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The silver fern has been accepted as a symbol of New Zealand’s national identity since the 1880s. To Māori, the elegant shape of the fronds stood for strength, stubborn resistance, and enduring power. To Pākehā (New Zealanders of non-Māori descent), the fern symbolised their sense of attachment to their homeland.

Fern Symbolism The fern symbolizes eternal youth. To the indigenous Maori of New Zealand, the fern represented new life and new beginnings. To the Japanese, the fern symbolizes family and the hope for future generations. According to Victorians, the fern symbolized humility and sincerity.

1.8 million years ago

Pakeha New Zealanders had found a symbol of home they could live with – the silver fern. Earlier, however, Tom Ellison of Ngai Tahu had introduced the silver fern to our national rugby team.

The silver fern (Cyathea dealbata) is a remarkable species of tree fern that displays a narrow brown trunk and elegant green leaves with shimmering silver undersides. The silver fern is endemic to New Zealand, occurring naturally nowhere else in the world.

There are tons of different species of ferns, but they all generally need the same thing: water, warmth, and shade. By putting your fern in the right spot and keeping an eye on it, you can grow your fern to its full potential and keep it around for years to come (seriously—some ferns can live to be 100 years old!).

Silver Lady Fern

1. Blechnum gibbum ‘Silver Lady’ How to keep them thriving indoors in Melbourne!
2. Watering. Adjust watering to suit the season.
3. Light. Indirect or filtered light all year round.
4. Temperature and humidity. Ideally keep between 4C and 30C.
5. Fertilising.
6. Maintenance.
7. Problems.

Your Silver Lace Fern will thrive in medium to bright indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight–it will scorch the leaves. Water when the top 25% of the soil is dry. Water until liquid flows through the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot and discard any water that has accumulated in the saucer.

Ferns – Epsom salts work wonders on ferns as a liquid fertilizer helping the leaves have a rich, deep dark green color. Elephant ear plants are another plant which benefits from the extra magnesium.

About Indoor Ferns To improve their appearance, you should prune out any brown or yellow fronds from indoor ferns. Pruning out these dead fronds also improves airflow around the plant, which helps reduce fungal or mold problems. If you find your indoor fern’s fronds frequently die back, check the soil.

Water every second day during dry periods. Ferns thrive in humid conditions. Apply a slow release fertiliser during spring and a liquid based fertiliser every 4 weeks during the warmer months, take care to dilute your solution to half the recommended dose to avoid burn.

Humidity Is Essential Mist your ferns as often as practical, preferably in the morning. Keep a spray bottle handy and train your family members to use it whenever they pass by the fern. Stand the pot on a tray of pebbles or clay granules and keep those wet.

Some ferns prefer very wet soil while others like less moisture, but all need good drainage and slightly dried out soil between watering. Too much water and the plant will develop yellowing or droopy fronds, a sign of root rot. Too little water, and the fern’s fronds will also begin to droop.

What’s Toxic? Lady fern leaves and rhizomes contain a chemical called filicic acid. In low amounts, it will likely not harm dogs, but large quantities will have a toxic effect. Symptoms of a filicic acid overdose includes convulsions and potentially death.

Toxic ferns within the species of the emerald fern that have different names include:

• Asparagus fern.
• Lace fern.
• Sprengeri fern.
• Plumosa fern.
• Racemose asparagus.
• Emerald feather.
• Shatavari.

Bracken fern is a delicacy consumed by humans and serves as animal forage around the world. It is said to be the 5th most common plant, an important toxic plant and the only higher plant known to cause cancer in animals.

Ferns are among the popular home plants due to their tropical-looking fronds. For families with children and pet owners, the cultivation of the plant requires caution. Ferns release spores that cause poisoning through oral ingestion. They only reproduce through the spores, which also contain toxins.

Cover a tray with pebbles and place under the pot with the fern. Pour some water on top of the pebbles. As the water evaporates, the humidity will help the fern grow.

Ferns can be hard to kill, especially with an organic herbicide such as vinegar. Vinegar can kill a fern’s existing foliage during winter or any other time of year, but it won’t necessarily stop the plant from reappearing.

Ferns can be dealt with by repeated mowing or cultivating, by burning, and by salting them to make your cattle devour them. File that away. Whichever method you use, it is best to do it before the ferns let fall their spores.

Decapitate and Dig The most effective way to kill ferns is to remove them — and their spores — to the city compost heap. Cut them back as they begin growing to short-stop spore production.

The simplest, most budget-friendly herbicide is hot water. Pour boiling water over a plant’s root system and leaves to kill it within several days without leaving a poisonous residue in the soil. You should need 1–2 gallons (3.8–7.6 L) of water to kill the fern, depending on its size.

Manually Controlling Fern Spread Hand-pulling is the best way to stop invasive ferns and works best in small patches of growth. If your soil is loose, the pulling is easier; however it only works on ferns that are shallow rooted, which most are, and don’t have extensive lateral underground growth.

Glyphosate

On my own woodlot, the native plants that have earned the invasive label are ferns (especially hay-scented), striped maple, and American beech. These plants are all indigenous, and they all have a habit of rapidly taking over large areas to the exclusion of other species.

Most ferns spread quickly, and some grow quite large. Know their habits, sizes, and spreads before planting. Ferns generally require rich, moist soil with extra organic matter, but some prefer drier, less fertile soil. Although most ferns grow in neutral to moderately acidic soil, some are very fussy about pH.

Highly poisonous plants: plants to destroy or remove

• Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis)
• Coral tree (Erythrina genus)
• Common or pink oleander (Nerium oleander) and yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana)
• Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
• Golden dewdrop (Duranta erecta)
• Rhus or wax tree (Toxicodendron succedaneum)

Nephrolepis cordifolia, or sword fern, is a plant that was introduced most likely for its ornamental attributes. Now considered a Category I invasive species, sword fern has made its presence known and continues to spread across Florida.