Autumn fern

Autumn fern Care

Dryopteris erythrosora

What is the plant

Dryopteris erythrosora, the autumn fern, Japanese wood fern, or copper shield fern, is a species of fern native to east Asia from China and Japan south to the Philippines, growing in light woodland shade on low mountains or hills.

The specific epithet erythrosora comes from ancient Greek, meaning "having red spore cases", which refers to the color of the spore cases. Dryopteris erythrosora is semi-evergreen (in cooler climates), with bipinnate fronds 30–70 cm (12–28 in) tall by 15–35 cm (6–14 in) broad, with 8–20 pairs of pinnae. The fronds have a coppery tint when young, but mature to dark green. The leaves are funnel-shaped with the top ones being leathery shiny, divided twice, triangular in shape and pointy. The individual leaflets are narrow lanceolate. Its edge is almost completely sown up. It is raised as an ornamental plant in gardens because of its color change in the foliage, which change from dark red to dark green, but not very often.

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Humidity

High

Lighting

Part Sun

Hardiness zone

min 5a

Difficulty

Hard

How to Care for the Plant

Water
This plant needs regular and deep watering, particularly during its initial growing period, to establish a healthy root system. Once established, keep an evenly moist soil with regular watering. Use lukewarm water for the best results. You may also mist the leaves with warm water to fasten the growth of young plants.
Fertilizer
While the plant doesn’t require much fertilizer, feed it with a small amount of slow-release fertilizer during the spring. Be careful, too much fertilizer will damage the plant.
Sunlight
The Japanese Shield Fern loves to grow under full shade. It still tolerates short periods of the afternoon sun, but the intense sun will prove highly damaging to the plant. Make sure you place this plant in a shaded area.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
The Dryopteris Erythrosora thrives in well-draining, slightly acidic soil. It will tolerate the soil with low nutritional value, but it needs a well-draining mixture for best growth. You may mix the soil with a small amount of perlite and humus. Add in fir bark bits and charcoal chips for faster drainage. Mixi a few inches of peat moss, mulch, or compost when planting.
Temperature
The plant adjusts to winter zones and high humidity, but won’t survive high-temperature zones. Make sure to maintain the temperature between 60°-85°F (15°-29°C).
Container
If growing inside, choose any type of container with enough drainage holes.