Tiger fern

I recently got a lovely variegated tiger fern.  Tiger fern is a variegated variety of the Boston fern.  There aren't a huge number of different types of variegated ferns, which is too bad because I think that variegated ferns usually look really nice.

For some reason that I am unable to find out, I am told that Nephrolepis exaltata and all of its varieties does not form viable spores and can only be reproduced asexually.  I would love to know more about why this is the case, but I have been unable to find out anything.

Something I find remarkable is even though this species does not produce viable spores there are dozens of cultivars of it.  It seems to throw natural mutations from time to time, and many new varieties have formed naturally and spontaneously.

Tiger fern have variegated fronds

I find the history of the tiger fern to be interesting.  As they can not be sexually reproduced they were developed by a long drawn out domino effect of naturally occurring mutations that just happened to be noticed by someone with enough wherewithal to keep them alive, propagate them, and spread them around.

Brief history of the tiger fern:

The wild type 'Sword fern' (Nephrolepis exaltata) has upright fronds and looks like the type of fern you would find in a woodland.  The wild type existed for millennia, it was noticed by collectors and has been propagated and grown by gardeners across the world.

The 'Boston fern' (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’) came about as a natural mutation that occurred in sword ferns.  Sword ferns have upright fronds, while the Boston fern has gracefully arching fronds.  The arching fronds mutation was noticed in one plant among an importation of about 200 sword ferns by a florist near Boston in 1895.  This mutant plant was grown and cared for as it was a beautiful oddity.  Since then the Boston fern has been propagated asexually and spread across the world by gardeners and collectors.

‘Tiger Fern' is a natural mutation of the Boston fern.  The Tiger fern came about as a natural mutation that occurred in Bogor, Indonesia, in the spring of the year 2000.  Since then Tiger ferns have been propagated asexually and spread across the world by gardeners and collectors.

To be clear, the tiger fern is not the only mutation to have occurred in Boston ferns, nor was it the first mutation to have be found in Boston ferns.  There are literally dozens of varieties of Boston fern, all have arisen spontaneously and have been noticed by someone who grew them and spread them around to other interested people.  

Tiger fern

The tiger fern is noticeably different from its Boston fern parent.  The following description of a tiger fern has been copied from google patents:

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Tiger Fern’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Tiger Fern’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Nephrolepis Fern:

 

1. Upright and outwardly arching plant habit.

2. Vigorous growth habit.

3. Durable rachis; plants resist breakage during shipping.

4. Green and yellow green variegated pinnae.

5. Closely-spaced pinnae; densely foliated.

 

Tiger fern stolons

 

As mentioned, Tiger ferns reputedly do not produce viable spores.  I am not sure if they are completely infertile, or is a small percentage of spores can be viable under the correct conditions.  This means that tiger ferns can only be reproduced using asexual methods.

One method of propagating these is through the use of stolons.  Stolons, or runners, function the same way as strawberry runners.  The plant sends out long thin stolons that can produce a baby plant where they touch the soil, and stolons may even produce baby plants while they are hanging in the air.  I have heard of people removing the stolons and using the them like cuttings, while most people leave them attached to the plant and allow them to do their thing.

My little tiger fern came with a few stolons.  Some were damaged and won't produce plants, whereas others look healthy and may produce new plants in time.  As the plant grows I am sure it will throw more stolons when the time is right.  

After only growing this tiger fern for two months it produced three baby ferns.  Meaning this fern should be quite productive and quickly fill out it's pot.

Tiger fern runners

Another way to propagate tiger ferns is to split a larger plant into several small plants.  My plant is still pretty small, so this is not yet an option.  I have little doubt that my variegated tiger fern will be large enough to split in spring.

From what I have seen, splitting a larger tiger fern into several plants is pretty simple.  Most people just remove the fern from the pot, then use a knife and hack the thing into a bunch of pieces.  I am told that Spring is the best time for this as the plant is actively growing and the plants each have a full growing season to establish before winter comes.

