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Asparagus Fern Breakdown
Latin Name: Asparagus Aethiopicus
Country of Origin: South Africa
Watering Requirements: Regular watering
Lighting Requirements: Indirect light
Humidity Requirements: Prefer moist air
Soil Type: Well draining
While Asparagus Ferns can make great outdoor plants, they are becoming increasingly popular as an indoor plant. This might be because of their fluffy delicate appearance and the speed at which they put out new growth. Their fantastic foliage can brighten a room and the fact that they are relatively easy to care for makes them a great house plant for beginners. But one thing to be aware of is even thought they are called Asparagus Ferns, they don’t actually belong to the fern family!
Here are our top Asparagus Fern care tips.
Watering Your Asparagus Fern
An Asparagus Fern is a thirsty plant which means you may have to water it more often that your other plants. Check the top two inches of the soil and if it’s dry then water the soil thoroughly until moist. Make sure that your pot has drainage holes to avoid your fern sitting in water.
Brown fronds can be an indication of too little water.
Check on your fern more often than your other plants until you understand how often it needs to be watered in your home. You may find it’s once a week but if you live somewhere hotter and drier then it could be more often.
Asparagus Fern Lighting Needs
An asparagus fern will do best in bright indirect light. In their natural environments, ferns grow down on the ground and receive dappled light through the foliage above them. Therefore in order to see optimal growth you would want to recreate those lighting conditions. However if you don’t have a canopy of trees to hand then a sheer curtain or placing your plant back from the window should work just fine.
Yellow fronds can indicate that your fern is receiving too much light. If you see this happening try moving your fern away from the light source and seeing how it does or you might risk damaging your feathery fern.
Humidity Needs
If you can provide your fern with a more humid environment then your plant will thrive. If you live in a drier climate then you could consider buying a humidifier. And if you don’t want to invest in one of those then misting your plants once a day or once every other day should do the trick.
Another way to increase humidity for your Asparagus Fern is to place your plant in a pebbled tray full of water so as the water evaporates, the moisture will be taking in by your leaves.
Propagating An Asparagus Fern
You can create new Asparagus ferns but separating the plant at the roots. As the plant ages it will grow new shoots that have new roots all of their own.
Simply take the plant out of it’s pot and massage the soil away from the roots. You should see some shoots of the fern with it’s own system of roots. Gently untangle the roots being careful not to cause too much breakage and pull the parts of the plant apart.
Once you have a the plants into separate segments repot them, give them a water and you’re good to go. The great thing about asparagus ferns is that they put out so much growth you should be able to do this relatively often, filling your whole house with these fluffy little ferns.
Soil Type
A light well draining soil will work best for your Asparagus houseplant. If you find your soil feeling too heavy then don’t hesitate to add some peat moss. This will help with the drainage and avoid your soil from becoming water logged which can lead to problems with root rot. We recommend the Espoma peat moss from Amazon.
So to summarise in order for your Asparagus Fern to do well it requires:
- Regular watering
- Well draining soil
- Humidity or regular misting
- Bright indirect light
Our Top Recommended Resource
Our number one recommended resource would be the Levoit Humidifier that can be found on Amazon. As we mentioned earlier, Asparagus Ferns will do well in humid conditions and a humidifier can really help you achieve that.
- Large capacity
- Built in hygrometer
- Cool and warm mist
Downsides:
- Expensive
If the Levoit humidifier is a bit on the expensive side then there are plenty of other humidifiers available they just may not have the same functions or capacities. And remember you can always go with the old fashioned method and simply mist your plants to give them that extra moisture which will keep your feathery fern looking nice and healthy.
Asparagus Fern FAQ
If after reading our asparagus fern care guide you still have some questions then take a look at our asparagus fern FAQ section to see if your question has been addressed there, and if not then feel free to ask it in the questions below.
Do Asparagus Ferns Flower?
An Asparagus Fern will flower under the right conditions. The flowers are white and delicate and will complement your foliage nicely. However if your plant doesn’t flower then don’t worry, the foliage of this plant is beautiful enough by itself.
Can Asparagus Ferns Take Full Sun?
If you place your asparagus fern in full sun you might find that the sun burns and damages the foliage. It would be better to place your plant in bright indirect light to promote growth without scorching your plant.
Why Is My Asparagus Fern Turning Brown?
Your fern could be turning brown for many reasons. The first thing to do is to check it’s light placement. Is the plant receiving bright indirect light or have you placed it in full view of the sun? Move your plant accordingly and check on it’s progress. If this doesn’t help then check the moisture levels of your soil? Is your plant receiving enough water? Remember that a fern may drink up water more quickly than other species of plant.
Should I Cut Asparagus Ferns?
If you want to trim your Asparagus Fern then go ahead. It can help with the plants overall appearance and can be a good way to get rid of damaged foliage that is wasting the plants resources.
Does Asparagus Fern Die In Winter?
An Asparagus houseplant is perennial so it will not die in the winter, although if left outside it can have the appearance that it has, but don’t worry, your plant will come back strong in the spring time. If the plant experiences an exceptionally cold winter then the plant may die but this isn’t too common. However, if you’re worried about your Asparagus fern dying in the winter and you’re able to, then why not consider it bringing it indoors for those colder months.
What about the small green berries on the fern
I am wondering the same thing. Mine finally turned red, but after I brought it indoors in the fall, so I am letting them dry out and will plant them. But I can’t find any information anywhere.
Can these ferns be planted as hydroponic plants?
I’ve never had any luck with them hydroponically. If I do a significant pruning of my plant (which is pretty huge – it’s in a 12-inch pot and most of the plant trails to about 5 feet), I end up with enough nice-looking greenery that it’s a shame to just throw it out, so I do put them in water to enjoy them for a while. But unlike several of my other plants, whose cuttings root well in water and can even be grown hydroponically for years, my asparagus fern cuttings have never rooted and just dry up and lose all their leaves within a week or so. (Maybe if it weren’t just a cutting but actually had some root attached, it could grow hydroponically? No idea about that.)
Yes. My asparagus fern loves it’s leca environment. Just repotted because it pushed out of its smaller net pot.
Plant always has new growth however last 6mths or so lots of browning dried out stems. Remove the dried out and have in window facing north which has light no direct sunlight. Wondering if the depth of pot makes a difference. Pot is 6inch deep can see roots on top of soil. Should it be transplanted in deeper pot. Thanks