Polystichum acrostichoides
Whether or not Christmastime is just around the corner , the Christmas fern can make a festive accession to garden both indoors and out .
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There are many plant gardeners can utilise to plant the vacation mood , such as fir trees , poinsettias … and evenmistletoe , if you ’re feel presume .
Photo via Alamy.
One plant that you might not be as familiar with – but one that ’s unquestionably deserving adding to your December decor as well as your landscape – is the Christmas fern .
It ’s gorgeous , easy to give care for , and has very few disease or pest issues . Plus , its evergreen plant foliation ensures that it will proceed to dazzle even in winter !
This templet will walk you through the steps required for multiplication and care so you could tend to this plant properly .
We ’ll also tinge on its history , in case you postulate something interesting to spill the beans about with that one vacation visitor with whom you have no rapport whatsoever .
Here ’s what ’s on the agenda :
What You’ll Learn
What Is a Christmas Fern?
The Christmas fern – aka the Christmas shield fern , canker brake , evergreen wood fern , dagger fern , orPolystichumacrostichoides – is a member of the Dryopteridaceae family , aka the shield or Grant Wood ferns .
The genusPolystichum , also known as the holly fern , is indite of at least four hundred unlike species distributed worldwide , with many more that in all likelihood remain unclassified even today .
“ Polystichum ” is a fusion of the Hellenic Good Book “ polys ” and “ stichos , ” entail “ many ” and “ row , ” severally . Many spore - producing sori are stage in row on the undersides of holly fern frond , hence the name .
The species nameacrostichoidesmeans “ similar toAcrostichum , ” another genus of ferns with a exchangeable sori arrangement .
Hardy in USDA zone 3 to 9,P. acrostichoidescan delineate its root back to easterly part of the United States and Canada .
Within this region , it can be found growing in swamps and thickets , fertile and stony timber , and along stream banks . It ’s quite common for these plant life to get and evolve under the canopy oflarge shade treessuch assugar maples .
With a fountain - like substance abuse , this industrial plant reaches one to two feet in height and width at matureness , and has a rhizomatous root organisation that ’s effective in stabilizing eroded slopes .
Unlike other types of fern which spread to form dense colonies , this species does not have a tendency to naturalize and stay where you put it , in hefty clod .
To the untrained middle , ferns of different speciescan look pretty similar to each other . But luckily , there are some famous trait that allow you to say this one apart from the others .
For one , the leaflet – or pinna – have a leathery texture with a glossy dark green hue , and retain their color all twelvemonth long . The pinnae margins are also sawtoothed , with fine , bristly tips .
At the base of the pinnae a lobe protrudes towards the apex of the frond , give each leaflet a mitten- or stocking - like appearance that further emphasizes the flora ’s common name and its tie-up with the dusty - weather condition holiday .
The furled young fronds or fiddleheads go forth silvery and descale in springiness . Not all frond bear spore , but the ones that do are tenacious and more vertical than the sterile ones .
On the concluding third of productive frond , brownish - to - grim sori form that discharge spore from summer to early pin , which hitch a drive on the wind to spread the species further .
Cultivation and History
Exploring the blood line of the Christmas fern ask scent back the clock a bit – about 75 million class , to be exact .
The Dryopteridaceae house thatP. acrostichoidesbelongs to first made its appearance during the Cretaceous , which was the terminal period of the Mesozoic Era .
A luck pass during this time – flowering plants started showing up , VelociraptorandT. rexwere run around eating other large reptiles , the dinosaurs were wiped out by an badly - time asteroid … or at least , that ’s the hypothesized mass experimental extinction event I tend to go with .
Thankfully , pteridophyte such as the Christmas fern pull through .
tight - forward to more late history – Indigenous Americans utilizedP. acrostichoidesas music to deal rheumatism , stomach ache , chills , toothaches , convulsion , and febrility , while other New World settler from Europe used the fronds in lei for Yuletide interior decoration .
As noted in “ The Fern - Lover ’s Companion : A Guide for the Northeastern States and Canada , ” write by George Henry Tilton and publish in 1923 , the name “ Christmas fern ” was bestowed upon the species by John Robinson , a prof of vegetation and vegetable physiology who launch the section of botany at the Peabody Academy of Science in Salem , Massachusetts .
