Transplanting Ferns
Transplanting Ferns - An Easy Task
About the only problems a person is apt to run into in transplanting ferns is that in many places it is illegal to transplant ferns that are growing in the wild. Transplanting ferns that are in your yard or have been purchased at a nursery is a different matter of course. Individual ferns sometimes require different growing conditions, and to do things right, one generally has to know a bit about the particular species one is attempting to transplant. In most cases, damp fertile soil will work and most ferns do not like direct sun, or at least very much of it. A few varieties, such as the Staghorn fern, do not grow in soil but grow on wood, but that's a rather special case. Most ferns grow in humid rain forests, not just tropical rain forests, but also in the coastal rain forests of more temperate zones.
Very often, when transplanting ferns, the plant is divided, yielding several plants. When dividing some plants, great care must be taken when separating the root ball. Ferns on the other hand are rather tough customers. The root balls can be difficult to separate at times, but the ferns can generally tolerate a fair about of abuse in case one has to hack away or use considerable force in pulling the root ball apart. Still, it's good practice to use a sharp knife, as the less damage that is done to the root ball the better.
Best To Transplant When Dormant - Dividing and transplanting ferns is best done in the early spring before the season's growth has begun. Ferns purchased in pots or containers can be transplanted any time, though it may not always be advisable to divide the root ball when the plant is in the midst of its growing season. Also a fern that is in the midst of the growing season needs to be transplanted with care if its root ball is not particularly large. A young plant may be better off being left in its pot until it goes dormant if its root ball is small. If one has a garden featuring many ferns, a spring ritual of dividing and transplanting ferns, while at the same time looking for new and different arrangements of the plants can be an enjoyable, and at times challenging experience.
Work The Soil And Use Plenty Of Mulch - Even though ferns should be grown in shady parts of the yard or garden, when transplanting them it's a good idea to cover the soil with a mulch once the plants have been put in place, to help keep the soil moist. Mulching to a depth of 3" to 4' is not excessive. Most ferns have a very shallow root system and do not easily tolerate being in soil that has been allowed to dry out. The fern will not necessarily die in such a situation, but in drought conditions the plant tends to die back and go dormant. To keep this from happening, the soil should be worked to a depth of 6", 8" being even better. Mix in plenty of leaf mold or compost, and the result should be a planting mix that will retain moisture quite well.
A useful piece of advice when transplanting established ferns is to lift them from the ground by their root system and not by lifting them by the fronds. While a fern plant can tolerate being "pulled by the hair", its fronds can easily be broken. While the damage to the plant itself will usually not be too severe, the attractiveness of the plant will undoubtedly suffer. A fern with several broken fronds is usually not the most attractive plant in the garden.