Variegated tiger fern frond

Tiger ferns, like many ferns, do not love frost and do not love too much direct sunlight.  They do best in bright indirect light.  They like water but not being waterlogged, and they seem to do better with drier soil than many ferns.

I have a few places to grow them that may suit these ferns.  I have the greenhouse that I feel may be too bright, I have a place on the deck that only receives an hour or so of morning sun that I think may be ideal, and I have limited spaces inside the house which I think may be too dark.  I regret not getting two tiger ferns, that way I could have grown them under different conditions and hopefully found the best way to grow them.

Rejuvenating an old bird nest fern

Back in the year 2001 I went rock climbing with a friend.  Up high on the cliff was a tiny bird nest fern that was about an inch tall.  

I scraped that little fern off the rock face, I shouldn't have, but I did.  

I have had this fern for over twenty years now.

My 20 year old bird nest fern looking tired

I put the tiny fern in my pocket and finished the day of rock climbing nonsense.  When I got home the fern was bruised and crushed, but still alive so I filled a small pot with soil and planted it.

I was always told that old tea leaves are good for ferns.  So I used to rip open used tea bags (and sometimes also new tea bags) and sprinkled the tea leaves around the pot.

The little fern grew very fast.  To this day I have no idea if the tea leaves helped or not, all I know is that thing got big quick.

As the fern was growing against a rock face it only had fronds on one side.  It took some time and lots of rotating the pot each week before it filled out on all sides, but we got there.

The fern grew large, and sometimes produces spores on the back of some fronds.  I figured this was a sign that I was looking after it well.

Bird nest fern spores

I repotted it a few times as it grew, and moved house with it many times.  I can't give this fern a larger pot as I really struggle to lift the one it is in now.

At my last house the fronds reached about six feet in length.  It was really impressive.

Since then this bird nest fern has declined. The largest fronds are now only around a metre long, and it looks generally pretty shabby as you can see from the photos above.

The other week we had a lot of rain, so I moved my fern out to get some rain.  Rain is good because it washes dust off the fronds and flushes away salt build up in the soil.  Normally I struggle to life the pot, but this time it weighed next to nothing.  It's been in that pot for around a decade, I haven't really been caring for it very well, and there was very little soil left.  Perhaps that's why it looks so tired!

I have since got some soil and leaf litter and filled up the empty space in the pot as best I can.  I also sprinkled some used tea leaves over the new soil.  Hopefully I didn't let this go on for too long and new soil this fixes everything.

Bird nest fern, new fronds

With the combination of warmer weather of spring, new soil/leaf litter, and having the rain flush out any built up salts, this fern should be ready to do some growing again. 

It already has some fronds starting to develop.  I wonder if the new fronds will be larger, or if it will take some time for it to produce long fronds again.

Hopefully it doesn't take too long for the bird nest fern to regain its former glory and look healthy and lush again.

Baby Maidenhair Ferns Survived Winter

I really like maidenhair ferns.  They are one of the few ornamental plants that I will happily grow.  They don't have any use other than looking nice.  I think maidenhair ferns are a graceful and beautiful plant.

At the start of winter I had a bunch of tiny maidenhair ferns, I wrote a blog post on them.  I wasn't sure if any would survive winter so I put them all in one pot of soil and decided to divide out the survivors once the weather warmed in spring.  

I planted them in one pot in January, and they got a little scorched as it was hot and windy that day.  I didn't really look after these as well as I could and I really expected some to die.  I grew them outside, Protected from the sun, mostly protected from frosts but occasionally there would be ice on them which would do a little damage.  I figured only the strongest would survive.

As luck would have it, all of my baby maidenhair ferns survived winter.  I didn't lose a single one.  Some grew reasonably large over winter, while others remained really tiny.

These baby ferns survived Winter

As the weather is warming I have divided them.  I thought that there were only five or six plants, but I had nine little maidenhair ferns of various sizes in that one pot.  

I assume the smaller ones will grow larger now that they have space, but kind of wish that they would stay tiny.  I love my huge maidenhair ferns, but the tiny ones are super cute.