Robinson must ’ve visualize its manipulation in decking the G. Stanley Hall warranted the moniker . When other fern move around crisp and browned in the wintertime month , this one remains green , glossy , and vivacious .
Although the precise particular date of this event is n’t know , it ’s believed to have hap in the late 19th century , during the prissy Era : a time of burgeoning fern obsession sometimes tending toward the extreme point .
Robinson was himself author of “ fern : In Their Homes and Ours , ” published in 1878 , in which he writes , “ Fern - civilisation in America has still the characteristics of a novelty . [ … ] There has not yet been published in this country any work devoted only to the cultivation of ferns . ”
Later on , in their lustfulness for frondy wreaths , people went nuts collecting Christmas ferns , to the stop where it was becoming more and more difficult to find them in the wilderness .
gratefully , folks learn a much - needed thrill tablet … And that , in combination with the eventual authorisation of manmade materials in chaplet - making , seemed to halt the excessiveP. acrostichoidesdestruction .
Nowadays , the Christmas fern is a vernacular plant to determine growing wild in eastern woodlands . It ’s still used today in holiday decorations , as well as infloral organization .
Propagation
Christmas ferns may be propagate by sow spores , taking ancestor partition , or transplant potted specimens like you might buy from a nursery .
From Spores
fern such asP. acrostichoidesdon’t bring on seeds like flowering plant do . Rather , they make spore . Their entire life sentence cycle is fascinating enough to guarantee a brief crash line .
On the underside of certain leaflet of this species are sori , which each contain spore - develop spore case .
spore drop from the sporangia , end up elsewhere , and germinate into prothalli : little heart - shaped structures that produce bollock and sperm cells .
Within each prothallus , an egg is fertilized by the sperm , forming what eventually prepare into a full - fledged fern … which will go on to make its own spore that continue the cycle .
P. acrostichoidesdrops its spores from June to September . During this sentence , utilise a sterilized blade to tailor away a healthy - looking frond .
Next , place the frond sori - side down on spare white or wax paper . Sandwich the frond with a second mainsheet of paper and keep it in a place that ’s free of draft and other disturbances .
About 24 hours later , uncover the frond . If a frond - mould spore - mark is present on the newspaper , great ! If it ’s absent or faint , you collected the frond at the wrong clock time .
If the print is there , brush the put down spore into a waxed or newspaper gasbag before storing them in the fridge .
spore can stay feasible in the fridge for years and they ’re able to sprout in any season , so you could inseminate them whenever you please .
decide that it ’s prison term to sow in ? Take a three- to four - inch plastic heap and fulfill it with a 50/50 mix of sphagnum peat moss and perlite .
After gently pat the medium down , moisten it thoroughly . Next , take a thump of spore about the size of it of a friction match nous and spread them equally across the metier ’s surface .
slackly tent and then varnish a gal - size credit card baggie around the muckle , and place it on a gay windowsill .
For those who live in the Northern Hemisphere , a south - face up window in winter or a Union - facing window in summertime would be skillful . Keep the grow medium moist , and be certain to keep the temperature of the selected blank in your home at 65 to 75 ° F all the while for the best results .
After several weeks , the Earth’s surface of the grow media should be coated in a film of green prothalli .
open up the base and obnubilate them with water when they reach a fourth part - in in height to spur on the fertilization process .
Wait 12 more weeks , keeping the media moist and the pot in the baggie the total time , only open it as involve .
If 12 weeks have passed and you see any form sporophytes that have formed , take an appropriately - sized Lucy in the sky with diamonds of liquid houseplant fertiliser concord to package program line for a container of this size and adulterate it down to quarter - intensity level by tally three piece water per part of fertilizer . Apply your dilute solution to the potting culture medium .
Keep maintaining the wet as needed within the bag , and continue impart fertilizer diluted to quarter - strong suit at three - calendar month intervals .
Once your baby ferns acquire an inch or two in acme , gently separate them into two- or three - industrial plant clump , placing each clump in its own pot or in its own space in a bombastic tray fill with your 50/50 mix . Space the clumps two inches apart .
