8 Steps Crispy Wave Fern Care- Complete guide

Are you worried about your Crispy Wave Fern care? You know it is the most favorite plant for any plant lover. It is a unique plant. People know it as the name of a Bird’s Nest Fern. Nowadays it is a trendy plant. Yellow-Green pleated leaves make it gorgeous.

Its best quality is, it can purify the air, also filter harmful particles like formaldehyde. It can make the air fresh anywhere you place it.

It is one type of Asplenium fern. Birds nest fern is a beautiful green fern. Its sculptural leaves amaze the plant lover.

You will find a wave in its leaves. It can glorify your house and office with its fresh look.

It is such a low maintenance plant. It is one of the longest living pot plants. Under some conditions, It grows so fastly. When you bring a new plant, Firstly you may face some problems.

I hear from many people with a new Bird’s Nest Fern, they are going under some trouble. With proper care, It is going to be easy.

It can grow outdoors and indoors. But indoors is the best place if you can give a good humid environment. You don’t have to worry about it. 

Crispy Wave Fern Overview

Genus Origin

Crispy wave fern has different names like Bird nest fern. Although Its Binomial name of Crispy Wave Fern is Asplenium Nidus. It is from the Aspleniaceae family. Genus is Aspelinium. It is an epiphytic species of fern. 

Crispy wave fern originated from South-Eastern Asia. Native to Eastern Australia, Polynesia, Christmas Island, India, and eastern Africa. From this area now It is a beautiful houseplant throughout the world.

As It comes from a tropical area you should be careful about its humidity and temperature. It loves the shed of a tree. Indoor is the best option for it.

Leaves 

Crispy Wave Ferns have beautiful green leaves.  It is sword-shaped ruffled leaves. If you want to recognize the crispy wave fern, you can do it by its leaves. The leaves are upright and shiny. The leaves weaving give the name like crispy wave fern.

The leaves are the absolute beauty of this plant. The leaves of this plant give a stylish look in your indoor garden or home or anywhere. Its leaves are air purifiers also.

The leaves can be 4 inches long. The leaves look like a bird’s nest when it totally grows up.  You can feel a tropical environment for this plant.

You can identify the problems by looking at the leaves. Brown leaves  indicate it needs much moist and watering.

Spores

The wave fern only can reproduce by its spores. If you own any types of fern in your houseplant collections you may be heard the word “spores”. Many people become confused about spores.

Like all other ferns crispy wave fern also reproduce through their spores. Fern spores are the tiny genetic bases for new fern.

They are found conjugately in a casing which is called sporangia. They are always grouped into bunches which is called Sori. It looks like some brown spot on the underside of the leaves. The spores are collected to propagate the fern. 

When spores come, the fronds are looking fat  and different from others. You can collect the spore in two ways. One way is to collect it from the frond other is when it drops from the frond.

Crispy  Wave Fern Care ( Step by Step Guide)

There is some basic care that should be taken into consideration. Like the light Temperature humidity soil etc. If you treat it well it will stay very long with you. Without proper care, it will be difficult for you to handle. 

I want to cover everything about crispy wave fern care.

Where should I place my Crispy Wave Fern?

Crispy wave fern comes from the tropical area. As They are from this area they love shaded low light. They prefer low light. Bright light can harm their leaves.

Place your Bird nest fern in some area where direct light couldn’t come. You can avoid the window if you want. Or you place them in a window then make sure a curtain gives a shade. The north-facing window will be pretty cool. Or you can set it in your bathroom. It will be a great place for crispy wave plants.

Bright light has an impact on the leaves. The leaves burn in bright light. The leaves turn yellow. Direct bright light gives you crinkle leaves. 

However crispy wave fern isn’t doing well in bright light. always ensure that bright light can’t receive them.

You can rotate them to get the light on every side when they are placed in the light. Then You find every side a beautiful shape.

They thrive on low light. In lower light they give you flatter leaves.

When I gave my fern low light I found a healthy bird nest fern. 

Sometimes I thought that the light was too low but I am surprised it is pretty well in such a condition. Don’t be worried if They are in low light. Just avoid the bright light.