Maidenhair ferns after being divided

Some of the baby maidenhair ferns are still tiny

I have a feeling that I will want to keep some of these ferns.  I currently have 4 large maidenhair ferns in my house (one of which is variegated).  I have had one of those larger ferns for over five years and it is getting really huge.  So I am not sure how much more space in the house I can allocate to any more ferns. 

Then again, I do have that lovely new greenhouse, surely I could grow a few maidenhair ferns in my greenhouse...

A month after repotting - all looking good

Once these are a bit more established I will likely offer some for sale through my for sale page.  I prefer pick up for things like ferns, but could certainly post them if needed.  I dare say I won't be selling them too soon as I would like them to be a little more established before trying to sell them.

Maidenhair fern babies

I love maidenhair ferns, they are such graceful plants.  

I got a tiny maidenhair fern back in 2016 as an office fern, and since then it has grown huge.  The fronds are now about 50-60cm long. 

My Maidenhair fern

I also bought a variegated maidenhair fern, I didn't look after it very well so it has not grown as large.  The variegated form of Maidenhair ferns is exquisite.  

Variegated Maidenhair fern

As well as these older, well established ferns, I also have some baby maidenhair ferns.  

I transplanted a bunch into a pot in early January so they would have some room to grow, but still be in one pot so would be simple to care for.  

My timing was a mistake as it was too hot and windy on that day.  As you can see below the fronds got scorched a little.

Planted early January

 

I think that all of the tiny ferns survived, they grew and look healthy.  They are large enough to transplant into separate pots, but I think I will wait for spring before I do that. 

These ones I have grown outside under shelter rather than taking up space inside the house.  They probably need a little more light, but overall they are going ok. 

Mid April

Ready to be divided

I'm not sure what I will do with these little ones.  I plan to separate them into different pots in spring.  Maybe I will sell some, maybe I will keep all of them.  They sure are lovely little plants.

What does azolla taste like

Azolla is a free floating fern that has a symbiotic relationship with a filamentous cyanobacteria called Anabaena.  This symbiotic relationship allows azolla to sequester atmospheric nitrogen and makes azolla a valuable little plant.

Azolla doesn't look much like a fern, but it is a fern.  I can't think of many free floating ferns, there are a few species of Azolla, and a few species of Salvinia.  Salvinia also doesn't look much like a fern.

Azolla is useful for many different things.  It is excellent high protein animal feed, it can be used to clean water, it has been proven to reduce mosquito survival, it is high in nitrogen and great in composts.  I keep some containers with azolla so my bees can collect water without drowning.  Azolla is even edible by people.  I have eaten azolla.

A bee collecting water from azolla

How do you describe the taste of fresh Azolla?  I read on the internet that azolla “has a crisp texture, smells a bit like moss and has a slightly tart taste, that is somehow earthy and reminiscent of forest”.  Yep, that just about sums it up.  I am not sure I agree with the 'tart taste' part, but the rest is spot on.

Azolla isn't the most amazing thing you will eat, but it isn't too bad.  The taste is underwhelming but I don't particularly like the texture.  When I eat azolla it breaks into tiny pieces that feel bad in my mouth.  I guess you could mix in in with a salad and it would be pretty good.

If you eat anything that grows in water you must take care that it was grown in water that was not polluted, and that it is free from snails.  Water snails carry a bunch of parasites that are best not to eat raw.

Over summer bees collect water without drowning

Azolla is easy enough to grow and will double in size very quicky under ideal conditions.  I put water in a container, put in a piece of azolla, and it takes care of itself from there.  All I need to do is scoop it out to feed the poultry or to add to compost or whatever. 

As azolla sequesters nitrogen from the atmosphere I grow it with Chinese water chestnuts, duck potatoes, and other water vegetables where it reduces issues with mosquitoes and fertilises these plants. 