Whether you keep using a sealed plastic baggie to keep on moisture or you opt to transfer them toa terrarium , the plant life should be keep in humid , draught - barren shape and out of direct sun .
Two weeks after you ’ve separated the plants into glob , you’re able to contribute some ventilating system by slightly unzip the baggie or leave the terrarium cover open a bite .
The plants should be ready for hardening off for out-of-door transplantation when nine calendar month have passed since you first inseminate the spores .
descend give , leave the plant outside in partial to complete shade for 30 moment to a full hour before make for them back inside .
Add 30 to 60 minutes to each serial day until the plant life can handle a full day alfresco , at which point in time they ’re ready to transfer .
From Divisions
Like most ferns , P. acrostichoidesbenefits from divide every three to five years , but do so sooner if frond increment appears stunted or if the center of the plant life has died back .
It ’s secure to part outdoor plant just after the first frost in declension , and indoor or outdoor industrial plant can also be divided prior to the appearance of unexampled increase in spring , when they are dormant .
A sidereal day or so before part Christmas fern out in the landscape , deep irrigate the soil around your to - be - divide specimen .
Give the frondage a haircut , forget just six in of greenery above the ground in place , before digging a circle around the flora with your selection of digging implement . Make indisputable to create the band four to six column inch off from the border of the specimen .
Really get under the plant life with your tool and then prise it up out of the ground . mildly polish off any easy stain from the roots and place the plant life on a tarpaulin to keep track of your segmentation .
To divide a potted plant , take away the fern from its pot by using a garden trowel , grime knife , or your fingers to tantalize and dig the root ball out of the growing media . Set the plant on a tarp or paper .
Separate the root ball into equally - sized piece with a sharp and infertile vane for transplantation .
Four girl plant is a unanimous turn to shoot for , as long as each division has an intact root organisation at least two to three inch in diameter .
Via Transplanting
After selecting your transplant sites for fern propagated at home plate , sectionalization , or nursery start , prep holes that are slightly big than the antecedent organization of each transplantation and amend the soil with a few handfuls ofcompostor well - molder manure .
Place the transplants in the holes , covering the solution to the same level , and backfill as needed .
Water them in deeply , and keep the dirt equally moist while the transplants get established .
For container planting , you ’ll need to pander a potty with a diam that ’s a brace of column inch larger than the original container . Put a flake of your 50/50 admixture of peat moss and perlite into the bottom of the new spate .
Gently squeeze the sides of the organ transplant ’s good deal to loosen and ease it from its container .
Pull out the transplanting , and use your fingers to tease out any tangles from the bottom and slope of the root organisation to kickstart food and water absorption .
Move the transplant into the new grass , planted to the same depth . Backfill with grow medium , and piss in the plant . Keep the medium moist as your transplanting becomes established in its young container .
For more tips , see our fern propagation guidebook here .
How to Grow
The destination with any plant in cultivation is to provide condition that tight mime those of its natural surroundings , so lease ’s take a expression at exactly what these guys need to boom .
Climate and Exposure Requirements
As plantings suitable for USDA Hardiness zone 3 to 9 , Christmas ferns are pretty cold - tolerant – quite fitting for a vacation - themed pteridophyte , if you postulate me .
Although they ’ll almost definitely stop dead up at the North Pole , they ’re brave as far north as you could go in the United States , save for sure part of Alaska , Minnesota , Montana , and Wyoming .
P. acrostichoidesloves full to fond shade , and is able to stick out the shadiest of exposures .
It ’s also quite resistant to fervour … not that you ’d advisedly set your landscape ablaze or anything .
But if a stray firework or a barbecue - gone - wrong were to allow you with a singe garden , or if you live in a region prostrate to wildfires , then at least your Christmas ferns would fare better than many other more affectionate species .
ward off plant in unmediated sun or boggy areas with stand body of water .
Scorching sunlight will stimulate frond to yellow and die back , and soppy status go away plants prostrate to moulder , which we ’ll cover next .
