This week's plant talk starts a month of plant favourites in the store.
Every week we are going to feature a different variety of plant (this means it will also be on sale for our in store shoppers) and highlight the basics of care as well as the tips and tricks we have learned as well.
All tips and tricks are the bits we have learned via trial and error over the years.
Miss a plant talk post? Just type plant talk into the search bar in the corner of the blog.
The plant talk post disclaimers:
I am not a plant expert.
I did not go to school for horticulture.
I am a serious plant lover and collector.
I pay attention.
FERNS
the above fern is a Dark Button Fern
Let's get er going with the basics of fern care.
Most to all ferns prefer:
LIGHT: medium to bright indirect.
Tip for determining what medium to bright light is.
Do you need a light to read in this location?
If yes, this is neither medium nor bright light.
Fern death will be imminent.
Why indirect?
Indirect means the sun is not beaming directly on the plants location. Ferns and succulents don't live in the same place.
Would you sit here long in the summer and or put sunscreen on? This is direct sun and not good for ferns as they can burn.
the above ferns are plumosa (in the repurposed metal water stand), and golden club moss (an arborvitae fern; not technically a real fern in the white pot)
WATER:
Most ferns enjoy being evenly moist.
It's the goldilocks of watering. Don't allow to completely dry out and not sopping wet where the roots are sitting in water.
As with most plants, slighty dry at the top prior to watering more is a good rule of thumb.
Ferns will appreciate frequent watering and this schedule will vary from season to season. Keep an eye on your fern when the temperatures change and days move from long to short or vice versa.
It may start to utilize water more frequently or stay wet a little longer.
Your fern "should" be using its wet/moist freshly watered soil every few days and if wetness is lasting much longer your plant is likely not in the right light and therefore as stated above heading towards imminent death.
Above are the more common houseplant varieties of fern available in the marketplace as well as at Oliver and Rust.
Some a bit easier than others and ferns such as the Plumosa fern that can handle lower light conditions.
Ferns are such a gorgeous lush option that add character to any space they live in.
Ferns are a tropical plant and many are forest floor plants. They appreciate high humidity in their spaces. Spring-Autumn months tend to already provide this characteristic however winter months may require a bit of extra care ie. home humidifer, misiting frequently, grouping like plants together so they provide their own humid environment or setting plants on trays of water and stones.
the above is a massive autumn fern that lives in the shop counter at the store and is currently covering Jill's entire face.
A few other small pointers for fern care.
Try to avoid heavy drafts, leaky windows or opening and closing entrace doors.
Even with the perfect light conditions and watering if a fern is getting blasted with cold air multiple times a day, it will start to react with brown and crispy leaves or drop leaves consistently.
Many ferns that have seen poor or improper care can be trimmed right back and if moved to the right environment can start to regrow quite quickly.
Happy ferning everyone,
