The first thing you need to know when taking care of a crispy wave fern is to ensure the soil is well-draining and moist. Also, don’t put it under direct sunlight.
Crispy wave ferns’ natural habitat is under a tree. Therefore, you need to ensure you provide something close.
The plant doesn’t like drastic temperature changes. Ensure the temperature range is around 70-80 degrees. You can add fertilizer at least once a month. The fertilizer should always be in liquid form.
Apart from these few requirements, there are other caring tips for the crispy wave fern to ensure it remains bright green and healthy, and you will learn all of them in this article.
Crispy Wave Fern Natural Habitat
The crispy wave ferns are native to the tropical climate. They originate from Southeastern Asia, east of Australia, Hawaii, Polynesia, India, and Eastern Africa. In short, they are all over the globe.
Unlike most plants, they survive as epiphytes growing on terrestrial plants. They also thrive in organic matter, so when planting them, ensure the soil has organic matter. In the tropical climate, crispy wave ferns are mostly found growing on the tropical palm tree.
They get the moisture from the trees as they grow outside. So when growing them inside, it is essential to provide them with the right amount of moisture to grow healthy.
You can grow them anywhere in your home to give your home a beautiful natural look. All you need is to ensure at no point are the plants direct to sunlight. The amount of light they get will determine how good the leaves look. When the light is too much, the leaves start to wrinkle. Those that are in less light will have flatter leaves. Also, when the light is too much, the leaves become yellow or even die.
Light
When crispy wave ferns grow in the tropical, they grow under other plants to hide from direct sunlight. Placing them away from direct sunlight will help reduce light. Ensure it is not on the window where it is getting direct sunlight, affecting how the leaves look.
Place it on either the east or the northern side of the window to hide it from sunlight. That way, they will have beautiful dark green and flat leaves.
The Best Soil
Since the crispy wave fern is naturally epiphytic, you need to ensure you provide it with organic soil to provide similar conditions to grow on top of other plants. Also, the soil should be well-drained and moist to encourage healthy roots growth. Get a well-drained organic compost as it will be perfect for the plant.
A peat-based base will work correctly. If you are making your pot ensure the materials you use are organic. Also, the pot should be clean free from insects and seeds.
How to Water Crispy Wave Fern.
Crispy wave fern thrives in moist soils. The soil should be damp at any time you touch it, but at the same time, it shouldn’t be wet. When the soil is moist, it increases the roots rotting chances.
The plant can survive for a short while with no water but don’t leave it for long. When watering, ensure you don’t water the rosette center. Watering the rosette creates a pool of stagnant water. This will cause rotting of the leaves and create mold at the same time. Also, stagnant water and mold will attract bugs.
Make sure you water using room temperature warm water. When the water is too cold, it will cause shock the plant since it originates from tropical areas.
Watering the plant in the morning will give it time to absorb the water, and the excess will evaporate in the cause of the day. Watering in the evening will affect the evaporation process, and there will be stagnant water, which is not suitable for the plant.
When watering, try to use a gooseneck. In case you notice brown spots on the leaves, this is a condition known as the leaf spot. Cut the leaf from the base to avoid spreading. The condition is caused by watering the plant at night.
Also, use filtered water to remove unwanted impurities in the tap water that can affect the plant’s growth. If you don’t have a filter leave the water in an open can for around 24hours as it will help dissipate some of the chemicals.
Humidity For Your Crispy Wave Fern
Crispy wave fern thrives in humid surroundings such as tropical environments. One of the best spots to place your crispy wave fern is in your washroom. Every time you use water in the bathroom, you add more humidity to the room, creating a favorable environment for your plant.
Regular watering intervals meet water requirements but not humidity needs. For that reason, it is essential to meet the humidity needs still even if you water your crispy wave fern at regular intervals.
Another reason why your bathroom is an appropriate location to plant Crispy wave fern is its temperature. Smaller spaces tend to have temperatures that are easy to control through the window and door. Temperature fluctuation will, therefore, not occur in the room. Thus, you can easily control it.
The winter season is a challenging period to provide optimum humidity for your plants. The watering intervals reduce in winter since the potting soil does not dry fast compared to summer periods.
If you are not in a position to place your crispy wave fern in the bathroom, it is in the plant’s best interest to buy a humidifier to meet the humidity requirements.
Misting is another solution to unfavorable humidity conditions. If you want the plants to resin strong and healthy, make sure you mist their leaves at least two times every day. Misting the leaves will only provide surface moisture without dampening them, which would cause the leaves to begin rotting.
If you approach humidity requirements from an insufficient plant watering angle, you will worsen their condition. This is because you are likely to overwater your plant in an attempt to increase humidity. You will end up creating a pool of stagnant water, and eventually, your plants will rot from the excess moisture content.
Another solution that you should explore is having a small community of plants. With more plants under your care, you will move them closer to each other. Plants have a natural way of making an environment moist as they grow. The closer they are to each other, the better positioned they will be to raise their surroundings’ humidity.
If you cannot plant many crispy wave ferns in your home, make sure you have a clean bowl with water near the plants you already have.
Fertilizing Your Crispy Wave Fern
The most appropriate time to add fertilizer to your crispy wave fern is in spring. You need to apply a sufficient amount of fertilizer to the soil your plants are growing in after every two weeks.
Gardeners who can make fertilizers save money they would normally spend on buying chemical fertilizers. Compost is a favorable fertilizing option since finished compost adds nutrients to the soil and conserves the environment at the same time.
If you don’t have a composting system in your home, you can buy a composter and begin composting kitchen scraps and other organic materials.
If you want the best results, keep the soil fertilized by continuing the once a fortnight fertilizer application intervals.
Toxicity
One of the frequently asked questions about crispy wave fern plants is about toxicity. Well, you are not wrong to worry about how safe it is to grow the plant in a house with children and pets. As pets and children grow, they often experiment in consuming various things, plants included.
Crispy wave fern is not toxic when consumed. That being said, do not allow your children or pets to eat the plant often.
Propagation
Propagating crispy wave fern is challenging for upcoming gardeners and even experts and veteran gardeners. Nonetheless, propagating these plants is possible if you follow a few guidelines.
First, collect spores from your crispy wave fern. Here is a life hack to collect these spores easily. Place a leaf on a paper under the crispy wave fern. Leave it unmanned for a couple of days. During this period, spores will be falling onto the paper.
The next step is gathering peat moss and placing it in a container. Ensure it remains mediumly moist during the period you grow the spores in the peat moss. A shade is essential in maintaining the medium moisture requirement during the growth period. You should also mist every day so that they can grow faster.
Whenever the crispy wave ferns are big enough to be transplanted, uproot them with enough soil around the roots. Now transplant them in the planting pots you aim to have them grow to maturity.
Repotting
At times you may underestimate the growth of your crispy wave fern. As a result, it will outgrow the space you had provided when you planted it in a small pot. You may also decide to repot the plant due to other reasons, such as changing your planting pot’s design.
Repotting the plant requires you first to prepare an environment where you will plant it. Buy a bigger pot and add soil mixed with compost. Now uproot the plant from its current pot and plant it in the new pot.
Conclusion
A healthy plant is a beautiful plant. With the right knowledge maintaining your crispy wave fern plant is easy. When you follow all the above tips, it will have beautiful dark green leaves open, which will give your home that natural look and help in cleaning the air.