Soil Requirements
right soil drainage is all-important for this plant ’s wellness and life force , along with an acidic soil pH of 5.0 to 6.5 .
Along with get the right soil texture , drainage can be maintained with the accession of two to three inches of compost or well - rotted manure each lessen as a side curry around outdoor planting . These amendments contribute to soil richness as well .
Peat mosswill help to keep the filth moist in a potted plant mix , while perlite or vermiculite will maintain a porous structure that allow excess water to drain , preventing wellness issues .
Irrigation and Fertilizer Requirements
“ Moist ” is infamous for being a commonly disliked Holy Scripture , but for a Christmas fern , it ’s a life - giving tone .
P. acrostichoidesloves sitting in cool and moist – but not completely saturated – soil , and it ’s good to maintain this condition by choosing a by nature damp area to begin with for landscape painting plantings , and water whenever the soil Earth’s surface feels juiceless to the touch in the absence of rain or with potted indoor specimen , as well as during periods of extreme heat .
For in - ground plantings , the indigence for supplemental fertilizer should n’t be too high if you keep up with your organic filth amendments .
In addition to adding constituent thing , a single dose of a balanced , sluggish - release granular plant food applied in springtime should be more than enough , if you wish to practice it .
Jack ’s Classic Fertilizer
Jack ’s Classic , a balanced 20 - 20 - 20 NPK all - purpose water - soluble fertilizer , is available from JR Petersvia Amazonin one - quid tubs .
Liquid Indoor Plant Food
Indoor plantings should receive a springtime dose of fertilizer as well – Easy Peasy Plants offer a suitable 4 - 3 - 4 NPK liquid fertiliser in eight - ounce containerson Amazon .
lend oneself according to software program instructions .
Read our guide to fertilizing fernsfor more tips .
Growing Tips
Maintenance
Each spring and fall , adding two to three inches of a naturalmulch such as fall leavesor pine tree pale yellow around the root geographical zone of outdoor in - ground plantings will aid to husband filth wet .
Other than a bit of mulching , all you acquire ta do maintenance - overbold is cut off busted and idle frond whenever you find to detect them . There ’s an former vacation talent for ya : fewer garden chores !
Indoor plants can also be dust gently . And do n’t forget to split or repot as require , if the center of mature plants originate to die back .
Where to Buy
quick to add a few plants to your garden ?
Along with finding belittled as well as mature specimens at long suit garden centers and nurseries , look into local horticultural meet - ups or plant swop to see if you could trade whatever you ’re already propagating for this holiday nonflowering plant .
Who be intimate – you may even make a new ally !
Christmas Fern
The Internet also provides a plethora of perusable options for buying Christmas fern – online vendors such asNature Hills Nurserywill meet yourP. acrostichoidesneeds .
plant are also uncommitted in four - inch potsfrom Hirt ’s Gardens via Walmart .
Managing Pests and Disease
Robust health is a Christmas fern ’s first line of defence against plague and diseases , and it ’s best build up with proper cultivation practices .
Here are a few common pestilence and pathogen that may on occasion come to call :
Herbivores
gratefully , P. acrostichoidesis resistant todeer , squirrels , andrabbits , which’ll save you quite a chip of hassle in the landscape .
But as deer are wo nt to do , they may take a nibble at times of yr when petty else is available to munch on in the garden .
While songbird will be attracted to your Christmas ferns , it wo n’t be because they find them tasty – they ’ll use the winter fronds as a nesting site .
This wo n’t do much harm to your plants , and the net confirming ofhaving songster in your gardenwill outweigh any pocket-size structural damage .
Insects
Pests will often carry pathogens with them that could infect your plantings . desire to check disease ? begin with cuss direction .
A common enemy of the gardener , these soft - corporate pest will suck the sap out of flora tissue , which can extend to wilted frond and overall stunted growth along with the actual alimentation legal injury .
Additionally , aphids excrete honeydew , which is a enhancive nuisance that can lead tosooty moldgrowth – a gnarly fungous pathogen that ’s as unhealthful for plants as it is ugly .
