was exposed to a draft, was watered with cold water, too hard or chlorinated, then in this case the fronds may turn yellow, their color turns brown, they curl and fall off, the young foliage quickly withers and dies off;
- with increased dryness, pest damage is possible, it will be necessary to carry out an insecticide treatment (for example, Karbofos or Aktara);
- when the leaves turn brown, the fungus has been damaged from flooding the soil with water, or the bottom of the pot is immersed in water for a long time, it will be necessary to remove the affected leaves and treat it with a fungicide.
Interesting facts about Blehnum
Among the representatives of the genus Blehnum there are also the most real liana-like plants. These include the genus Salpichlaena, which contains only one single plant - the climbing Salpichlena.
In some European countries, the Blehnum spikelet variety has become so rare that it is considered a protected plant.
Types of Blehnum
- Blechnum brasilense Desv. is an evergreen fern, the height of which reaches a meter mark. The native area of growth is the land of Brazil. There is a stem painted in dark brown color. Vayi (cut leaves) grow to a length of 90 cm with a 30 cm width. Leaf plate with multiple paired stipules of leathery outlines. The color first casts bronze tones, and then changes to green.
- Blechnum camfieldii the Australian continent can be considered its homeland. Its height is 1 meter. The plant also has evergreen fronds, which also reach meter lengths. The leaf plate is pinnate, with dissected stipules, at first bronze in color, but eventually becoming dark green.
- Blechnum cartilagineum native to Australia and Tasmania. A fern with a long life cycle that grows to a height of 1 meter. The stem of this variety is erect or slightly inclined, thin with a stepped structure. Leaf fronds have a pinkish tint from the start and then turn green. Stipules are leathery, characterized by a split edge.
- Blechnum chambersii. Native areas of growth are in Australia. Evergreen representative of ferns with a height of up to 1 meter. Its rhizome is short and spread over the soil surface. The frond leaves are feathery, weeping in outline, the color is dark emerald.
- Blechnum fluviatile most often in nature it grows in Australia and New Zealand. A fern with a rhizome and evergreen leaves, growing up to half a meter in height. The structure of the rhizome is stepped, it is straight, tuberous. Leaf fronds are pinnate, painted in a pale green tone. Stipules are distinguished by a rounded shape, while in fertile vai (where sporangia are located) they are narrower.
- Blechnum humpbacked (Blechnum gibbum) considers New Caledonia and the New Hebrides to be his native lands. Fern, reaching a height of 0.9 cm, with evergreen leaves and a stepped black rhizome. The frond leaves are shaded with a bright green color scheme, feathery, from which a nesting rosette is assembled, crowning the top of the stem.
- Blechnum gregsonii grows in the Blue Mountains of the Australian continent. The height of this evergreen fern reaches 0.5 cm. It has an evergreen leaf mass and a knobby creeping rhizomatous root, with a graduation, shaded with a pale brown tone. The frond is weeping in shape, feathery, light green in color. The stipules look papery.
- Blechnum spicata grows in western Europe and Transcarpathia, and also occurs on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, Japan and North America. Likes to settle both in low-lying areas and climb mountainous slopes. For the most part, its thickets are observed in spruce and fir forests, it can rarely be seen in beech forests, and this variety practically does not grow in pine forests on the sands. It is a protected species. In height it reaches 20-50 cm. A fern with evergreen deciduous mass with a filmy rhizome, densely covered with leaves, thick and ascending at a slope. The leaf plates are divided into two types: the outer ones (trophophiles) are attached to the stem with short petioles, with a leathery surface, once pinnately dissected. They do not carry spores (sterile), in the winter months they lie on the surface of the soil, form a rosette. Those that are inside (sporophylls) - originate from the center of the leaf rosette, upright, painted in brown shades. The leaf blade is linear-oblong in shape, with narrower lobes that are farther removed from each other than the same elements of trophophils, the edge has a curved edge.
The spores carried by linear sori are located parallel to the midvein on the leaf lobe. Stipules-spines with narrow forms, long, located on the sides of the lobe and spliced with the edges. Sporophyll leaves do not hibernate, but die off. Maturation of spores is extended from mid-summer to early autumn. The species is very decorative, but in the harsh winters of central Russia, especially in snowless periods, it is not winter-hardy.
Learn more about Derbyanka in this video:
