16” Crissie Fern (Bird’s Nest)

Crissie Fern

If you want to add a touch of tropical greenery to your home, you will not go wrong with a Fern. The classy looking Asplenium varieties (commonly known as Bird’s Nest Ferns), are the most eye-catching ones you can bring home. These shade-loving plants demand very little in terms of nurture if you can give them good humidity and protect them from direct sunlight. Natives of southeast Asian tropics and Australia, Asplenium is a genus that consists of some 700 species.

Adopting and caring for Crissie Fern

Adopting: Adding a lush, well-grown Crissie Fern to a plant collection is a feeling only a plant parent can understand. At eplants, we bring you display-ready plants with high-quality growth, compact shape and well-formed leaves.

Locating: Direct sun or overly bright light can bleach or burn the leaves of a Bird’s Nest Fern. So any area that offers filtered light is best for these plants. They do extremely well in antique-styled brass and metal planters in areas with indirect light. Since these plants need regular watering and misting, care must be taken when they are located in areas with extremely low light.

Potting: Ferns need rich, well-drained soil that has been fortified with organic material. So it is ideal to mix good quantities of compost into the potting mix. A blend of coco-peat, compost, and river sand in a 30:50:20 ratio should help your Fern to do well.

Watering: Ferns demand regular watering and misting, even though they can’t stand waterlogged conditions.

Fertilising: If you have a good potting mixture and your plants are looking bushy and healthy, you can skip the fertilising entirely. However, if you are keen to feed them, use an organic liquid fertiliser. If you are using a chemical mix, dilute them to have the prescribed strength and fertilise them once a month or so. Ensure that the chemicals don’t come in contact with the leaves.

A Bird’s Nest Fern is a great looking plant that is extremely easy to care for. Just ensure that you protect it from direct sunlight, and give it the right amount of humidity to thrive. Indoors, or in a shaded corner outdoors these plants will add a touch of class with very little effort.

Did you know

Ferns took root long before animals walked the earth and over a hundred million years before dinosaurs appeared on the scene.