Crispy Wave Fern Watering

As I mentioned before, their native is a tropical area. For this, they love moist soil. Moist means not wet soil. It likes dampness when you touch the soil. When you find the surface of the soil is dry then water it. You can check it by hand. Put your hand in the soil if you found the soil dry then water it. 

You can check it in another way. Take the pot in your hand. If you find it lighter than previous watering then water your plant.

In watering some terms should be taken under consideration.

The quantity of water depends on the environment, the size of your pot and plant. In growing seasons like summer and spring, they need much more water than winter. 

Water your Crispy wave plant once or twice a week. Don’t allow it to dry totally.               

Although it can tolerate dry soil. If it is going in repetition then it’s harmful Sometimes people forget to water for a couple of days. And make the mistake of giving too much water. Don’t do it. give the exact water and give it regularly. because over-watering causes root rot. 

 Water your bird nest plant in the morning. It gives enough time to absorb the water. Regular Night watering makes a brown spot in leaves. avoid night watering. 

Evening watering is not good for evaporation. 

 Give your plant the room Temperature water. Coldwater causes leaf drops. Coldwater gives them a shock. You can use distilled or filtered water. If you can’t afford this then take the tap water and leave it one day in your room. 

You can give the water from above. In this case, you can use this cute looking elephant-shaped watering can.

Take those kinds of pots that have holes. So that water can drain properly. People sometimes give water in the rosette center. It can’t drain the water.  

By Maintaining this process of watering you can find a healthy Crispy wave plant.

Which types of soil is best for Crispy Wave Fern?

The fern is epiphytic as we know. they grow in another tree. they don’t love normal potting soil. Avoid The normal potting mix always for Crispy fern.

The crispy Wave fern-root needs aeration. Chunky Potting mixture I mean coarse particles is pretty good. you can use perlite or Peat based potting mix. 

They love the soil being moist. Dry soil is not well for them. Birds nest fern prefers moist and well-draining soil. They face root rot problems. That’s why soil  should be well draining.

When you buy it, use the same soil with your perlite mix soil. In repotting you should be careful about your potting mix. Use the same quality of soil as you use before.

My plant is good in organic soil. First, I made a mistake using normal soil and found a very bad result. Use the best organic soil.

Make sure that your organic soil is clean because insects can be harmful to them. 

Temperature for Crispy Wave Fern

Asplenium Nidus is good at 18-23 degrees celsius. In Fahrenheit, it is (70-80 degrees). Indoor is the best place to locate them. This temperature will give you shiny beautiful leaves. under 55 degrees F (13 degrees C) and above 100 degrees F is deadly. In a warm environment, I mean high temperature the leaves turn yellow. Leaves are a dropout in this situation. 

The cool temperature also takes them under trouble. The leaves look brown in the cold.

They can’t bear the fluctuation of temperature. Don’t place them under the air conditioning. Avoid the place which is beside the heater.  

Too many Drafts and Warm areas must be avoided. Check the room temperature by a thermometer. And where you find the suitable temperature, place them. 

Crispy Wave Fern Humidity Criteria

For coming to the tropical area They prefer the higher humidity. especially in the winter, you should be more careful about the Humidity. 

In (60-90%) humidity the crispy wave plant thrives. as in the winter, You don’t give much water. You can increase the humidity in some simple way.

Firstly you can buy a humidifier. It will boost up the Humidity. and You shouldn’t worry about the humidity if a humidifier is in your room.

Secondly, You can place some plants together. make a small swarm with your plant. It will Increase Humidity.

Thirdly If you have not enough plants to make a community then use a pot with some water. And set the pot near to your plant. It is very helpful to raise humidity.

You can mist your plant leaves with water. In this case, you can use a spray bottle. But it sometimes may cause problems. To do this some people overwater their plant and it brings root rot problems.

Another cool idea I have used. I placed my plant in my bathroom and I don’t have to worry about humidity. It is very helpful for temperature fluctuation problems. This is helpful for the Light also.

In the bathroom, they are doing better than in bedroom.

Ensure the humidity for your Bird nest fern. lower humidity can cause death for your plant.

Crispy Wave Fern Fertilizer

Your beautiful crispy wave fern is not a greedy plant. You can feed them once a month. This month will be the growing season.

