-». 



W O R TH REPEATING 



Culture Notes: 



Hardy Ferns 6y Ellen Jalmage 



From GrowerTalks. )uly, 1993) 



Oftentimes the quiet 

 ones get the job 

 done. This is cer- 

 tainly true in the 

 case of ferns. 

 Growers are al- 

 ways in search 

 of that hot new 

 introduction that 

 blooms constantly 

 in a wide range of 

 colors. But ferns aren't 

 like that. They're quiet, 

 reserved, and very classy. 



PROPAGATION 



Biology 101 taught us that ferns are 

 not your typical plant with sexual 

 and asexual reproductive cycles. 

 Many propagators found them too 

 challenging and time-consuming. 

 For years spore production was left 

 to the hard-core fern enthusiast. 

 Dividing ferns had its limits since 

 many types are slow to spread. 



One apparent solution was to dig 

 out ferns from the wild. Difficulties 

 can arise when dealing with native 

 and naturalized plants such as 

 ferns. Gardeners clamor for more — 

 yet little thought is given to the 

 source of the material. There are 

 reputable collectors who harvest 

 from their own managed lots, know- 

 ing how many plants can be taken 

 without depleting the natural popu- 

 lation. But there are others who 

 collect plants on land that doesn't 

 belong to them and potentially 

 wipe out whole habitats. 



Luckily, help has arrived. Thanks 

 to great strides made in tissue cul- 

 ture, ferns are now being propa- 

 gated quickly and economically in 

 Holland and the United States. 



GROWING 



Ferns require little of a commercial 

 grower's attention. 



Transplanting: Bareroot ferns are 

 safely transplanted in late fall (No- 



vember) or early spring (February 

 to IVlay). It's important when re- 

 ceiving bareroot material to inspect 

 it for the right end up. This can be 

 tricky, so take your time! Plant 

 roots deep enough in pots to cover 

 crowns with one-half inch of soil. 



The real beauty of tissue-cul- 

 tured ferns is the flexibility the 

 grower has in planting time. You 

 can grow tissue-cultured ferns suc- 

 cessfully at any time of the year. 

 They grow quickly from 72 cell size 

 to one quart or gallon pots. 

 Light: Ferns in general require a 

 shaded location. By growing them 

 under shade cloth, you can main- 

 tain attractive foliage throughout 

 the growing season. 

 Temperature: Overwinter hardy 

 ferns in cold frames with minimum 

 heat, provided that the varieties se- 

 lected are within appropriate hardi- 

 ness zones. 



Fertilization: A slow-release, nine 4- 

 month fertilizer at planting time is 

 sufficient for ferns until planted into 

 the landscape. Avoid over-fertiliza- 

 tion: fronds become weak and will 

 break. 



Post harvest handling and mar- 

 keting: When shipping deciduous 

 ferns, try to pick the plants before 

 they have left fiddlehead stage. 

 Many of the deciduous ferns will 

 produce only three or four fragile 



The PlanLsman 

 28 



s in a proper growing season, 

 the fronds are already ex- 

 tended, sleeve the pots to 

 minimize breakage. Ever- 

 green ferns look good 

 throughout the year 

 and can be shipped 

 with no special atten- 

 tion. 

 Display ferns in a 

 shaded protected loca- 

 tion away from high 

 winds. Install a fern garden 

 to show customers mature 

 scape specimens. Many ferns 

 do not reach full height in contain- 

 ers: for example, ostrich ferns can 

 become six feet tall. 

 Varieties: Start out with ferns native 

 to your region. Gather information — 

 from the fern society, from catalogs. 

 Caution: many fern books are writ- 

 ten for the avid botanist, while 

 commercial growers need quick ref- 

 erence for height, hardiness, etc. 

 Some of the many good ferns are: 

 Mfiyrium fi'/ix-femina 

 (Lady Fern) 

 Mfiyrium nipponicum 

 (lapanese painted Fern) 

 Dennslaedlia punclHobula 

 (Hay-scented Fern) 

 Dryopteris erythrosora 

 (Autumn Fem) 

 Dryopteris marginalis 

 (Marginal Shield Fern) 

 Malleuccia sirulhiopleris 

 (Ostrich Fern) 

 Osmunda cinnamonea 

 (Cinnamon Fern) 

 Osmunda regalis 

 (Royal Fem) 

 PolyslicAum acroslichoides 

 (Christmas fern) 



EllfM Talmage is perennial manager at 

 l.R. lalmage £• Son in Riverhead. NY, 

 and owner of Horticulturai Goddess Inc., 

 a honicullurai consulting firm. 



For more information on hardy ferns, 

 contact American Fern Society treasurer 

 \ames D. Caponetti. Department of 

 Botany. Tlie University of Tennessee, 

 Knoxville Tennessee 379-996-1100.) >»• 



