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Maidenhair Fern – Complete Guide For Easy Growth & Care

Maidenhair Fern

Growing a fern is all about understanding its nature, habitat, and origin. By doing so, you will have an idea about the sort of care and actions you will have to perform for its growth, propagation, and maintenance.

For your info, Ferns are flowerless plants with leafy fronds. The underside of the green fronds release spores for reproduction; hence, new ferns keep popping from the ground.

From all other types of ferns, today we’re discussing Maidenhair Fern:

What is Maidenhair Fern?

maidenhair fern pictures
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Maidenhair fern is searched as a plant or flower; however, the term is vaster than that. Fern isn’t a plant but a Genus that includes more than 250 species of plants, grown outdoor, indoor, in the wilds, and on the rocky tops.

Did you know that???

“Genus is a Taxonomic rank, given to plants having similar growing habits and care requirements.”

Here’s a general guide for you regarding all the queries you are looking for, such as how to grow Maidenhair fern, how to take care of it at home, and how to increase its growth-speed.

How to Grow Maidenhair Fern?

Step by step method to grow maidenhair fern
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You don’t need to be a professional plant expert to grow plants at home if you remember some considerations.

  1. Sunlight
  2. Water
  3. Fertilizers
  4. Attention & love

Yes, if you are ready to take care of your maidenhair fern with all the four things mentioned above, you can not just grow it at home but also see new sprouts popping from the ground quickly.

Also,

Do not believe or listen to people when they say maidenhair fern is easy to kill. It’s merely a myth.

“Maidenhair fern is easy to grow.”

1. Finding The Right Adiantum Or Maidenhair Fern For You:

Maidenhair Fern image
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Ferns grow in a combination of climates. Some grow well on the rocks in the laps of waterfalls where moisture keeps them and the soil moist.

Some find it suitable to grow outdoor in natural sunny areas because they need a good amount of light to gather energy for food preparation.

However, we also have maidenhair ferns as houseplants that can grow well indoors. For now, we will be focusing on the maidenhair fern that you can grow inside effortlessly and without worries.

In maidenhair fern Genus, we find plenty of indoor plants with similar growth habits, such as:

  1. Adiantum capillusveneris
  2. Adiantum hispidulum
  3. Adiantum pedatum
  4. Adiantum peruvianum

Commonly known as:

  1. SouthernMaidenhair
  2. Rosy Maidenhair
  3. Western / northern maidenhair
  4. Silver dollar maidenhair

The best thing is, no matter which maidenhair plant you choose, you will take care of these Maidenhair types in a similar fashion.

Once you have chosen the right maidenhair plant, now it is time to move to the next thing.

2. Finding The Best Place For It:

Grow maidenhair fern
Image Sources reddit

In-home, you will have plenty of room to keep new plants. However, we would suggest preparing your home for a new plant, just like you do for a pet or newborn child.

Plants are also like kids; they have feelings, and they love your attention and care. They need a special place to grow well.

So what sort of habitat your maidenhair fern would need?

Maidenhair ferns need water, particular temperatures, and specific light conditions.

So when you are finding the place for your maidenhair fern, look at the following things:

3. Temperature Requirement:

Maidenhair fern sunlight need
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Sunrays should neither be too harsh nor be too light as too much harshness would lead to scorching, while too weak sun means insufficient energy for growth.

Find a place with indirect sunlight that receives sunrays indirectly for at least one part of the day, like either during the morning or noon. You guessed right; it is The northern window.

The northern window with a temperature of 70°F will be ideal.

4. Humidity  Requirements:

Maidenhair fern humidity
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Maidenhair ferns are humidity lovers and cannot stand dry air like the beautiful purple waffle plant. Therefore, the corner of your home you are selecting mustn’t be filled with dry air.

Ensure you are providing sufficient humidity to your plant for its feasible growth and health. Such as, a sun-facing window near your bathroom will ensure a humid exposure for your plant.

Don’t have a window in the bathroom, or don’t wanna put your plant there? Don’t worry!

Regular misting with a foam blaster gun would let you keep your plant moist anywhere. However, make sure to check the surface every now and then so that you don’t make your plant lacking water.

“Watering is different than misting. In this, you never drench your plant but just let the surface get mildly moist.”

One more way to cope with this issue is to get a tray, fill it with pebbles and water, and stand the plant on it. Make sure to use a terra-cotta pot with a hole in it.

By doing so, you will be able to increase the humidity around your plant.

5. Position:

maidenhair fern, where to keep for firm growth
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Before you put your plant at a specific spot, stand over there at your plant’s height and look at the sky.

