Fern, or nephrolepis (lat. Nephrolepis) is a very beautiful decorative leaf tree, which is popular with both gardeners for planting in the open field, and among gardeners who plant it in indoor conditions. However, often the owners of the fern are upset by the fact that the leaves turn yellow and dry in the flower or, as they are correctly called in this plant, the frond. If you look at the most popular topics of online flower growers forums, it turns out that this is a very common problem. And the reasons why the fern turns yellow, lie in the wrong care.
In this article we have compiled a list of the most common mistakes that are made when growing this ampelous plant at home and provoke the occurrence indoor fern diseases. By avoiding them, you can expect that Nephrolepis will delight you with its lush green bushes for a long time.
Did you know? In addition to decorative properties, the fern still cleans the air in the apartment from harmful substances to human health, released by finishing materials and furniture, in particular, formaldehydes, toluene and xylene.
Why fern leaves turn yellow, care errors
Nephrolepis refers to unpretentious plants with fast growth rates. Usually tolerates room conditions - humidity, temperature. However, there are periods when the flower needs to be helped to overcome unfavorable factors or to cope with the disease. This is especially true of the off-season, at the beginning of the heating season or immediately after its completion.
If suddenly you started to notice that your room fern began to look worse, grow poorly, its leaves turn yellow and dry, we advise you to take a test to see if you are caring for it properly and keeping it in comfortable conditions.
Important! Nephrolepis may take some time to get used to new environmental conditions, for example, after purchase or transplant. Thus, a two-three-year-old plant will take 1.5-2 months to settle in a new place. For the young sapling this period will be longer.The main mistakes when growing, which can be the reasons why the fern dries at home, are:
- excessive or insufficient watering;
- wrong temperature condition;
- insufficient air humidity in the room;
- insufficient lighting or access to the plant in direct sunlight;
- excessive or improper feeding.
Wrong watering and spraying the plants
The most common reason why leaves dry in room ferns is improper watering. It is the lack or excess of moisture that often affects the appearance of the plant.
If the flower suffers from strong waterlogging, then the lower leaves will turn yellow, and their tips will turn brown and dry. On them, as well as on the roots, the appearance of mold, rot. Later, the fronds will fall off.
In case of insufficient moisture, the flower will signal you by stopping the growth of leaves and their yellowing. They will look wilted, lethargic, unhealthy.
If you start to worry about the fact that the indoor fern dries out, the first thing you need to do is switch it to the correct watering mode. When growing nephrolepis, you should take it as a rule to water the soil to a state of light humidity. It should not overdry, but the plant also does not tolerate an overabundance of moisture.
Did you know? Plants growing in ceramic pots require more frequent watering than those planted in plastic ones.
Fern is plentifully watered in late spring, summer, and early autumn, that is, during particularly hot periods. Whether the plant needs regular watering is determined by the condition of the soil - if the top layer has dried, then it must be moistened. On average in summer, the fern will need to be moistened once every two or three days.Watering during the cold season will depend on the indoor temperature. If the apartment is hot, then the flower is moistened in the same amount as in the summer. At moderate temperatures, watering is carried out rarely and in small portions. The optimal frequency of soil moistening for the winter period will be once a week.
Important! Watering is carried out only with warm well-separated or rain water.Such a change in the appearance of the fern, as yellowing, browning, and then twisting fronds indicates that you use too cold, hard or too chlorinated water for watering.
In the warm season, the plant is recommended to be watered in the evening, and in the cold - in the morning. You should also not forget to loosen the soil in case of formation of a crust on it after watering.
The fern loves daily spraying or at an interval of one day. They are also produced with soft warm water. Spraying will allow the plant to get rid of dust on the leaves and moisten the air in the apartment.
Important! It is forbidden to spray the plant during the period when direct sunlight falls on its leaves. This can cause burns, which is also a possible reason why fern leaves turn yellow.
Failure to comply with the requirements for temperature and humidity
The second common mistake when growing a fern is the temperature and humidity of the air that are incorrectly chosen for its content. When yellowing leaves and slowing the growth of plants, pay attention to the conditions in your apartment with the recommended indicators.
Comfortable for nephrolepis are considered such temperature indicators:
- in winter - 16 ° C;
- in summer - 22 ° ะก.
If the temperature exceeds 25 ° C, then it is necessary to increase the frequency of spraying the plant in order to moisten the air in the room. Yellowing leaves from the base indicates that the fern is hot and you need to move it to a cooler place.When lowering the mercury column on the thermometer to the level of 12 ° C, it is recommended to reduce the number and volume of irrigation.
We noticed that the young fronds fade and die - this is a sure sign that the plant is cold: either from a low temperature in the room or from watering with cold water.