I have heard that overseas Azolla is often grown among rice paddies to fertilise the crops and feed fish.  Interestingly enough azolla is only grown on a large scale in Communist countries.  I am not sure what to think about that?

I sell azolla through my for sale page along with various perennial vegetables, heirloom vegetable seeds, edible herb plants etc.

Variegated maidenhair fern Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata' in Australia

I don't grow many ornamental plants but I love maidenhair ferns, I think that they are beautiful.  I have some on my desk at work to help my day be less dreary.

Years ago I heard of variegated maidenhair ferns, they sounded really nice.  I looked for them and no one seems to sell them.  For some reason there are very few pictures of variegated maidenhair ferns anywhere on the internet.  Considering how few images I found, I started to wonder if they actually existed, or if they were just photoshopped images.

I searched for a variegated maidenhair fern (Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata') for years.  For some reason very few people own variegated maidenhair ferns in Australia.  I found a few people who used to have one, and some places that used to sell them but no longer do, but getting one myself proved difficult.  I spoke to a few fern collectors, all of which had fond memories of once seeing this plant, but none who currently had one.  All of this convinced me that they did exist.  Then I eventually tracked one down, and I bought it.

Variegated maidenhair fern Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata'

My variegated maidenhair fern was tiny when I got it.  The little fern is growing nicely and I hope to be able to divide it and when it is larger I would love to grow some spores from it.  I will be curious to see if spore grown plants are all variegated, or if only a percentage are variegated, or if none of them will display variegation.  I have asked a few fern collectors and none of them seem to know.

I looked on the internet and there are only about half a dozen pictures of these elusive and enigmatic plants.  This makes it difficult to decide if you really want to get one.  If these things are so great why have so few people posted pictures of them on the internet?  The lack of pictures made it difficult to know if they really exist.  I am happy to say that variegated maidenhair ferns do exist, and they are very pretty.  I think the lack of pictures is due to their rarity.  I don't know why they are rare.

As you can see my fern displays diversity in its variegation.  Some fronds have more white than others.  Even on one frond it shows a lot of variation, some pinnules are entirely white, others are entirely green, and most will be green with splashes and stripes of green.

As so few people have ever seen these delightful ferns I took some pictures of my variegated maidenhair fern Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata' to show the world how pretty variegated maidenhair ferns are. 

Variegated maidenhair fern Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata'

Variegated maidenhair fronds Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata'

Variegated maidenhair fern frond - some pinnules are entirely white

Variegated maidenhair fern pinnules range from entirely white to almost entirely green.

Variegated maidenhair fern needs repotting

Variegated maidenhair fern in a larger pot

At this stage I only have the one small variegated maidenhair fern.  I really like it.  I can hardly wait for my plant to grow larger.  I hope in spring to be able to divide my fern so I have more of them, even if I can split it into two I would be happy.

Eventually I hope to be able to sell variegated maidenhair ferns through my for sale page, but that will not be for a while yet as my plant is too small to divide yet.

Maidenhair Fern

I wanted to get an office fern to make my day at work a little nicer, maidenhair ferns are always nice so I got one of them.

I have been told that this one is Adiantum raddianum but don't know for sure.  Many of the maidenhair ferns sold in Australia are A raddianum but there are a few other similar species as well as complex hybrids around.  After looking at NSW flora online I am pretty sure it is not one of the 8 native species of maidenhair fern.

My maidenhair fern was a tiny little fern when I got it, the fronds were only up to 6 cm long.  Over the past 12 or so months it has grown large, the fronds are now up to 38 cm long, and it has started to produce spores.  I plan to grow some more of these maidenhair ferns from spores when I find the time as growing ferns from spores is fun. 

The pictures from 2016 I had the pot sitting in a small 2 Liter white ice cream container.  Not long after the pictures were taken I re-potted it into a far larger 'self-watering' pot that was about the same size as that ice cream container.  The tiny fern looked silly in such a large pot but it quickly grew and filled its new pot.

Maidenhair fern 2016

My little office fern

Maidenhair fern 2017

The same office fern, only older and in a larger pot