The ferns gained their popularity in the Victorian Era. They are known for their decorative looks when planted either indoors or outdoors because of their feathery foliage. They are non-flowering plants and they belong to the lily family.
The ferns plant absorbs more water when there is more sunlight. It is actually a thirsty plant.
Especially in the summer, the plant absorbs quite a lot of water for its healthier and a happier growth.
In rainy and winter, you will just need to check for the dampness of the soil near the root zone and then water the plant only if the soil appears to be drained and dried out of all the moisture content.
In brief: How often to water asparagus plant?
In summer, what twice per day and when the climate is cold, your plant need less frequent watering. Check the surface of the soil with your finger. If it’s moist wait, else water generously.
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Know Your Plant: Asparagus
Asparagus looks uniquely beautiful because of its feathery foliage. Their leaves appear as needle-like cladodes, where the stem of the plant is apparently flattened. This acts as a leaf of the plant and is responsible for the process of photosynthesis in the plant. It is used as a vegetable and also as a medicine in some places as it is known to have some diuretic properties.
It is used for edible purposes only when it is young. When it starts aging, it starts turning woody.
In other words, they start becoming hard as they age and become hard to be used for edible purposes.
Well, asparagus has low food energy levels.
It is rich in certain vital nutrients such as vitamin B6, calcium, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, copper, manganese, selenium, chromium etc. It is also rich in dietary fiber. The vegetable also has regained its popularity to be used raw in salads.
It is a drought tolerant plant. It can survive in the dry areas where the water availability is not apparently sufficient for agricultural purposes. However, the growth of the plant slows down when it has to grow with less moisture in its soil and also the life time of the plant may be affected.
Also Read: How Often to Water Green Beans?
Soil
The ferns grow well in sandy soil. They grow better in soils with good aeration and drainage.
They can be planted in pots or in landscapes. Asparagus plants give their best results when planted in soils which have a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 according to NCAT Agriculture Specialists.
If they are planted in pots, ensure that the pots have enough drainage holes for a good water draining system. Also ensure that if they are planted in the soil or in the landscape, the soil used is sandy enough to provide good aeration to the roots of the plant.
The plant can thrive well in soils having quite high salt content as well. If the soil is too acidic, adding some lime content to it will make the reaction nearly neutral thereby making it suitable for planting the asparagus.
Lighting
The ferns don’t seem to look happy in direct sunlight, says The University of Georgia. If they are grown outdoors, they will need to be moved to cooler areas of the garden during summers.
However, Asparagus ferns are not ferns at all. They belong to the lily family and they need bright light throughout the year to feel fresh and happy. Hence they will be able to grow and thrive well even under the direct sunlight.
How Often to Water Asparagus Fern?
The Asparagus fern needs relatively more water during its germination. You will need to water it regularly during its germination.
Once the germination process becomes successful, the plant will need watering regularly to grow, thrive and to produce a good harvest throughout its life.
In summer, the plant needs more water, as the water absorbed by the plant is comparatively higher in the summers than in winters. The soil near the fern root gets dried up quickly in the summer. It may need watering twice a day as well if the temperatures are too high. So, one must keep a watch on the moisture content in the soil during summer.
In winter, the water required by the soil is relatively lesser. The temperature of the soil remains cool in winters and hence only if the soil completely dries out you may water the plant. It will be sufficient even if the plant is watered twice or thrice a week in the winter. It all depends on the moisture content in the soil. So keep a watch on the soil at all times to give your plant a long and a happy life!
In some places, gardeners have a practice of soaking the plant in clay pots for a few minutes. It is advised that they should not be soaked for long durations. You need to stop soaking once the bubbling in the water stops. It is also advised not to submerge the plant in water completely as fronds in some ferns are sensitive to being covered with water.
Signs of over-watering
The most evident signs of asparagus ferns being overwatered is that the ferns start turning yellow in color. In extreme cases, these yellow ferns also start falling off from the plant. So keep a watch!
