Cyrthomium

This perennial plant is native to Asia and the southern part of the African continent. But, despite this origin, this fern tolerates the cold quite well, and therefore it is grown not only as a houseplant, but also in gardens in the open field. The genus "Cyrthomium" belongs to the "Shitovnikov" family and has ten plant species. The most popular indoor plant is cytomium falcatum or crescent - a beautiful and unpretentious fern.

Cyrtomium: description

Fern cytomium: photo

Cytomium crescent has feathery leaves of a rich green color, located alternately. The shape of the leaves is saber or sickle - hence the name. Sori and cuttings are quite thin, and this makes the plant even more graceful, emphasizing the large leaves. In nature, the leaves can be up to a meter long, but when grown at home, they rarely grow more than 50 cm. The shiny glossy leaves are so perfect that they sometimes seem artificial.

Fern cytomium: home care

Sickle cirtonium: fern care video

Lighting. Most ferns feel comfortable in the shade, but it is still preferable to place cytomium in a lighted place, it is important that the light is diffused. Direct rays of the sun, however, should be avoided.

Humidity and air temperature. If it is not possible to lower the air temperature in winter to + 13 ... + 15 degrees, then cytomium will feel comfortable even at normal room temperature. But we must try to provide a drop of several degrees during the day: the night air temperature should be slightly lower than the daytime.

Ferns are hygrophilous, and crescent cytomium is no exception. This plant should be regularly sprayed from a spray bottle with soft settled water.

Watering mode... As for spraying, use only settled water for irrigation. The plant is watered quite sparingly, in no case allowing the soil to become waterlogged or moisture stagnant. If you provide the plant with a cool wintering period, then watering should be reduced to a minimum.

Fertilizers. Fern cytomium is fed only in the spring-summer period, you can use any complex fertilizer for decorative deciduous plants. Top dressing should be carried out no more than once a month and the concentration of the solution should be halved from the recommended dose.

Cyrthomium: transplant

Fern cytomium: photo

The transplant should be carried out when the cytomium "outgrows" the pot, you will learn about this by the roots sticking out of the drainage hole. In the process of transplanting, you must act very carefully and carefully, since the roots of the plant are very delicate, in addition, make sure that the root collar is not buried in the ground.

A special fern primer can be purchased at a flower shop. If you are used to preparing the soil on your own, then to prepare a soil mixture suitable for cytomium, you need to mix garden soil with sand and peat, and add a little sphagnum, crushed bark and coal.

Also, do not forget about the drainage layer, the presence of which is a necessary factor for growing any indoor plant.

Cyrtomium sickle: reproduction

The cytomium sickle fern is propagated in two ways: by spores and by dividing the bush.

At a temperature of about +22 degrees and good lighting, cytomium spores germinate in 2-3 weeks.It is necessary to take care of the seedlings very carefully, to water it with a syringe, to protect it from drafts. Two months after the emergence of seedlings, the plants should become so strong that they can be distributed in separate containers and looked after as if they were adult specimens.

Dividing a bush is an easier way. When it comes time to transplant the plant, the overgrown bush is divided into two or more parts. For this procedure, you will need a sharp and pre-disinfected knife.

Possible problems and solutions

Fern cytomium: photo

If the leaves of the fern cytomium begin to turn yellow, and their tips dry out, then the problem is low air humidity. Either you need to spray the plant more often, or place it next to a household air humidifier, indoor fountain.

If brown spots appear on the leaves, the lower leaves turn yellow and wither, and moss appears on the surface of the soil, then, apparently, you are abusing watering and the soil is in a waterlogged state.
If cytomium crescent has stopped growing and its leaves turn pale, then this indicates depletion of the soil, therefore, it is necessary to feed or transplant the fern into fresh soil.

If you find brownish dots or stripes on the back of the leaves, then you should not be alarmed - this is part of the natural sporulation process.

Of all kinds of pests, cytomium can infect mealybugs and scale insects. If pests are found, the plant must be isolated and treated with insecticidal preparations ("Cypermethrin", "Deltamethrin" from the scabbard, preparations based on imidacloprid from the mealybug).