Bracken fern acts as a lush green foliage plant in the garden and in living rooms. Its primeval appearance creates exciting contrasts to classic perennials and at the same time raises questions about its cultivation. The following answers explain all relevant aspects about plants and care.

The bracken multiplies itself via spores

Table of Contents

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  1. Plant bracken correctly
  2. care tips
  3. Which location is suitable?
  4. The right planting distance
  5. What soil does the plant need?
  6. What is the best planting time?
  7. When is flowering time?
  8. Cut bracken correctly
  9. Pour bracken
  10. Fertilize bracken properly
  11. Diseases
  12. pests
  13. hibernate
  14. Propagating bracken
  15. Bracken in pot
  16. Is bracken poisonous?
  17. brown leaves
  18. Yellow leaves
  19. How do I plant correctly?

    20. Plant bracken correctly

    Planned soil preparation sets the course for best growth. If you follow these steps when planting, bracken will do its job with flying colors in the bed:

    • Place the still potted young plant in a bucket with rainwater
    • Loosen the soil deeply and dig the planting pit
    • Lay a root barrier along the edges
    • Enrich the excavation with compost, leaf soil, peat and horn shavings

    Repot the young bracken and plant it in the middle of the pit, no deeper than before. Water generously and mulch with lawn clippings or leaves.

    care tips

    Soft water plays the primary role in the bracken care regimen. All important details at a glance:

    • Water plentifully and regularly with lime-free water
    • Irrigate or spray the plant every 1-2 days
    • Fertilize with compost and horn shavings every 4 weeks from May to September
    • Apply a liquid special fertilizer for ferns in the bucket

    If you cut out withered fronds, this measure promotes attractiveness and prevents aging from the inside out. Cut off the leaves that have drawn in in winter at the latest before the new shoots appear.

    Which location is suitable?

    Bracken prefers a semi-shady to shady location where it can soak up sunlight in the morning or evening. Assign the green plant a wind-protected location, this circumspection favors a harmonious growth of the fronds. In addition, the highest possible humidity is obligatory, so that the bathroom is considered a premium location in the house.

    The right planting distance

    Place bracken at a distance of 50 centimeters. If the plant is used for greening larger areas, place 4 specimens per square meter.

    What soil does the plant need?

    The quality of the soil contributes significantly to the vital growth of bracken. It depends on these criteria:

    • Nutrient-rich, fresh, moist soil
    • An acidic pH of 4-5
    • In the planter, bog bed soil with compost and sand serves as a substrate

    What is the best planting time?

    Since bracken is one of the frost-sensitive plants, play it safe with a planting after the ice saints. The time window is open until the beginning of summer. Placing the moisture-loving green plant in the bed during the warm season results in a high failure rate due to drought stress.

    When is flowering time?

    Bracken fern will not spoil you with one flower. In the course of their evolution, all ferns on earth have opted for an alternative way of propagation that works without flowering and seed formation.

    Cut bracken correctly

    Periodically cut out individual withered fronds from a bracken fern to keep the herbaceous plant from aging from within. On the other hand, leave the parts of the plant that have been drawn in in the autumn in the bed as winter protection. Cut them down to the ground in early spring. Don't forget gloves!

    Pour bracken

    Bracken is a very thirsty plant. Water plentifully and regularly with lime-free water. Ideally, you sprinkle the bed with a finely regulated nozzle of the water hose. Cultivate a lush fern as a houseplant, misting the fronds every 1-2 days with a lime-free mist.

    Fertilize bracken properly

    Just like the water, the fertilizer should not contain lime or salt. Therefore, fertilize bracken in the bed every 4 weeks from May to September with compost and horn shavings. If the smell is not bothersome, fertilize with nettle manure or worm tea.

    Diseases

    Its high poison content also serves as a protective shield against diseases. Still, fungal infections occasionally find a way to attack the fern. If the plant turns brown from the inside, mold or rot is usually the cause of the damage. Thin out the diseased plant and treat with an approved fungicide.

    pests

    Vine weevils like to eat bracken ferns. Discover feeding damage to the fronds, lay out special bait traps with nematode gel for the adult beetles. You can fight voracious larvae in the bed with nematodes dissolved in water, which are available as stick-shaped suspensions for potted plants.

    hibernate

    In winter, bracken in the bed pulls in the above-ground parts of the plant. The rhizome overwinters in the ground to sprout again the following spring. An explicit winter protection is not required. The green splendor is preserved in the tub if you move the fern into the house in autumn and continue to care for it in the partially shaded, warm window seat.

    Propagating bracken

    For uncomplicated propagation, dig out the root ball in spring, divide it and plant the segments in the new location. A suitable section has at least two shoots.

    Bracken in pot

    In pots and hanging baskets, bracken fern adorns low-light corners in living spaces with its decorative green fronds. If you use a loose mixture of rhododendron soil, compost and peat as a substrate, the plant feels in good hands. A drainage at the bottom of the pot ensures unhindered water drainage. The following aspects are relevant in nursing:

    • Spray bracken regularly with lime-free water
    • Do not let the substrate dry out
    • Give a lime-free fern fertilizer every 14 days
    • Thin out dried fronds regularly
    • At a warm location with 18-25 degrees Celsius, bracken does not take a winter break

    If a fern in a pot spent the summer on the balcony, it will move indoors before the first frost. The green fronds remain in the bright, warm winter quarters.

    Is bracken poisonous?

    Highly toxic ingredients such as hydrocyanic acid and various saponins lurk in the bracken fern. Therefore, take appropriate precautions to avoid direct contact with the plant sap during planting and care work. For animals, eating bracken is life-threatening. This applies to horses, grazing cattle and pets.

    brown leaves

    If freshly unfurled fronds turn brown and die in spring, they have suffered frost damage. Therefore, cover the bracken with garden fleece when the meteorologists announce delayed ground frosts. In mid-season, brown leaves indicate mold or rot. Spray the plant repeatedly with a mixture of 15ml of pure soft soap (€44.90) and 1 liter of water. Additionally, sprinkle the substrate with cinnamon, which acts as a natural fungicide.

    Yellow leaves

    If a bracken presents yellow leaves instead of bright green fronds, there is usually a failure in care. If the ornamental leaf plant is frequently watered with calcareous water, the lime in the substrate prevents the absorption of vital nutrients. Therefore, water mainly with collected rainwater or decalcified tap water.

    How do I plant correctly?

    If you have ordered bracken to change location, the months of March and April are ideal for this measure. Use the digging fork to loosen the root ball inside the root barrier and lift the fern out of the ground. At the new site, the soil has been prepared with a sufficiently large pit. Here you plant the bracken just as deep as at the previous location and water generously.

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Vegetable garden