By Jennifer Poindexter
Do you enjoy growing ferns? I fill my front porch with them from year to year and really enjoy their simplistic beauty.
If you’re in the market for a unique fern to grow, consider adding the cinnamon fern to your landscape or garden area.
This fern is unique for both its texture and scent. However, before deciding to grow anything it’s vital that you understand what the plant needs from you.
I’m going to walk you through this plant’s growing conditions, planting process, care, and the pests and diseases you should be aware of.
Here’s the information you’ll need to grow the cinnamon fern:
Growing Conditions for the Cinnamon Fern
Cinnamon ferns are beautiful plants which can be found in natural growing locations such as swamps and mountainous areas.
These ferns are hard to miss because of their textured fronds. One type of frond is the traditional green fronds found on most ferns.
In the center, you’ll notice brown, fluffy fronds. This plant receives its name because of the color of the fronds in the center of the plant.
Cinnamon ferns can reach heights up to four feet and become fifteen feet wide once they’re fully mature. You can expect the plants to remain hardy in planting zones three through nine.
If you’d like to incorporate this plant into your space, be sure to provide the few specific needs it has.
Be sure to select a shaded growing location. Anywhere this plant receives indirect sunlight should do the trick.
The only other thing cinnamon ferns need is the proper soil. Plant in a growing medium that’s nutrient-dense, evenly and consistently moist, and well-draining.
If you can supply these basic needs, you should have few problems starting this fern out on the right foot.
How to Plant the Cinnamon Fern
Hopefully, you have an adequate spot in mind for planting your cinnamon fern. Now, it’s time to discuss how to go about planting.
You may grow cinnamon ferns from rhizomes or from spores, as cinnamon ferns don’t produce seeds.
If you’re going with planting from a rhizome, begin by dividing the rhizomes found at the crown of the plant.
You’ll need to dig them up and use a sharp knife or pair of shears to cut them into pieces. If there are any diseased, damaged, or shriveled fronds attached to the rhizomes remove them.
Next, you’ll replant the rhizomes in a new growing location which meets all the specific growing conditions outlined above.
Be sure to water the rhizomes heavily at the time of planting. Also, be sure to harvest and plant the rhizomes during the spring after all threat of frost is over.
If you plant multiple ferns from rhizomes at one time, be sure to leave approximately two to six feet of space between each plant.
The next option for growing cinnamon ferns is from their spores. You may gather the spores on the bottom of the fronds.
Collect the spores by removing the frond from the plant. Place it between two sheets of printer paper. Check the paper at the same time the next day. If the spores are ripe, they should have fallen off the frond and onto the paper.
This will leave a design of the frond on the paper. Shake the paper gently, roll it into a tube shape, and the spores should fall out when gently shaken onto another piece of paper.
At this point, fill a growing tray with a well-draining, nutrient-dense growing medium. Sprinkle the spores over the medium.
Wrap the growing tray in plastic to create a greenhouse effect and place the tray in an area with indirect sunlight. The spores must never be placed in direct sun.
It can take a month or more for the spores to begin sprouting and forming a carpet of green across the growing tray.
In more time, you should see heart-shaped greenery form. This is called prothallia which contains both sperm and egg. When the greenery becomes about a ½ inch tall, spray the plants with water.
You may need to mist a second time in a few more weeks to see sporelings emerge. From there, remove a clump of prothallia from each cell of the seed tray.
Place this in a fresh growing container filled with well-draining and nutrient-dense soil. Then move the container to a warm growing location where it can receive indirect, natural light or grow beneath grow lights.
Once the plants reach an inch in height, transplant them into pots. Wait until the plants are approximately a half-foot tall, harden them off, and transplant the new cinnamon ferns outdoors.
No matter the method used to propagate your cinnamon ferns, if you don’t have the right growing location for an inground plot, you may grow the plants in a container.
Ensure the pot is large enough to support the fern at its mature size. A pot that’s approximately four inches wide and deep should be large enough to support this plant. This way, you can move the fern around as needed.
Also, be sure to provide ample nutrient-dense soil to keep the plant thriving and happy if grown in a container.
As you can tell, growing cinnamon ferns from rhizomes or spores can be an intricate process. You may always purchase a mature plant from your local nursery.
However, if you’re trying to grow your gardening skills or stick within a specific budget, starting this plant from rhizomes or spores might be of interest to you.
Caring for the Cinnamon Fern
The cinnamon fern is a low-maintenance plant. If you’re in the market for something that looks nice but doesn’t require tons of effort to keep it that way, this could be the plant for you.
To care for a cinnamon fern, be sure to keep the soil evenly damp at all times. It’s wise to water this plant deeply.
This way, the plant’s roots are saturated at the time of watering and so is the ground around it. As the days progress and the plant needs more water, it should be able to dig deeper into the soil to retrieve the needed moisture.
Test the soil every few days to know when it’s time to water the plant deeply again. Do this by inserting your finger into the dirt next to the plant.
When the soil is dry to your first knuckle, it’s time to have a deep watering session. It’s vital that you select soil that’s well-draining as you want the ground around the plant to remain evenly damp as you never want to leave the fern standing in water.
The next thing you must do to care for the cinnamon fern is to prune away any diseased or damaged parts of the plant.
Finally, the last thing you must do is know how to care for the cinnamon fern plant over the winter. Thankfully, you won’t need to do much.
You should leave the foliage in place when cold weather comes. The fronds, which drop from the plant, will create mulch around the base of the plant. This helps insulate the roots.
When spring arrives again, be sure to trim away any fronds which were damaged by the cold temperatures.
This is all the cinnamon fern requires from you when growing it around your home. If you can remove damaged parts of the plant and provide adequate moisture, the plant should thrive under your care.
Garden Pests and Diseases Which Could Impact the Cinnamon Fern
Thankfully, the cinnamon fern doesn’t face many threats in the garden. This plant isn’t considered invasive, and it isn’t toxic either.
There are no diseases which commonly impact the cinnamon fern. The only pest which sometimes bothers this plant is the Osmunda Borer Moth or thrips. The borer moth is a type of cutworm and thrips are common pests to many plants.
When treating these issues, you may treat the plant with an insecticide. Fortunately, these pests don’t normally do enough damage to the cinnamon fern to threaten its life.
Now that you know what to look for, stay alert to these few threats to keep your cinnamon ferns healthy and thriving for years to come.
If you love ferns but want something a little different, don’t overlook the cinnamon fern. Its different colored and textured fronds create a unique look for your landscape.
Utilize the tips provided here to help you plant your cinnamon fern in the right growing location and provide adequate care to give this plant every reason to prosper.
Learn More About the Cinnamon Fern
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/osmundastrum-cinnamomeum/
https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2021/04/22/the-beauty-of-cinnamon-fern/
https://extension.umaine.edu/blueberries/weed-images/herbaceous-broadleaf-weeds/ferns/cinnamon-fern/
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