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trailer_gal

easiest Maidenhair ferns to grow

trailer_gal
16 years ago

Would anyone know which of these Maidenhair ferns that are for sale on Ebay would be easiest to grow. Fragrens, Fritz Luthi, Pacific Maid, Southern, Gracillimum. I am tempted to try them again. Have never had any luck with indoor Maidenhairs, but think they are so beautiful. I do have some outdoor Maidenhairs that do very well here in zone 3 or 4 and come back every spring. But inside is not good. It looks to me like the Southern may be an outside fern.

That is another question I have. Can outside ferns be grown in the house? Not that I would want to bring mine in. That would be their certain demise. The Southern he has described as zone 7 so wonder if that would grown here inside or if it is meant to be outside. Thanks for any information.

Comments (3)

  • razorback33
    16 years ago

    All of the cultivars you listed are variants of the species Adiantum raddianum(Delta or Pacific Maidenhair). Hardy only to Zone 9(20°F), they are grown as HP in most of the US during the winter and moved outdoors after last chance of freeze in the spring. They can be maintained indoors, as Maidenhair Ferns do not require bright light, they do, however, require evenly moist soil and moderate humidity.
    Forced air heating, which lowers the indoor humidity, unless a humidifier is installed, can cause failure of the plant, unless certain precautions are taken. One of the easiest ways to provide humidity, is to use a 1-2" deep medium to large tray under the plant. Place pebbles in the tray and set the pot on them. Keep the tray filled with water to a level just below the bottom of the pot. Provide some air circulation to help prevent pest and diseases from attacking it.
    The Southern Maidenhair is native next door to you, in SW SD
    (Hardiness Zone Unknown, but could be Z5a).
    It is also a typical Maidenhair, requiring even moisture for the roots, and goes dormant in the winter.It could possibly be grown as a houseplant, but I have no experience growing them indoors.
    Use caution when dealing with ebay vendors. Check all comments for problems. Personally, I do not purchase anything there or even load the website anymore, as it always downloaded a lot of Spyware.
    Rb

    Here is a link that might be useful: Adiantum Care Notes

  • trailer_gal
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Razorback, thanks for information and for the link. I did order all the ferns from the ebay source yesterday morning. Also did find one at Lowe's in Bismarck yesterday. It was in a 4 inch pot for 4.97. The kind that they usually have there. Very pretty. That link you sent was very helpful. One of my growing ideas was to have them in a terrarium and that may have not been good as there would be no air circulation, although I have heard they could be grown that way. Mine got almost like musty/mold on their fronds. I have tried the pebble way but think I had the water too high and they got soggy. This year I am really going to concentrate on making them happy from the advice you gave and the site. I first started trying to grown Maidenhairs maybe 25 years ago when I saw my aunt's maidenhair. As I remember it was a large plant in a clay pot and I think it was sitting in a 3 pound coffee can to catch the water. I don't think she took any unusual measures to make it thrive but it was so beautiful. It was in her livingroom and got bright sunlight, but was maybe 3 feet from the window. After seeing her plant, it is an ongoing thing for me to keep replacing my Maidenhairs. Most will last a few years and then I need to replace them. The two I have now are getting new fronds among the dried up ones and one other is completey dried up but I always keep them quite awhile in
    case they would come back.

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    16 years ago

    I have a nice billowing raddiannum on the front porch..and some volunteers growing on lava rock islands in the shade of my pond. The key is-air at the roots and even moisture.They dont need especially high humidity levels. They do well in bright indirect light. You might try growing them in Orchid bark media-again they love the air at the roots.Never ever let dry out.

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