Learn how to have green ferns in your garden

If you have fern, know that it gives shelter to a dinosaur! “This is the oldest plant in the world!”, says Paulo Murat, president of the Union of Wholesale Flowers and Plants of the State of São Paulo.

Like maidenhair and Portuguese lace, ferns like to moist soil and weak sun🇧🇷 When watering them, drain the water that remains in the dish. Takasi Kadoguchi, one of the biggest producers of these plants, gives the tip: “They are like babies with a diaper: if they spend many hours wet, they complain”. Discover the little secrets to having your “little dinosaurs” green, full of buds and happy!

The right way to care

Find a good corner
Look for a half-shaded place, where the strong midday sun does not hit. If you live at home and have a cool, bright yard or garage, you can bet she’ll enjoy it. Take care to choose a corner away from wind currents, which dehydrate the plant and make the leaves fall.

water regularly
Keep the pot moist. In order not to make a mistake, put your finger in the ground: if it comes out dirty, you don’t need to wet it. Avoid watering the foliage – many species abort soggy leaves.

Make a correct mixture of fertilizers
For your plants to be as beautiful as they are in the flower shop, mix 2 col. (soup) of castor bean pie and 1 col. (soup) of bone meal and spread it on the ground, every 40 days. You can also spray the leaves one month with NPK 20-20-20 and the next with NPK 15-05-30, following the dilution guidelines on the package.

Who is who

1. american fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata): it is the most resistant species there is, it has no freshness.
two. subway fern (Polypodium subauriculatum): it has leaves that reach meters in length
3. lace-Portuguese (Davallia fejeensis): burns in winter and resprouts in spring.
4. maidenhair (Adiantum sp): delicate plant, does very well on the coast, but hates to be cold.
5. silver fern (Pteris cretica): its foliage is unmistakable, it has silver spots!
6. Paulistinha (Nephrolepsis pectinata): it is so common that it grows even in the bush!