Signs of under-watering
When the plant is not receiving enough water for a contented healthy growth, the plant starts turning brown and starts looking droopy. The plant starts looking less lively. This is one of the major signs of the ferns being under-watered.
How to recover from an over-watered or under-watered asparagus plant?
If you see the ferns turning yellow, it is a sign of the plant being overwatered. In this case, you can stop watering the plant for a few days until the moisture in the soil is completely drained out.
Once the soil near the root of the asparagus fern becomes completely dry, you may start watering the plant gradually. By following this practice for a few weeks, the plant can be revived back to its normal life.
If the plant is under watered, the plant looks less lively and more dry and pale. In this case, the plant can be moved to a place with warm, humid air. You could use a mister or a humidifier or you could even place trays or glasses of water around the plant so that the plant absorbs the water that is evaporated in the air surrounding it.
You must read this: Growing Lettuce from Kitchen Scraps
Best time to water vegetable garden
It is best advised to water the vegetable garden early in the morning as the water has got more time to dry. This in turn reduces the spreading of plant diseases and helps the plants live a long disease free life as per the studies conducted at The University of Hawaii.
Difference between asparagus and asparagus ferns.
Asparagus is a vegetable that can be used for edible purposes. They can be cooked or even eaten raw in salads.
Asparagus ferns are decorative plants. They can be grown both indoors and outdoors to add beauty to the place with its green feathery foliage.
Important tips : Growing Asparagus fern
Soil requirements
The soil can be one-third portion of gardening soil, one-third portion of peat moss soil and the remaining one-third should be the sand. The Asparagus ferns are known to grow well for a long time if this soil composition is maintained.
Sunlight
Although asparagus fern is called a fern, it doesn’t actually belong to the fern family. It belongs to the family of the lily plant and it will require direct sunlight all through the year. It can grow and thrive in shaded places as well, but the life of the plant may get reduced when it is not seeing the direct sunlight.
Watering requirements
The asparagus fern needs more water in summers when it is exposed to direct sunlight. Just as we consume a lot of water in summers, the asparagus ferns also need a lot of water in summers. So it is advisable to keep a check on the moisture content in the soil near the root of the plant.
The plants have shallow roots, so you can check it by sticking your finger about 1-2 inches from the surface of the soil. If the soil seems to be completely dry, you may add some water to the soil to just give it back the moisture content.
It doesn’t need too much water. It will be sufficient if you can provide as much water that can provide sufficient moisture to the soil. The plant does not like to grow much in the frost. So take care of the quantity of water you add to the plant each time.
Fertilizer requirements
If the soil is given some organic matter, the growth of asparagus becomes apparent. Asparagus ferns thrive well in soils rich in humus.
Adding some organic matter to the soil where the asparagus ferns are grown is more advised than adding any other commercially available minerals such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, says The US Department of agriculture.
Temperature
According to studies, it is found that the germination of asparagus seeds will be quicker when the soil is maintained at a temperature between 750 F and 850 F. If the temperature happens to be below 700 F the germination process will be slow.
Conclusion
Asparagus ferns are mainly decorative plants and used to decorate a place because of its green, bushy and feathery foliage. They grow well in warm weather with humidified air conditions.
The Asparagus vegetable is good for health as it has many vitamins and minerals required for the body. The vegetable is also used in the form of a medicine in some places to treat liver diseases, nervous disorders, gastric ulcers etc.
They need more water during summers and relatively less water during rainy and winter seasons.
They can grow well in almost any soil which has very good water draining capacity and can provide good aeration to the roots of the plant.
Asparagus ferns are easy to grow plants as they adapt well to any climate change, water scarcity, and temperature fluctuations quite well. They can survive all of the above and still grow well and thrive!
So if you are planning to plant a vegetable which is easy to grow, good for health when consumed because of its rich nutrient composition and also the one which can adapt to any changes in the environment, here is your choice! The Asparagus!
If you want to decorate your indoors or outdoors with an easy growing green foliage plant, here is your choice! The Asparagus Fern!