As a compact selection from Nephrolepis falcata, Fancy Frill is very practical for use in tropical landscapes, but also has incredible beauty and structure for container production. Whether used as a tabletop or hanging basket, Fancy Frill will catch the eye of every buyer looking for something new and exciting. The big plus for growers - speed! Feed her and she will compete with the fastest Nephrolepis. Plan for your customers to have a Frill!

CULTURE NOTES:

Media:

Water-holding capacity and good drainage are essential. Ferns do not tolerate ‘wet feet'. Use a blend of peat with perlite, bark or other materials for good soil porosity. Adjust pH between 5.0 and 6.0.

Nutrition:

Ferns do well with constant feed using 20-20-20 or 20-10-20 at 125 to 175ppm. Add a source for Sulfur occasionally such as magnesium sulfate. Be sure to leach regularly to prevent salt build-up. Keep EC below 1.5. If applying liquid feed overhead, be sure to rinse off foliage afterwards. When incorporating dry fertilizer in the medium, do not include extra trace element blends. To green up at finish, a liquid feed of Urea, Magnesium and Iron will take only 2 to 3 days.

Light:

Fancy Frill should be grown under 2000 to 4000 foot-candles. If growing in warm climates under shade cloth, use 40 to 63% shade. Frond length will increase with shade level.

Temperature:

While ferns will tolerate great extremes of temperatures, optimal growth occurs between 70 ° and 90 ° F. Temperatures below 60 ° will significantly slow growth.

Diseases:

As Botrytis is the most common disease problem with Nephrolepis, drip irrigation will minimize the potential for infection. Botrytis is most active under low temperatures and high humidity. Rhizoctonia and Pythium may also challenge the fern grower. Rhizoctonia can be prevented by keeping the foliage as dry as possible. Providing good air circulation should help minimize the potential for both Botrytis and Rhizoctonia. Pythium is often a result of extreme fluctuations of moisture levels in the growing medium or injury to the roots due to excessive salts. Copper compounds may cause phytotoxicity.

Ferns do not host mites. Scale and mealybugs are rarely encountered under good growing conditions. Thrips can be a problem. Worms (larvae of Lepidoptera ) are the most prevalent problem.

Revised May 21, 2004