Hi everybody, Pretty new to gardening in general but a total rookie concerning ferns. I purchased a Hay scented fern, a Royal fern and a Lady fern as bare root stock and put them in the ground in late summer. I have never dealt with bare root stock of any kind before. Will these come up in Spring do you think? I placed them all about 2" deep in a fairly shaded area. Part sun at most. Hope that was right.
Thanks fo your help.
Brian
Question about bare root Ferns.
Hi Brian,
The heart of the ferns should be kept free, I mean the sleeping knobs from which the new fronds will emerge. A layer of soil above them could cause rot.
To give them ideal conditions for growth, it is advisable to plant them in well loosened soil, mixed with some compost, Keep well moisturised, but not soaked. The royal fern demands more humid conditions than the others. My royal fern is growing beside a pond which is constantly humid.
bonitin is correct, the fronds which will be dormant crowns should be above ground level. They should have some roots, if you dig them up and perhaps start in a pot until the root system is better developed then plant them in the ground, but as bonitin says they do best where the soil is very free draining with plenty of good compost, leaf mould/compost is good.
Many of mine are planted in a raised bed around the base of a tree, they do well where they don't get too wet but like to be moist. Too much water can drown them and rot the heart, so be careful of overwatering in pots.
Royal fern is a waterside fern as bonitin states, I have one in a pot with some shade which is getting some size on it now, and 'when' I get the pond dug it will have a home. They can withstand some sun if kept humid and moist but they do suffer easily if they dry out too much. It has a hard crown with growing points rather than the rounded heart of curled up fronds many ferns have.
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/ferns/osmundarega.html
Lady fern will also cope with some sun, I have a large one which looks great next to a small paved area with a bath tub.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/lady_fern.htm
Hayscented fern is best in woodland conditions
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/ferns/dennstaedtiapunc.html
Late summer is some time ago now, if they haven't been too wet they may still be OK.
Thanks Guys, I appreciate the help. Hope I haven't hurt them. I will dig them up and pot them. It has been pretty wet lately so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks again, Brian