They don’t need fertilizer in the winter season. I mean from September to February. You can use normal liquid fertilizer. Liquid fertilizer is a good choice.

All-purpose plant food like miracle-gro you can use. You should dilute it to half strength and use it as a liquid fertilizer. 

avoid overfeeding, because overfeeding can burn the root. In spring if you use the fertilizer you will find healthy and beautiful birds nest fern. But not in the winter.

Crispy Wave Fern Propagation

Crispy wave plant propagation is not like other fern or plant. It can not propagate in a normal way. You can’t cut the leaves like other plants.

You should wait for their spores. It’s a long term process. It’s not so easy also. Here I will tell you the steps need to propagate fern from spores.

But if you are a houseplant enthusiast and wanna go deep into the propagation of Crispy wave fern from spores, I think you should watch the video below. This guy has over 5 years+ experiences on growing fern from spores.

Propagation Steps for Crispy Wave Fern from Spores

• Collecting the spore
• Collecting in the field
• Sterilize the frond
• Prepare the Growing Medium
• Start with extra Water
• Add boiling water after sometime
• Sow the Spores
• Put them in some light and Let them Grow
• Patch out the Gametophytes
• Patch again to turn the Gametophytes into Sporophytes

I think in mature leaves you can find the spore in the perfect environment. You will find some tiny sprout. 

Then collect the leaves and set them on a piece of paper. or you can use a paper bag. Some days later you can collect the spores. In another way when the spores are dropout from the fronds you can collect it. To grow them you need a moist medium.

Peat moss gives a good result for a moist medium. I use peat moss. It gives me such a cool result. A shady area is needed in propagation. You can take it under a glass or plastic and grow the spores. mist it daily.

When it is large then you can transfer it to a pot.

However, it is a very hard process. I failed at first then gradually I can manage it. 

Repotting

when you find your plant root is too large then you should take it into another pot.  In repotting, always use the larger pot from the previous one.

As I mentioned before they are epiphytic plants so they love organic compost. When you repot it first ensure you take the larger pot than before. 

Take a pot that has a hole in the bottom.  

And take the organic soil. make sure they are clean. You can use some soil from the previous pot. After repotting observe and take care of it. 

Look whether it is set in its new home or not.

Common Pests Attack

When you take care of your plant you can use a Q-tip immersed in alcohol. Because It is vulnerable to pests. Like Mealybugs, scale, and aphids can be harmful.

Some people overwater their plant it Causes root rot as well as fungal problems. Check the soil so that water can’t make the pool. Using well drainage soil and a proper pot is a solution for this. 

In boosting up the Humidity you mist the leaves sometimes. Science misting may inspire fungal and Bacterial Infection. You can use other ways to increase Humidity.

FAQs

Why do Crispy wave fern’s leaves turning brown?

When they are in lower humidity the leaves turn brown. In higher humidity, you don’t have to face this situation. Sometimes when your plant doesn’t get enough water. you will find brown leaves.
In winter you should be more careful about it. In the Dry season use humidifier mist/ spray your plant. As they have root rot, fungal or bacterial problems misting and overwatering must be avoided. You could choose another option.

Is crispy Wave Fern toxic to cats?

Your crispy wave plants are not toxic. It is on the non-toxic list. You can set your fern anywhere. It will make your house/ office beautiful. Also, give a fresh look obviously.
It is not harmful to your cat or dog. It is a cat-safe plant.

Does Crispy Wave Fern purify the air? 

They are air purifier plants confirmed by NASA in their study. Crispy wave plants filter the harmful particles. When it grows properly its purifying properties will increase.
Its surface can produce more oxygen. In your room, you will get a good environment if you have a bird’s nest fern.

Should I cut the dead leaves off my Crispy Wave Fern?

When you find the brown or dead leaves you gently trim off the leaves. Wait for that when the ground is totally brown or dead.
You can trim it from the base. It will be helpful. Use a sharp knife or scissors. As that your crispy will free up.

Final Thoughts

As there I want to give you a total care guide about the crispy wave plant. What they need or don’t need.

Hope this will give you a clear idea about their care. Now you can take good care of your new Crispy wave plant. You will find this lovable plant in almost every garden store.