How to care for and water spring fern?

Spring feather is a perennial evergreen herb of the genus Philadelphus in the family Araceae. It has a beautiful and elegant plant shape and excellent air purification ability. It has become a very popular foliage potted plant in recent years. So how to care for and water spring fern? Let’s learn more about it below.

1. Soil selection

For breeding spring feathers, you can choose loose, breathable, and well-drained sandy soil, or use a combination of peat soil and perlite. After the soil is prepared, it is best to sterilize it with high temperature in advance.

2. Temperature and light

Spring fern likes a climate with warm winters and cool summers. The suitable growth temperature is 15-28℃. It is slightly cold-resistant and can withstand temperatures as low as 0-2℃. In addition, spring fern is not very demanding on light and prefers bright scattered light. Too strong or too weak light is extremely detrimental to its growth.

3. Watering tips

Spring fern likes a humid environment, but cannot tolerate waterlogging. Watering should keep the soil moist, but there should be no stagnant water. The frequency of watering can be increased appropriately during the peak growing season. During the high temperatures in summer, water should be sprayed on the leaves and around the plants to increase the air humidity. Watering should be reduced in winter to keep the soil slightly moist.

4. Reasonable fertilization

The growth of spring feathers requires sufficient nutrient support. During the growing season (spring, summer and autumn), apply a thin liquid fertilizer once a month, such as decomposed cake fertilizer water or compound fertilizer . Before applying fertilizer, it is best to loosen the soil to facilitate root absorption. When spring fern enters a dormant period in winter, fertilization should be stopped to avoid fertilizer damage .

5. Repotting and pruning

The potting soil of potted spring fern generally needs to be replaced every 2-3 years. Repotting can be combined with pruning and shaping. Water can be controlled appropriately a few days before repotting to keep the soil slightly dry to facilitate removing from the pot. When repotting, the root system needs to be checked, and rotten roots, dead roots, and overgrown roots should be trimmed off in time.

6. Reproduction method

There are three main methods for propagating spring fern: sowing, cuttings and division. Among them, after sowing, the seeds need to be soaked, placed in humus soil containing organic fertilizer , maintained at 23-30℃, and germinated in about 10 days; for cuttings, choose healthy branches, insert them into the soil from May to August, keep warm and moist, and take root in about 20 days; the division method is suitable for vigorously growing spring fern, and the tiller buds with adventitious roots and 4 leaves are separated and planted. This method has a high survival rate and can be divided and propagated again.

In general, the maintenance of spring feathers is not difficult, but if you want them to grow healthily and healthily, mastering the correct breeding methods is the key. Especially when it comes to watering, because its leaves are relatively wide, its demand for water will be relatively high, but the soil cannot be allowed to accumulate water.