Phlebodium Aureum (Blue Star fern)

[Catname]

Does anyone have a healthy and happy Phlebodium Aureum (Blue Star fern)? I’ve had mine for approximately 3-4 years but it has never seemed to be very happy.

I now keep it in a shower room which has a north facing skylight as it has the best atmosphere for a combination of light/warmth/moisture in the house. The room has a minimum temperature overnight in winter of around 12 degrees and an average of 19 degrees during the day. The photo taken in situ makes it look darker than you would think if you were in the room.

There appear to be two rhizomes in the pot. Whilst one side of the plant has some large leaves, they do not seem to multiply. The other side has a rhizome which often sends up new leaves but they often wither and die off or stay quite small. I water away from the rhizomes and the pot stands on clay pebbles that I keep moist.

Any ideas how I can make this plant thrive?

Have you tried feeding it? Spot of Baby Bio?

Yes, although not since the Autumn as I think you’re not supposed to in the dormant season. However, it’s been fed in previous years and still not thrived. Maybe it just doesn’t like my singing in the shower 😊

I also always water with cooled boiled water as we are in a hard water area.

Thinking about it, my indoor ferns all look a bit crap at the moment. Maybe it’s just seasonal, and they’re about to send forth new shoots.

Sometimes plants are just duds, or just don’t like their location even if you do everything right. In which case, never feel bad about sending them off to the great compost heap in the sky and replacing them with something new!

I've got a maidenhead fern that's looking a bit frazzled at the moment but it's just sending out new growth. I've got it in the, tiny, bathroom, in indirect light (actually north facing window). I don't bother misting it, I used to but I see no difference. I've got it in a tray with glass pebbles that I used to keep full of water, I've stopped doing that and noticed no difference. I only feed it when it's growing. I water it thoroughly but then let it drain and only water when the pot feels light. My plant is very pot bound, but it seems okay with that. I think they can get root rot if the soil is consistently too wet or if the pot is too big, so the soil holds more water than the plant roots can take up. I've come to believe that overwatering is more of a problem than underwatering. Perhaps the rusty water from the little pan might be bad for the plant, though some plants would love that.

I never get on well with Blue Star ferns either. They don’t die, they just don’t make any effort.😆

Maybe I need to give it another summer in that room and see how it gets on. It's not sitting in rusty water, just the gunk that comes off the clay pebbles and the pot balances on top of them but not in the water itself. I'm trying to give it a nice humid atmosphere and DP gets very annoyed and complains about creating damp.

It's reassuring to hear that it's not just me who has a difficulty with them @Whitney168 I've also got a rather pathetic ZZ Raven plant which won't do anything either 😕

Apologies, sounds like a similar set up as I had for my fern.

Have you tried tipping it out of its pot briefly, just to see what the roots and rhizomes look like? Perhaps give it a sniff to check for a rotten odour.

It doesn't smell, and there are no roots coming out the bottom to indicate that it's pot bound - but I did wonder whether repotting might be the thing to do with it.

It’s always worth a try. Fresh compost is likely to give it a boost.

It seems to like a well draining soil mix.

A trip to the garden centre first for some proper indoor plant compost, then consistent feeding for the rest of the growing season. It's such a beautiful colour with lovely leaves and I just want it to flourish.

Mine thrives on neglect. I've never fed it and water only when it's keeling over (literally!).
I replaced half of the compost with perlite so it drains quickly.
I do have mine under a grow light - maybe that makes a difference?

I have mine by a north facing window. I tend to try and keep it moist but not soaked. It did get a little upset recently but it had outgrown its pot.

Your plant is just what I want to achieve @Sunflowersinthewind and helps me to discount lack of light being the main issue. I don’t think I overwater and I’ve gone through a stage of being quite mean with water and just misting thoroughly but that doesn’t seem to have been the issue so I upped it again. It would be lovely to neglect it - it just looks like that’s what I’m doing 😊

I think the new compost, with good drainage, is the best way forward at this point.

I wouldn't mist it. Blue Star ferns need dry leaves, I dont think they are like other ferns that love a good mist. I would just keep it reasonably moist but not wet. When the top soil feels like it is drying out, top up the water a bit. Little and often

@Sunflowersinthewind I moved it into the shower room and keep the door closed all day so it gets a fine mist in a warm environment (the trickle vents on the window are open so I’m not creating a completely damp room). Do you think it would be better in a dryer environment?