Blechnum

Family. Blechnaceae.

Origin. North America, Europe, Asia, Japan.

Description. The genus Blechnum includes 150 - 200 species of evergreen, rhizomatous, terrestrial ferns found in humid temperate and tropical regions. It is a small herbaceous plant 90-120 cm high with a neat, symmetrical rosette of hard, leathery, pinnate dark green leaves up to 90 cm long and 30 cm wide. Adult ferns form a scaly, black trunk up to 90 cm high. The leaves are shiny green and slightly drooping. Different varieties differ in the shape and color of the leaves. The outer leaves are almost horizontal, and the inner ones are vertical. It grows quite quickly. The main distinguishing feature is that the young unfolding leaves have a rather bright purple color.

Height. Up to 120 cm.

Care at home

Temperature

In good humidity conditions, it tolerates temperatures slightly above 24° C. During the dormant period, the ideal temperature is about 15° C, but it can overwinter at 10° C if watering is reduced. It tolerates frosts down to -3° C, and if the foliage dies, new leaves appear from the roots.

Lighting for house plants

Blechnum prefers diffused light. Like many ferns, they prefer partial shade and do not like direct sunlight. It is possible to acclimatize to enough light, but only by increasing the humidity.

How to propagate blechnum

The easiest way is to divide adult plants in early spring. Spores are sown at the end of summer, germination lasts from one to three months, it is advisable to use bottom heating. 

How to care

Trim old, withered fern fronds at the base to keep the plant looking neat. 

Substrate

Loves rich soil with good drainage. Add some perlite to the substrate, the pH is acidic. A mixture of equal parts of turf soil, leaf humus and peat with the addition of coarse sand and small pieces of charcoal is suitable.

Feeding

Does not require regular feeding; 1 - 2 feedings at the beginning of the growing season are enough. 

Purpose

Blechnum is widely grown as a houseplant and is good for growing in hanging baskets. 

Flowering time

Doesn't bloom.

Air humidity

No spraying required. Increase humidity by placing the blechnum pot on a tray of pebbles half filled with water.

Soil moisture

Water actively growing ferns generously as needed, keeping the soil moist but not soggy. If the temperature drops below 12°C, water moderately, allowing the top layer of soil — about 1 cm — to dry out between waterings. This fern prefers soft water, as it does not tolerate lime. For watering, use softened water at room temperature — for example, bottled, rain, melted. To reduce hardness, you can add regular baking soda to tap water — a teaspoon per 2 liters of water.

Transplantation

Young plants at the beginning of the growing season, gradually increasing the pot size only when the roots begin to appear on the surface of the soil mixture. Adult specimens are repotted - about once every two years. The maximum pot size recommended for blechnums is about 40 cm in diameter.

Pests and diseases

Blechnum does not like to dry out, but overwatering causes the leaves to turn brown. Susceptible to pests such as aphids. If your plant's leaf edges are turning brown, it is most likely suffering from a lack of moisture. 

If kept in too dry an atmosphere, ferns become vulnerable to mealybugs. Ferns can also be susceptible to spider mites, scale insects, thrips, and aphids.

Note

The root system of blechnum  is often used to produce a substrate for growing orchids.