The Fern Society of Victoria Inc. ABN 85 086 216 704	Platycerium bifurcatum
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Care of Ferns

Chris Goudey

Planting

• Choose a well drained, shaded or semi-shaded position, free from strong winds or draughts.
• Do not plant too deep, and be sure to water in well.
• Mulch around ferns with well decayed compost or leaf mould.

Care

• Keep soil moist at all times but not wet.
• An occasional application of fertiliser at half strength is beneficial during the growing season.
• Check for pests such as Aphids, Scale, Caterpillars etc., at least once a week

Potting and repotting

If you want to grow a fern in a pot, you must repot it into a larger diameter pot at least every two years, preferably every year. The best way to tell if a fern needs potting up (moving into a bigger pot) is to have the potting medium moist and, with one hand supporting the medium and plant, turn the whole thing upside down. Tap it out of the pot and inspect the roots. If either the whole side of the medium is matted with roots or many pale root ends are visible, it needs to be potted up.

You can either make your own mix or buy a top quality potting mix. l can recommend Debco or Nurseryman's as reliable brands.

For most ferns, it is usually a waste of time potting up one size, instead go from a 5 inch to a 7 or 8 inch (125cm to 175 or 200cm) pot.

Don't ram the soil down, put it in and tap the pot to settle it around the plant. Water it in.

Don't forget to transfer the label with the fern! You'd be amazed how many labels disappear at potting up time so develop a system which helps you keep track of them.

The best time to pot is in the growing season, which is from Spring right through to Autumn. You can pot up cool climate ferns in the Winter, but don't do any tropical or sub-tropical ferns at that time.