Important! If the lower leaves of the fern turn yellow with time, then this is a natural process. In this case, you just need to delete them.The requirements for the humidity of the air fern high - not less than 60%. As soon as the air for him becomes dry, and the temperature is too high, he will show you this first by drying out the tips of the leaves, and soon, and the whole frond. Also on the leaves in such conditions may appear brown spots.
It is possible to reach optimum indicators, making regular spraying with frequency from two times a day (in the morning and in the evening) to one spraying in a day.
During very hot periods, a summer shower is recommended, while in order to prevent water from entering the substrate, it is covered with plastic wrap or a bag. Ferns also feel comfortable, if the container in which it grows is placed on a pallet with wet clay, sand or peat. In the heating season, the flower must be placed away from the batteries.
Oversupply or lack of fertilizer
Incorrectly made dressings can provoke a number of diseases in the fern. Fertilize the plant is necessary only in the period of active growth - from spring to early autumn. This should be done every two to three weeks. The recommended dosage is best reduced by two to three times. For fertilizing fit any fertilizer for decorative leafy plants.
Since the rest period of nephrolepis falls on October-February, it is necessary to stop any feeding from October to the beginning of spring.
If the plant has become faded, stopped growing, this may be the reason that it lacks nutrients, or the capacity has become small for the development of the root system. Fern must be fertilized or transplanted into a larger pot.
Errors when choosing lighting
Another reason for reducing the ornamentation of the leaves of nephrolepis is insufficient lighting or prolonged exposure of the plant to direct sunlight.
The fern prefers diffused lighting, in the shade to grow, most likely, will refuse. Penetration of direct rays is possible only a couple of hours a day, more nephrolepis will not survive. An excess of lighting will necessarily affect the decorativeness of the flower - its leaves will become faded and sluggish.
If the fern leaves dry, to the recommendations of what to do in such cases, you need to add the movement of the flower on the north or east side, where it should be more comfortable.
Why do blotches and patches appear on fern leaves, the main pests and plant diseases?
Also, when yellowing or detecting other stains, plaque on the flue, it is necessary to inspect the flower for pests and diseases. When they are identified, it is necessary to take immediate action However, it is important to understand that with proper planting and care, the risk of infestation of fern is very small.
Home Fern Pests
The most common pest of a fern is the scythe. Unfortunately, the plant does not always signal externally about the crept parasite, and only after a while, when the infection reached its peak, the fronds begin to shrink and fall off. One of the difficulties in detecting the scale insects is the fact that they settle at the base of the leaves and often cannot be distinguished from the spores of the plant. Affected leaves must be pruned together with the stem. Shchitovok removed mechanically, scraping them with a brush. The plant is treated with "Aktellik" (15-20 drops / 1 l of water).
Also, the reason that dry home fern, can become spider mite, which harms by sucking the sap from the plant and loves to make cobwebs on it. The leaves wither, turn yellow and fall off.
With improper watering in the roots can get a nematode. In this case, only transplanting a flower with "Aktellik" treatment can help.
If the room is too dry air, fern can attack aphid, whitefly. With a strong infection will help spraying "Aktellik", "Karbofos", "Aktar" and other drugs. Yellowing of the foliage causes and mealybug.
Diseases of indoor fern
Low temperatures and excessive watering can trigger the development of fungal diseases, such as gray mold, black fungus, etc. When these diseases appear, it will be too late to look for information on how to cure room fern. It is better to protect the diseased plant in a timely manner from healthy, in order to avoid infection. The use of fungicides is likely to be ineffective.
The best struggle in this case will be the prevention of the appearance of diseases - maintaining the required level of soil moisture and air, and favorable temperatures.
Why fern leaves turn yellow after transplanting
A prerequisite for the care of fern is transplanting it. It is recommended to carry out this procedure every year in April-May before the plant reaches the age of three years. After that - once every two or three years. When transplanting choose a little more capacity. It should not be too deep, but wide enough, slightly larger than the root system of the plant.
It should be noted that nephrolepis does not always transfer this procedure easily and quickly. He needs time to bookmark new wai. What to do if you just transplanted fern, and he began to dry out? First of all, it is necessary to provide the plant with all the conditions it prefers, and wait a couple of months - while it adapts.
If you picked up the soil and the pot correctly, it is important to understand that frequent changes in conditions lead to a change in the appearance of the fern - so it is capricious due to the fact that it was disturbed. At this point, you need to remove dried leaves.
Important! When transplanting especially careful it is necessary to be with the tips of the wai, because it is there that the growth point is located. If they are damaged, the leaves will no longer grow and will soon wither.Sometimes by external symptoms it is difficult to determine what exactly the plant lacks and why the home fern turns yellow. Negative factors can harm the flower in the complex. Then it is necessary to exclude them one by one and gradually, creating comfortable conditions for their pet.
