Nephrolepis cordifolia‘Duffii’
As a miniature interlingual rendition ofNephrolepiscordifolia , the lemon button fern for sure put the “ fun ” in “ fun - size of it . ”
But I ’ll include that “ fun - sizing ” ai n’t always the most fun . Exhibit A : fun - size candy cake given out on Halloween , versus the full - size version . But in the case of ‘ Duffii , ’ its wasted dimensions are a significant rise .
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Photo by David J. Stang, Wikimedia Commons, viaCC BY-SA.
Little houseplants are often underrated . They can be a boon to those with itty - bitty dig , as well as those with life space that look less like a dwelling house and more like a tropic hobo camp already !
If your place is packed to the gills with greenery , the lemon button fern is the perfect specimen to put in those plantless nooks and crack where large houseplant wo n’t fit out .
Alternatively , its small step comes in handy for inserting in outer space where maybe youdon’twant to push your flora compulsion so publicly .
I mean , I could n’t possibly have a houseplant dependence if the laundry elbow room is hiding just one picayune fern … right ?
This guide supply the consummate gamboge release fern crash course – from propagation protocols to wellness care , our programme is comprehensive .
Here ’s the syllabus :
What You’ll Learn
What Are Lemon Button Ferns?
N. cordifolia‘Duffii ’ is a dwarf kind of the standardN. cordifolia , aka the fishbone or tuberous sword fern . Some folks may call ‘ Duffii ’ a babyBoston fern , but they ’d be mistaken .
The pinnae – or cusp on a frond – inN. cordifoliaare straighter and have a bun in the oven more blunted tips than that ofN. exaltata .
to boot , the pollex - lookingindusiaof fishbowl fern pinnule are more rounded and jut out less than Boston fern indusia .
Moving on to how ‘ Duffii ’ differs from a standardN. cordifolia … For crank , ‘ Duffii ’ is smaller and more thickset .
It has short , button - shaped ear and hit a maximum height and spread of 12 inches . The fishbone fern , on the other helping hand , is triple the size in either dimension .
‘ Duffii ’ leafage is also a number more of a golden yellow in color when compared to the light green chromaticity of the fishbone fern .
Finally , ‘ Duffii ’ actually has a faint , citrusy aroma that ’s further amplified when you suppress the foliage . That , along with the people of color , excuse the “ lemon button ” moniker .
Best grown inUSDA Hardiness Zones8 to 10 for out-of-door cultivation , the lemon tree button fern can line its rhizomatous ascendent back to the fishbone fern , which come from the tropic regions of Asia , Australia , and the Americas .
Along with growing wild throughout these areas , ‘ Duffii ’ is train today as a beloved houseplant andterrarium planting .
Propagation
When life gives you lemon button fern … you make more of ’em !
Spore extension , cutting away base runner , division , and transplantation are all awing ways to end up with more ‘ Duffii ’ specimens .
Via Spores
Many common people have a healthy veneration of spore , especially after endure a few harrowing experiences with moldy leftovers .
But the spore produced by a lemon button fern are no cause for alarm , and these are not fungous . The operation of coaxing them into producing in full mature flora is actually quite fascinating !
For more information on how to do that , our extroverted spore propagation usher is certain to be as interesting as it is educational .
Via Runners
Ever pick up the thin , bristly offshoots poking out from between a fern ’s fronds ?
Those are known as runner or stolons , and species and cultivars ofNephrolepissuch as ‘ Duffii ’ are known to develop them .
In nature , the runners shape new flora when they come into contact with the ground . But in houseplants , they tend to just trail over the side of container with nothing to root in .
you may take advantage of the establishment of these structure and grow new plants by coif a container fill with a well - draining growing media next to the female parent plant .
Once it puts out a Caranx crysos long enough to gain the neighboring container , affix it to the growing medium with a horticultural staple fibre or a small stone .
Keep the soil in the neighboring container moist while the stolon develops fresh roots and shoots .
When several fronds have formed , you’re able to sever the runner like a botanical umbilical electric cord and consider the baby industrial plant fully propagated !
Via Dividing
Due to its lilliputian size , dividing a lemon button fern is pretty easy – you could do it with your finger !
You should plan to divide ‘ Duffii ’ every three to five year , or whenever you notice symptoms of age or a battle in pixilated quarters such as smaller - than - normal fronds or the center of the flora dying out .
