10″ Tiger Fern – Hanging Basket

Adopting and caring for a Tiger Fern

Adopting: A well-established Fern is a joy to behold. Look for bushy plants with lush-looking heads. In Indian conditions these plants are relatively disease-free, however clean, insect-free undersides of its leaves is a good way to assess the health of these plants.

Locating: Direct sun or overly bright light can bleach or burn the leaves of a Fern. So any area that offers filtered light is best for these plants. They do extremely well when themed with granite or brick facades in areas with indirect light. Since these plants need regular watering and misting it’s worth checking on the plants for signs of rot when they are located in areas with extremely low light.

Potting: Ferns need rich, well-drained soils that have been fortified with organic material. So it is ideal to mix good quantities of compost to 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, but they can’t stand waterlogged conditions. So ensuring a good, well-draining potting mixture is ideal to keep your plant happy.

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. Do ensure that the chemicals don’t come in contact with the leaves.

A Tiger Fern is a unique tropical specimen that, with its lacy, frilly leaves bring uniqueness to just any setting. Ensure that you protect them from direct sunlight, and give it the right kind of humidity. Once established, here is a plant that can give you years and years of trouble-free growth putting on leaf, after lacy new leaf.

Did you know

Did you know? The NASA Clean Air Study has recognised some species of Fern for their ability to remove cigarette smoke and Formaldehyde from the surrounding air