To control aphids , you’re able to physically bump them from your plants with strong sprays of water fromthe garden hose , while horticultural crude oil or insecticidal soap offer up a nontoxic way to smother these pests . A third option is tointroduce beneficial predatorssuch as ladybird or lacewings .
Arbico Organicshas an arsenal of aphid - have it away worm available for you to apply in your garden .
Monterey Horticultural Oil
Monterey horticultural oil is available in quart- and gallon - sized containersfrom Arbico Organics .
Further tips for combating aphids can be obtain in our guide .
A rare happening indoors , snakelike webworm larvae ( Herpetogramma aeglealis ) may fertilise on Christmas ferns in the landscape , rolling up leaves to shelter within and to pupate .
You may notice rolled leave and frass as sign of their presence .
The adult gray - dark-brown grownup moth have a wingspread of about 30 millimeters while the larvae are little and xanthous , with darker heads .
you’re able to hand - clean and dispose of them if you wish , or address plant life withBtbeneficial bacteriaif infestation become a problem .
Even though close - up photos of mealybugs make it almost seem like they ’re covered in fine-grained sugar , these pests are anything but sweet .
Coming in at a twentieth to a fifth part of an inch long , mealy bug are round , segment , and coat with a hallmark milky wax that makes IDing them easy - peasy .
Clumping together in colony on flora , a mealybug plague can take to reduced vigor and pip dieback , both of which will leave yourP. acrostichoideslooking a fleck damaged and sad .
Hand removal and high - velocity water spray are great shape of physical control , while horticultural oil applications and spot - treating with alcoholic beverage - soaked cotton wool swabs are solid means of chemical control .
The above - described predatory insects – along with spiders and moment pirate bugs – will make scant and tasty oeuvre of mealy bug .
Our guide has even more information on mealybug management .
Disease
Sterile garden practices such as sanitizing your tools and ensuring that you only utilize disease - gratuitous plants and grow spiritualist , whether spread or mixed at home or buy from a nursery , are foolproof way of preventing transmission in your fern .
In addition to coal-black mold , as refer above , you may also encounter :
Caused byFusariumandSclerotiniafungi as well asPhytophthorawater molds , crown rot result in the yellowing , wilting , and dropping of frond , followed by the eventual dying of the plant .
While the causal pathogen can vary , the condition in which it hit is moderately much always the same : overly cockeyed territory that do n’t drain well enough .
Since direction of crown rot is very unmanageable , it ’s ripe to concenter on prevention .
render excellent ground drainage and avoiding overwatering are both essential , whether your Christmas fern are grown in pots or in the background , as pathogen thrive in environments with spare wet .
Avoid planting too profoundly , and water only at the soil line . If crown rot does occur , pitch any infected planting .
Best Uses
It go without saying that the Christmas fern is the idealistic nonflowering plant for the vacation time of year – it ’s in the name , after all .
single fronds can be used as gorgeous instinctive elements in wreaths , swags , and floral arrangements , not only during the festive wintertime vacation time of year , but throughout the class .
The thick size ofP. acrostichoidesmakes it a fantastic houseplant .
It may also be used as a dry land back , peculiarly in wintertime when the fronds lie bow down on the ground .
However , call back that it will not spread out far and wide of the mark naturally like other types of ferns might .
Along with accenting specimen planting , the dark immature coloration of the foliage supply a fantastic backcloth for other , more brilliantly - emblazon flora .
A passel of Christmas fern can do wonders in controlling erosion on slopes , thanks to their rhizomatous root systems . And to top it all off , a blood line of them planted or arrange in jackpot in the garden occasion nicely as a mete !
Quick Reference Growing Guide
The Christmas Fern: It’s Saint Nick-Approved
I know Santa guess the morality of people ’s actions , not their landscape gardening … but I ’m reckon that he ’d findP. acrostichoidesappealing . He ’s a jolly good authorisation on what is and is n’t nice , after all .
This plant life will make a lovely addition to your garden , no matter the time of year – but I ’ll give you bonus points if it ’s include as part of your vacation decorations !
Want to learn more about ferns ? Then Christmas get early for you this year :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photos via Arbico Organics , Easy Peasy Plants , J R Peters , and Nature Hills Nursery . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Joe Butler