Prior to dividing , give it a nice deglutition . After that , dig out the plant out and twit apart its solution system .
You ’ll usually divide it into one-half or quarters , depend on its overall size and how many divisions you need .
Pot up each class , irrigate them in , and presto ! extension terminated .
Via Transplanting
perchance you ’ve buy a plant ?
Fill an appropriately - sized pot with a well - draining develop metier , and groom a hole in the center that ’s large enough to accommodate the transplantation ’s root system .
Remove the transplant from its container , place it in the disposed pot , and backfill the hole with your potting mix .
Gently tamp down down the stain , water in the transplant , and maintain moderate moisture afterwards .
Find more details in our fern propagation guide .
How to Grow
When it comes to houseplant , you get out what you put in . If you put in the necessary workplace to care for your ‘ Duffii ’ by rights , it will pay you back with years of ornamental looker .
Climate and Exposure Needs
Whengrown indoors , ‘ Duffii ’ prefer a temperature compass of 60 to 80 ° F , although it can tolerate temps as low as 55 ° F for brusque duration .
furnish indirect light by take a location near a south- or Rebecca West - facing window , but do n’t place pots close enough to be scorched by direct sunshine , which will harm the fronds .
Citrus limon release ferns favour humidity levels of at least 70 per centum .
humidness can be provided by a nearby electric humidifier , place dope on a pebble tray filled with water which will evaporate into the melodic phrase , or moving the specimen into a bathroom on occasion .
you’re able to also aggroup your fern closely with other plant life , so the fuse ambient evapotranspiration benefits them all , keeping the air from turning to a fault ironical .
turn a lemon push fern in a right terrarium will also assist to keep the air humid . You ’ll need to direct the terrarium either near a window orunder some LED lightsto keep it adequately lit .
Growing Media Needs
First and foremost , make certain the media that you prefer to plant in is well - draining – a 50 - 50 mix ofpeat mossand perlite workings just fine .
Lemon button fern also prefer an acidic to neutral pH of 4.0 to 7.0 . Within this range , a ‘ Duffii ’ will do good from optimal nutritionary uptake !
Irrigation and Fertilization Needs
‘ Duffii ’ requires constant wet for healthy growth , so add water supply whenever the surface of the potting sensitive is dry to the touch .
verify not to go overboard on irrigation – you do n’t want to countenance the root sit in an oversaturated medium .
On that note , always be certain to select container that leave adequate drainage as well .
It ’s important to leave supplemental nutrients to your lemon clit fern , specially when it ’s rooted in a soilless mass medium .
Add a balanced fertilizer – diluted down to half - persuasiveness – to the grime every two to four weeks during the farm season . There ’s no demand to fertilize during quiescence !
Jack ’s Classic All Purpose Fertilizer
Find one - and - a - half - liter packages of Jack ’s Classic 20 - 20 - 20 ( NPK ) fertilizeravailable from JR Peters on Amazon .
Do n’t forget to add twice as much H2O as what ’s recommended on the label when you mix up this powdered mathematical product .
Growing Tips
Maintenance
As a ‘ Duffii ’ ages , it ’s bind to roll up some idle or discredited fronds . Whenever you occur to blot any , give the afflicted verdure the ol’ clip - snip with sterilise blade .
You should repot your maize button fern whenever they become base - stick or outgrow their container .
Go up a individual size when pick out a new pot , and do n’t blank out to apply fresh medium .
Where to Buy
Whether as a gift for a friend or as a way to treat yo ’ self , a ‘ Duffii ’ purchase is well deserving it . But where should you go to snag a lemon button fern ?
To start , a safe bet would be to depend anywhere where ferns are typically buy and sold .
Since ‘ Duffii ’ is n’t the most vulgar diversity , seek out forte houseplant stores over your grown - name garden centers .
If you look plant swaps or other horticultural result , keep your eyes uncase for a lemon yellow button fern that you may win .
bum a propagule from a ally who also grows houseplants is another solid selection , especially if you have a plant of your own to trade .
Lemon Button Fern
For those who prefer to shop online , AmazonandThe Home Depotoffer lemon button fern in four - in agriculturalist pots .
Managing Pests and Disease
When we look at a houseplant such as ‘ Duffii , ’ we see a beautiful being that we can flaunt .
