Eyelash Fern is also called Actiniopteris australis in some parts of America. It has leaves (fronds) that look like eyelashes. Fronds will stay green for 365 days if you grow them in the best potting soil.
Because this plant is a little picky about the humidity and soil. Warm weather and high humidity are the two most important growth factors.
The good news is it is a small size fern, it does not grow extra tall or extra wide. It is perfect for almost every place. Because small plants can easily fit in all places.
Below is the complete detailed Actiniopteris australis care guide. Grow your fern without facing yellow leaves, and brown leaves problems.
Simple care techniques for beginners and less experienced growers.
You May Also Like: How to Grow Silver Lace Fern?
About the plant
Eyelash Fern is naturally found in warm places of Reunion Mauritius. 10a to 11 are comfortable USDA hardiness zones for it.
I like to grow it indoors in a terrarium and sometimes I use a glass dome to give it nice warmth.
Eyelash fern grows 6 inches tall and 7 to 8 inches wide in indoor growing conditions. It does not need many fertilizers because it is a very slow-growing plant.
It takes several months to grow fully mature (6 inches in height).
Slow-growing plants have benefits like they need fewer fertilizers, less maintenance, and less water. And you can place them even in your kitchen or bathroom.
Light Needs
Like other members of its family, it needs less bright light. Direct sunlight is not recommended it will cause scorching.
Therefore, put your plant in low bright light. Actiniopteris australis will grow perfectly even in deep shade. But it will surely struggle and grow leggy.
To avoid all light-related problems, place the plant in low bright light.
It just needs light and the source can be a Grow light or the normal room light. If your plan is to grow it outdoors. Then find a place where it can stay in partial shade for its entire life.
Growing it outdoors is not beneficial because it is a small fern plant no one will notice and it cannot survive in cold weather.
Potting Soil
Quick draining and rich organic potting soil will do best for eyelash fern. The pH should be between 6.0 to 7.5 pH.
This fern plant does not like waterlogged soil. Therefore, do not use general garden soil as it becomes waterlogged after watering.
Your soil formula must contain perlite, sand, and peat moss. These are essential ingredients that will make the potting soil best for it.
You May Also Like: Hoya Kentiana care guide
Watering
Moderate watering is the key to success. This means the soil must be moist for 365 days. It is only possible if you give frequent water to the plant.
But the ingredients in the soil like peat moss and perlite reduce the watering application to half. They store the water in them for a long time.
Use fresh clean water for watering your fern plant. Let the top 1 inch of the soil become dry and then water it.
Remember that your Actiniopteris australis can tolerate a little bit of dryness in the soil for a short period of time.
Do not overwater your plant. This will result in root fungus and once its roots get damaged. You cannot review this plant because the root ball is small and cannot handle root rot for more than a week.
Fertilizing
If the soil contains organic material like compost or garden loam. Then this small fern plant does not need fertilizers.
Otherwise use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer that is balanced in NPK ratio. It is best to use low-nitrogen nutrient supplements.
A higher dose of N can burn the leaves. Liquid fertilizer is recommended.
Use the supplements in Spring and summer because these are the two active growing seasons of it.
Temperature & Humidity
60 to 75 degrees F is the ideal temperature range for Actiniopteris australis. This cleans that it cannot survive in cold weather.
You must bring the outdoor fern pots indoors when the night temperature drops below 55 degrees F.
Also, make sure that the direct heat flow of heating systems cannot touch the fern leaves. Because the hot air speed up the water evaporation process and your plant become dehydrated.
Eyelash fern can enjoy your home humidity if it is between 40 to 60 %. In its native place, the plant continuously enjoys humidity above 70%.
In the summer season, you should water your plant more to keep the roots hydrated and avoid low-humidity burns.
To increase it, use plant humidifiers or room humidifiers. Plant humidifiers are inexpensive and are specially designed for plants. Place it next to your plant and turn it ON.
Pebble trays and grouping the plants together are some traditional methods. They work fine when you only need to increase by 4 to 8 % in humidity.
Toxicity
The Eyelash fern plant is toxic to pets like dogs and cats. It is not harmful to humans. This plant contains a substance called Filix elements.
It is toxic to pets, and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea. Do not let your pets ingest the parts of this plant to keep them safe from toxic effects.
Immediately call the Vet doctor if your pets show any of the above-mentioned signs.
Repotting
Repot it only when you see roots coming through the drainage hole. Generally, it takes 12 to 14 months to get fully matured.
The roots of this plant continuously grow for 2 to 3 years. So, it needs repotting once in 12 months.
This will also help in keeping the soil fresh because you also change the soil when you repot it.
Propagation
This is the easiest part of its care. Cut some clippings with leaves (fronds). Then plant them in different pots. Use the same soil that you use to grow the mother plant.
Place the pot in a warm and humid place to speed up the process.
Within a few days, it will develop new roots and do not fertilize it at this stage. The organic material in the soil is enough for it.
Conclusion
Eyelash needs high humidity and warm weather to grow. You can place it in your kitchen or bathroom. Both the places are high in humidity.
To avoid growing problems use the best potting soil that is lightweight and fast draining.