Now, configure whether you would be able to look at your plant if you would be standing outside in the sunshine. If yes, this is the position your maidenhair fern needs to be placed in.

“A cool direct sun = the firm growth of your maidenhair dern.”

6. Zones:

Maidenhair plant is easy to grow as it offers you feasible growth in various zone types. Maidenhair Fern’s growth zones will be all from 3 to 11.

7. Precautions To Ensure Easy Growth:

Precautions To Ensure Easy Growth

Make sure to take some precautions:

  • Be very careful to avoid direct sunlight.
  • Never let the temperature fall below 60o
  • Keep your plant from dry air.
  • Do not use clay pots as they allow the soil to dry quickly.
  • Do not overwater your plant, as soggy soil can increase the chances of fungus in your plant.
  • Potting soil must be mixed with 25% compost.

In this position, your plant will grow best. However, examining regularly is a must.

How To Take Care Of Maidenhair Fern?

Maidenhair fern grow indoor
Image Sources Pinterest

When you see that the plant is growing well, you will have to be equally sensitive for its health and overall growth. So, here are some points to take good care of your plant:

1. Watering regularly:

Watering Maidenhair fern
Image Sources Pinterest

Maidenhair fern is a little sensitive to dryness. Therefore, when you have it in the home. It would be best if you remain stick to its watering requirements.

Water it every time you see the soil is dry. Obviously, you need to go to work, but from where will your plant receive water at that time?

Take help from the self-watering gadget. They would water the plant even when you are away.

2. Fertilizers:

Fertilizers are a must! If you see someone talking against fertilizers for your plant, do not believe them.

For Maidenhair ferns, you need liquid fertilizers; however, the quantity would vary season-wise.

i. During Summers:

Summers are warmer days of the year. With warmness, humidity decreases.

Therefore, you will have to apply fertilizers once every two weeks. Do not undermine the instructions given in the guide while fertilizing your plant.

ii. During Winters:

Winters have a humid environment already; therefore, you don’t need to fertile your plant regularly.

However, ensure to keep up with the temperature and keep the precautions given above in your mind.

Also, your plant growth will get slow during winters. It is natural, so do not worry about it at all.

3. Trimming off dead leaves:

If you see that, some of the leaves of your maidenhair plant have got dried.

Don’t worry! Most of the time, people think that their plant is unhealthy and dying; that’s why these dead ferns have appeared.

Guys, it’s wrong! Remember that whenever leaves get older, they start getting dry.

Here, you don’t have to keep those dead leaves stick to your plant. Use shears to trim them off.

Within a couple of weeks, you will see more sprouts popping from the ground.

4. Propagation:

Progapating maidenhair fern plant

Propagating is managing your plant by putting it into another pot when the size of the plant grows.

“It is best to propagate your plant during hot summer days or warmer days.”

You can use a sharp knife or spade to cut your plant into two and put it in two different pots.

5. How to grow ferns from spores?

Growing maidenhair plant
Image Sources Pinterest

Another way to propagate is propagating via spores. It is an easier way compared to the one we discussed before.

You don’t need to cut and divide the whole plant into two, but cut the sori fronds and put them between two papers for a week.

After one week, gather the spores that fell on the paper and sow them. To conserve humidity, use a shopper cover for your plant.

“Do not put maidenhair ferns in the direct sun.”

By doing so, you can get a firm growth in your maidenhair plant.

Before ending the discussion, here are some interesting facts about the maidenhair fern plant.

Maidenhair Fern, why is it called so?

Maidenhair ferns
Image Sources reddit

Maidenhair fern has a fascinating story about the name.

It has excellent abilities to help with hair growth, and maybe that’s why Maidenhair has hair in the name.

It is also known as the five-fingered fern: maybe, because of the finger-like fronds on the dark brown stems.

What are Maidenhair fern plant uses and benefits?

adiantum
Image Sources reddit

Do not consider it an ordinary plant with no benefits. It has an aromatic texture, flexible stems, and therapeutic properties, helping people with many things:

  1. Due to the aromatic texture, shampoo maker companies use it in their products.
  2. Dark brown or black stems are so flexible and used in making cane baskets.
  3. The dark brown or black color of the stem is used in dying stuff.
  4. The plant is also used as a poultice to stop bleeding and healing wounds.

Some Interesting Maidenhair Fern facts:

maidenhair fern facts
Image Sources Pinterest

The genus name, when translated to English, becomes a “Non-wetting” plant.

  1. It is said that when raindrops fall on the leaves of Maidenhair fern, it rolls off without making the plant wet.
  2. Maidenhair fern is safe to keep in homes as it isn’t toxic to pets like cats, dogs, and kids.

Bottom Line:

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