Pests and pathogens , however , view lemon clitoris ferns as clump of animation to leech resources from . It ’s our line of work to deter them .
Insects
Creepy - crawlies can vector disease with ease , so controlling them can forestall both infestationsandinfections .
Mealybugs look like white , cottony clumps , taking up sugars with their pierce - lactate mouthpart like you or I might do with a tropic punch Capri Sun .
Able to infest roots and shoot alike , depending on the miscellany , these cuss can eventually get stunted emergence and necrosis .
saturate the filth with an insect powder will slay these pestilence where they live – literally !
PyGanic Gardening Pyrethrin Concentrate
Pyrethrin is one such insect powder , useable as a dressed ore in eight - ounce containersfrom PyGanic Gardening via Amazon .
Natria Insecticidal Soap
For additional control above the soil job , apply direct spays of insecticidal soap to infested foliage . For an organic , quick - to - spray insecticidal Georgia home boy from Natria , head over to Amazon .
Both armored and soft - bodied sort ofscale are around - bodied insectsthat also feed via sucking from plant life phloem .
Their small size can conceal them pretty well on larger plants , but less so on dwarf varieties such as ‘ Duffii . ’ Infestation can lead to scrubby growth , sphacelus , and overall weakness .
shell insect may be dealt with just like mealy bug – an insecticide drench applied to the soil , insecticidal soap sprayed on the fronds , or a one - two punch of both .
The plate - less and booger - esque relatives of snails , slugs secrete a slick mucus that lets them move along on a hefty “ ft . ”
They feed on plant tissues with their file cabinet - like mouthpart , leave behind tranquil - edged hole in leaf that interpose with photosynthesis .
The slime trail that a slug leaves in its backwash can be traced back with a flashlight to notice the home where the sluggard enter your home .
The access point can then be varnish up with expound froth or barricaded with salt , diatomaceous earth , or beer ambuscade .
to boot , a ring of copper tape affixed around the lips of your containers playact as an galvanizing fence , of sorts – when a clout crosses the taping , an galvanising electric shock is produce that deter the pest .
wanderer mites are small , hairy , ellipse - influence arachnidsthat can be heavy to spot without a magnifying glass .
More apparent than their bodies are the webs they form , which can give infested plant surface a dusty - look appearance .
Other symptom of a wanderer mite plague include greensickness , foliage pearl , and feed price in the form of little white or yellow dots .
Insecticidal soaps work swimmingly for controlling spider mites .
Disease
Using sterilise tools and disease - free filth will go a long way in assure that your specimens do n’t fare down with a nasty unwellness . Let ’s take a look at the top common culprit , molder .
Both poll rot and etymon root have the same cause : too much moisture and not enough air .
In root rot , the root become necroticin badly - draining soils that are n’t sufficiently aerated . poll rot usually occurs if soil is mob up around the crown of the fern , rather than leaving it exposed .
Both types of rot will lead to deterioration of the leafage and possibly the dying of the entire industrial plant .
Providing right drainage and aeration in the growing media is predominate to bar , along with leave the crown uncover .
If your ‘ Duffii ’ already has crown or solution rot , prune away any affected rhizomes and a symmetrical amount of fronds to keep the root - to - shoot proportion balance .
Any plants that are too far gone should be thrown aside .
Best Uses
While the lemon release fern probably lacks the ample frondage require to gracefully spill over the sides of a flow field goal , its thick size makes it ideal for squeezing into those cramped pip where magnanimous houseplants wo n’t fit .
If you ’re into terrariums and need some fronds to add to the premix , ‘ Duffii ’ has all the miniskirt - majesty you could enquire for .
And for those who appreciate the scent of citrus , lemon button ferns are a fragrant pleasure .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Don’t Let ‘Duffii’ Turn Your Ego Puffy
It ’s only lifelike to take pride in a beautiful houseplant ingathering .
But once a lemon button fern join the batting order , a healthy ego - esteem can transubstantiate into conceit all too easy . Stay base , and never blank out your pre-‘Duffii ’ antecedent .
The placement choice for this works are nearly limitless , so have sport see creative places to put yours !
Found a “ frond ” in fern ? lay eyes on these other nonflowering plant guide :
© inquire the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product pic via Home Depot , J R Peters , and Natria . Uncredited picture : Shutterstock .
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Joe Butler
