Composting Ferns is nothing but nourishing the soil with organic material that helps plants grow better. Most ferns are plants frequently found in woodlands and forests and have delicate roots adapted to the light forest soil, which is rich in natural matter obtained from the forest canopy. The right compost should be draining to prevent roots from getting waterlogged. Hence, we need to create soil which resembles their natural habitat.
Composting leaves normally meet the nutritional needs of ferns. Small size and slow growth are more likely to be caused by limited water than due to lack of compost. In fact, ferns are sensitive to excess compost. Inorganic fertilizers are also likely to damage the roots of the fern. The fine roots of ferns can be sensitive to strong composts, even organic composts, and will die back if over fertilized.
One of the big advantages of growing ferns is that they have very small needs for food or light, as they do not flower or make seed and therefore can still grow in very difficult places. Despite this, we need to make the ferns feel at home by providing them the best soil and compost.
Table of Contents
Basic Requirements
Keep the ferns in indirect light, provide water and humidity and plant them in the right kind of soil for the ferns to grow well. Always keep the soil moist, as ferns have shallow root systems. Hence, packaged houseplant soil mixes must contain porous, organic materials.
The potting soil should have high organic content. Use mixes with peat moss or sphagnum plus gravel for drainage. In fact, compost containing peat or a fibrous peat substitute with plenty of sand or gravel is considered the best compost for ferns. Add garden loam or potting soil into the mix. Add 4 grams of dolomitic limestone per kg of soil mix. You can also mix 20 percent superphosphate. Outdoor ferns thrive in slightly acidic and neutral soils (from 4-7 pH).
The compost should not be too heavy; otherwise, they will not drain enough and the roots may get waterlogged. Add perlite or gravel to aid with water flow. The compost should not be allowed to dry out either. Moistened mood moss kept at the plant’s base can also help with moisture retention. So do not let the soil dry out between waterings or over-water it. Ferns prefer evenly moist soil, but not too wet.
You can fertilize your fern only during particular times of the year. Feed them in the summer, every two to four weeks with a liquid houseplant fertilizer. The liquids should be used at half strength to prevent damage of the root system. Add a few drops of fertilizer occasionally to the water for misting. You can also use slow-release products. Avoid feeding them in the winter, as this is not their active growth phase.
Feed your ferns in the summer every two to four weeks with a liquid fertilizer, but do not mix it full strength to avoid damaging the root system. Don’t feed your ferns in the winter because it is not their active growth phase. Mist the air around your ferns often to keep it moist.
What kind of soils do ferns need?
A fern needs soil that has a well-balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to flourish. The soil for ferns should have high organic content and porous for good drainage. Though most of the ferns can tolerate almost any type of soil, most ferns require an open free draining soil if they can get it. The reason is that ferns have fibrous roots and hence find it much easier to penetrate loose and free draining soil.
Do coffee grounds similar to composting Ferns?
Coffee grounds are not good for ferns. Using coffee in any form, whether it be liquid coffee or fresh coffee grounds or any other coffee-based product as fertilizer for your ferns will hinder the growth of the ferns. Coffee adds too much nitrogen to the soil which tampers the growth of ferns. As coffee adds nitrogen to the soil, adding even a small amount over the recommended nitrogen levels can lead to dry leaves and an unhealthy fern.
Coffee also promotes fungal growth and contains antimicrobial agents that kill beneficial microbes in the soil. Coffee drops the pH value of the soil.
Adding coffee to the soil will naturally lower the pH value of the soil, as coffee is acidic by nature. Creating acidic soil can be beneficial to many plants but ferns are not one of them. So, avoid using coffee grounds for ferns.
Composting Ferns – Fertilizers prefered
In order to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients in the soil, you can use an appropriate fertilizer during growing season. Ferns are relatively light feeders compared to many other foliage plants. They thrive in a nutrient-rich soil that has a well-balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Use a balanced fertilizer during growing season to maintain a healthy balance in the soil. Indoor potted ferns prefer a balanced fertilizer, such as 20-10-20 or 20-20-20 plant fertilizer. Outdoor ferns usually don’t require fertilization but you can try a slow-release 15-15-15 fertilizer.
Ferns are prone to developing problems from nitrogen-rich soil and will have an adverse reaction to over-fertilization even from standard liquid fertilizers. They cannot withstand nitrogen rates that are even as low as 200 ppm.
Although these composts work perfectly for the vast majority of ferns, the best conditions and composition for the composts for some ferns can only be found through trial-and-error method. Hence feel free to post your queries in the comment section below.
FAQ
- Name few advanatges of using Compost in the soil?
- Composting helps in improving the quality of soil both with respoect to texture and its properties. Soil should neither be too dense or too loose. Composting helps in replensihing it with baisc necessary ingredients ..It helps in reduction of erosion, improved water percolation , and soil property. In total compsoting helps in easy , faster and effective grwth of plants
- What’s the basic difference between compost and mulch?
Mulch helps in improvement of soil bed and not beneath that. Mulch helps in elimination of weeds ,retain soil mositure and improve the workability of the top layer..
Composting is nothing but replenishing with organic material that’s already broken down from a composting process. Composting helps in adding nutrient to the soil that helps in effective growth of plants ..
- What is the difference between Composting Ferns and Fertilizing?
- Both help in the growth of the plants .. But Fertilizer doesnt help in the micro organisms that live .. Continuous usage of chemcial fertilizers will dperive the soil of these organisisms and make it a hostile one in the long run..Compost, on the otehr hand , actually promotes healthy microbe growth within the soil.It helps to the retain the health of the natural soil.
- How much Compost should I use?
- Though the amount needed can vary, depending on if the garden bed is new or established one , there is a thumb rule for that .. Calculate the area of the garden bed ( Length X Breadth ) in sq feet and divide it by 10 . Thats is the cubic feet of compost one requires.
- How should I use Compost?
- The compost should be dark in colour and should smell like a soil. It should crumble easily . To try on the indoor plants, add about an inch of compost to the pot. Mix the compost into the top soil . Then repeat this every year whenever repotting is done .