Ferns

MAGGIE BRAY

I have several ferns in pots.
can anyone tell me when to repot them please into bigger pots and the best time to do this.  I am in Kent 

thank you
maggie

pbff

Hi Maggie,
Are your ferns indoor or outdoor?
Hardy outdoor ferns should be repotted when their root system fills their current pot.
Repotting is best carried out in mid-spring.
Choose a new pot that is slightly larger than the existing one - you don't want one that is massively larger.

MAGGIE BRAY

Thank you for that.  This is what we thought we just wanted somebody to tell us.
Appreciate your help.

JoeX

Do you have to buy them in pots or is now a good time to grow them from seed or whatever they sprout from?

Buttercupdays

They grow from spores, which appear in black or brown patches or spots on the reverse of the fronds. You can grow them from these but it is a slower process than normal seeds and they usually need to be kept damp all the time. Once  you've got ferns though, if they are happy, you will find new babies popping up all over the place. They grow wild in my marshy areas and I'm forever having to move them and find new homes. The baby ones look so pretty in the crannies of a wall or the corner of a step, but they can get to nearly a metre high and wide and are the devil's own job to get out of such spaces if you leave them for long!

pbff

Hi @Tin pot,
Ferns do not produce seed; they grow from spores instead.
While it is possible to grow your own ferns from spores, you have to be very patient (the process can take well over 12 months!).
If you're new to fern cultivation, it is better to buy a mature fern plant.
Most garden centres will have a selection of ferns, of if you're looking for a bit more choice, then you can purchase them from specialist mail-order companies.
I highly recommend Fibrex Nurseries https://www.fibrex.co.uk/collections/ferns

For more info on ferns see the British Pteridological Society website:
https://ebps.org.uk/

Hope this helps.
pbff

JoeX

Ah yes of course. Biology class is a long way from today, but still should’ve guessed at least.  They’re mono (cot?) to modern plants di if I recall too, simpler genetics and reproduction mechanism.

Ah well, is fibrex representative of prices, or am I going to be able to get British ferns for less than £5-7 each?

Im hoping to put a few in my “evening sun” corner. Don’t want to spend lots, kids to feed etc.

pbff

There is also Shady Plants Fern Nursery http://www.shadyplants.net/section221647.html
I don't know what they're like yet, but I have been thinking about getting a couple of ferns from them - they supply a wider range than Fibrex, I believe.
Prices generally about £3.95 per plant.

Ferns for sale at our nearest Homebase store last year were £4.99, but if you're lucky,
you can sometimes pick up one or two that they've reduced by a couple of quid.

A brief refresh of some groups within the Plant Kingdom:

Ferns belong to a group of plants called the Pteridophytes, which also include clubmosses (not true mosses) and horsetails.
I suppose you could define pteridophytes as being vascular, non-flowering, non-seed-bearing plants.
The pteridophytes have roots, leaves and stems, containing a vascular transport system in the form of xylem and phloem, which enables them to grow to greater heights than their relatives, the bryophytes (true mosses & liverworts), which do not have a vascular system.

Then you get the vascular, non-flowering, seed-bearing plants (called the Gymnosperms). These include conifers, cycads and Ginkgo biloba. 
These do not produce flowers or fruits, but do produce seeds, which are borne naked on cones.
They have a quite basic vascular system, in comparison to the vascular, flowering, seed-bearing plants (called the Angiosperms).

Angiosperms produce flowers and also seeds, which are enclosed within fruits.
Angiosperms are further divided into Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons.

Monocots include grasses, irises, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, lilies, ginger, etc.
They are basically recognized by generally having only one cotyledon (seed leaf), having linear strap-like leaves, no leaf stalk, often a parallel arrangement of leaf veins, unbranched stems and flower parts arranged in multiples of 3.

Dicots include all the other plants like broad-leaf trees, roses, clematis, geraniums, etc.
They usually have 2 cotyledons, leaves in a variety of shapes, often with leaf stalks, a net-type pattern of leaf veins, branched stems and flower parts arranged in multiples of 4 or 5.

Hope I haven't bored you too much!
All the best
pbff

DampGardenMan

 

Buttercupdays said:

Once  you've got ferns though, if they are happy, you will find new babies popping up all over the place.

Snap! I've just peeled 12 baby ferns, each about 1/2" tall, off the surface of a brick that was lying in some grass (aka "the meadow"). I've potted them and am confidently expecting twelve strapping plants next year. OK, six. Three. Even one would be good

I also rescued half a dozen big ones that had (presumably) self-seeded (self-spored?) into a derelict greenhouse and were getting burnt to a crisp. I planted them, last year, into a shady bed and am anxiously awaiting the new croziers. I love it when those unfurl!

JoeX

pbff said:

There is also Shady Plants Fern Nursery http://www.shadyplants.net/section221647.html
I don't know what they're like yet, but I have been thinking about getting a couple of ferns from them - they supply a wider range than Fibrex, I believe.
Prices generally about £3.95 per plant.

Ferns for sale at our nearest Homebase store last year were £4.99, but if you're lucky,
you can sometimes pick up one or two that they've reduced by a couple of quid.

A brief refresh of some groups within the Plant Kingdom:

Ferns belong to a group of plants called the Pteridophytes, which also include clubmosses (not true mosses) and horsetails.
I suppose you could define pteridophytes as being vascular, non-flowering, non-seed-bearing plants.
The pteridophytes have roots, leaves and stems, containing a vascular transport system in the form of xylem and phloem, which enables them to grow to greater heights than their relatives, the bryophytes (true mosses & liverworts), which do not have a vascular system.

Then you get the vascular, non-flowering, seed-bearing plants (called the Gymnosperms). These include conifers, cycads and Ginkgo biloba. 
These do not produce flowers or fruits, but do produce seeds, which are borne naked on cones.
They have a quite basic vascular system, in comparison to the vascular, flowering, seed-bearing plants (called the Angiosperms).

Angiosperms produce flowers and also seeds, which are enclosed within fruits.
Angiosperms are further divided into Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons.

Monocots include grasses, irises, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, lilies, ginger, etc.
They are basically recognized by generally having only one cotyledon (seed leaf), having linear strap-like leaves, no leaf stalk, often a parallel arrangement of leaf veins, unbranched stems and flower parts arranged in multiples of 3.

Dicots include all the other plants like broad-leaf trees, roses, clematis, geraniums, etc.
They usually have 2 cotyledons, leaves in a variety of shapes, often with leaf stalks, a net-type pattern of leaf veins, branched stems and flower parts arranged in multiples of 4 or 5.

Hope I haven't bored you too much!
All the best
pbff

Thanks pbff