Review sherlock holms the crooked man jeremy brett
If you have waterlogged the plant with overwatering then it may rot from the roots and this is hard to come back from. It is best to use a spider mite-specific insecticide in this case. You will see like a white spider's web over the plant.
Spider mite is the only bug that really affects this houseplant and it is usually when it is too dry. It is generally a pretty healthy resilient plant as long as it has the right conditions and care. Green healthy leaves and pale dry leaves on Asparagus fern However, with a little care and attention when the heatwave dissipates it will recover. We are going through a heatwave with temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius and no air conditioning and no matter what we cannot keep the house at optimal conditions for this plant and it is developing pale leaves as you can see from the photographs. If you make mistakes though in my experience it does bounce back which is a good thing in a houseplant. The leaves may go brown if touched too much so best to avoid the chances of doing that.
I also tend to loosely tie up the plant with a soft twine when repotting to prevent stray tendrils from touching me. I only repot when it seems to be getting potbound so perhaps once every three to four years in a good quality houseplant or general purpose compost.ĭo wear a thick long sleeved top and sturdy gloves when handling this plant as the thorns are sharp and hard to avoid when repotting. I have cut ours back several times and it comes to no harm.ĭelicate soft ferny leaves on Asparagus fern house plant They can however easily be cut back with Secateurs or maybe a strong pair of scissors. These houseplants can grow large, though due to their habit do not seem to dominate a room. However, if leaves that are higher up go pale or yellow it is most likely a lack of water. If the leaves go yellow at the base this is quite normal and you can just snip them off. These houseplants do not like being in a draught or close to a radiator as it is too drying for them. I also keep ours in a pot inside another larger pot part filled with pebbles and keep the pebbles wet to increase the humidity. I use a specific plant mister to do this with lukewarm water. I also find it likes a misting every so often in the warmer weather to simulate the tropical forest environment.
Be careful not to waterlog it as that will rot the plant and may be the one thing this plant will not survive. It must be watered regularly in the spring and summer just to keep it moist. It needs some light through or the leaves will turn yellow. So it is best to keep this plant somewhere out of direct sunlight as the sun will burn the leaves. As this plant comes from a warm humid semi-shaded environment we need to try to replicate that as far as we can in our own homes. It is in fact part of the Lily family and originates in South Africa in the dense tropical forests found there.Īs with all houseplants, it is important to know the conditions where they grow in the wild. You certainly cannot eat it as it is mildly toxic to humans and animals when ingested.Īlso, it is not part of the fern family despite looking like a fern. Well despite its name it is not an asparagus though it shares the look of asparagus. The other ones are the upright fox tail type fern or the sickle fern. Often known as asparagus fern or lace fern. Ours is the large ferny arching Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri Group’with long thorny stems carrying delicate feathery leaves on long flexible stems. We do however need some knowledge of its needs and care to keep it happy. Personally, I like to see it grow to its full potential and to be a really lovely graceful delicate looking yet strong plant.
It can grow to be a large houseplant but can also be pruned easily to keep it a smaller size if required. I also like that despite not always being pampered, it survives and thrives. It has a versatile habit where it can be trained up supports or hung down from a high level to cascade. I love its gorgeous ferny delicate leaves which arch very gracefully. We have an asparagus fern that was my Mums and it must be over 30 years old now.