Blue Star Fern Care Guide & Species Spotlight - Phlebodium Aureum

Blue Star Fern Care Guide & Species Spotlight - Phlebodium Aureum
Grab Your Own Blue Star Fern Here: geni.us/BlueStarFern
Fun Fact: The Victorians were the first to introduce the keeping of exotic plants to the masses, before then it was only a luxury of the very rich. Some of the first inside plants that were kept were palms and ferns so these guys were where the houseplant craze really took off back in Victorian England.
Light: As it’s a member of the fern family Lower indirect light preferred, will also tolerate less so if you have a darker part of your house this is a good plant to brighten it up.
Watering: Fern so More than your average houseplant, moist at all times,
Temp: Can tolerate short periods of lower temperature but like most houseplants, 15c or 60f is as low as they can tolerate long term so avoid unheated conservatories or porches over winter.
Humidity: Prefer higher humidity so regular misting or gravel humidity trays will help with this.
Feeding: Regular feeding isn’t really necessary with these plants as they take in nutrients from the air via the rhizomes but if you do a weak solution in spring would be sufficient.
The blue star fern is an epiphyte so it grows on other plants mainly trees in semi-tropical forests.
It has these cool creeping rhizomes which need to be on the surface so don’t bury them if you re-pot it, they aren’t roots, they take in light, moisture and nutrients through these spider-like rhizomes. Very cool.
Normal potting mix isn’t ideal for these as they are epiphytic they would prefer something more open like a small particle bark compost like orchids use, they are also epiphytes.

[@soniaconceicao1895]

I wanted to buy the baby version of this one for so long! I kept avoiding it because I always felt like it's so expensive. But today I went to a supermarket and found one of these (the last one) hidden in a dark shelf pushed all the way to the back. I took it out and it was giant and absolutely gorgeous! Looked at the price, only 13,00e. At least 6 euros cheaper then the ones I've encountered before and in perfect condition. Took it with me immediately. Went to pay, turns out it was even cheaper. Only 11euros. It was practically given for free. I'm so happy. It's quite gorgeous. One of my favourites plants. Just hope I don't kill it!

[@PeachTabby]

I just got one for $7USD in the Clearance section of Lowe's a few days ago. It's small and scraggly, but I'm so excited to see it get this large < 3

[@liliansgaardwogensen481]

lovely plant - I would have loved to see the whole plant "in person"

[@kimtraaan]

Your voice is so soothing to listen to. ☺️ thank you for the detailed information on the blue star!!

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thank you Kim! You made my day! Glad it was helpful! :-)

[@mishuchyba6027]

finally a substantive video about phlebodium. I could not find any on more popular channels

[@HouseplantHacks]

I'm very pleased you found it helpful, thanks for watching.

[@sydneyadie]

Stumbled across one of these at the nursery the other day, had never heard of them, it really caught my eye and was the last one left I simply had to have it. Gorgeous specimen.

[@kimmyymmik]

I just bought one on clearance from lowes but it’s in really bad condition, I hope I can bring it back to full life!

[@CSG22556]

One of just a few videos on the Blue Star…thank you!

[@tamekahill2826]

Lol I totally agree with you running out of space.We still buy them can't wait to see the project.Happy growing and stay safe.

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thank you! You too!

[@lindasueplantsforyou263]

Love the peaceful video. Too much noise in the world. And great Blue Star. I hope mine looks like yours some day

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thank you, I hope so too!

[@banderaitaly]

amazing tips! Thank you well done 👍🏼

[@HouseplantHacks]

You're welcome! Thanks for your kind comment! :-)

[@daniellecarvalho9683]

This is super helpful, thank you so much!

[@HouseplantHacks]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@mayarada2059]

Wow , absolutely huge and beautiful blue star Fern , my 2years old blue star fern still small ,

[@glendawajlis5286]

Awesome just got one today rock bottom price it's as huge as one in video thanks for care tips 😀 👍

[@RockyJeanette]

Great videos and good luck! I have a blue star also! It is gorgeous and massive, with even larger fronds than the one in this video… I believe due mostly to a well-timed repotting and a few other factors which I wanted to note for anyone who might be struggling with theirs: call me crazy, but try more light! When I first brought this baby home it struggled - so I went back to the nursery (I guess it doesn’t hurt that I bought it at a professional nursery and not a hardware store, my hardware store plants never live!) and asked the owner his opinion and showed him pictures of where I kept it in the house. He said “oh no, that needs much more light“ I was surprised to hear that but I did what he said, and ever since I put it in a West facing window it has thrived! Also due to the fact that it is above my kitchen sink and probably gets a fantastic amount of humidity all day as I use very hot water and there’s a lot of steam with washing dishes, and the like. I wanted to ask though: the fronds on mine are much curlier looking, the edges are much wavier than most of the ones I see on the Internet. Any thoughts there?

[@EmilyWaite]

Yes! My fronds are much more curly than I see online, for a while I thought I was googling the wrong plant!

[@mairwaugus5203]

Very pretty plant 😃

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thanks so much 😊

[@jackzhang9460]

Amazing video!!! Thank you

[@HouseplantHacks]

Glad you liked it! :-)

[@crystallclearr15]

Great video :)

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. :-)

[@psychedelicfeline6164]

"Powdery patina" ...such a lovely way to describe them. : ) very happy to subscribe.

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thank you! 🙏 very happy to have you as a subscriber. ☺️

[@ikillprettythingz7947]

Great video and tips. I don't live near any cool plant shops except the normal garden centers. Would love to run into this plant. It's so neat and lush looking. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thank you for watching! It can be like a treasure hunt looking around a good garden center, I will be going to some more near me and will bring you guys along so stay tuned for some more.

[@ikillprettythingz7947]

@@HouseplantHacks Looking forward to the tour 😊 Yes please bring us along 🌿

[@meryampicon586]

Desde Mallorca, muy agradecida por sus consejos. Me serán muy útiles en el cuidado de mi Phlebodium blue star, que acabo de traer a casa, tras un "coup de foudre" muy similar al suyo.

[@QualityLindsey]

Thank you so much for this brilliant video - I bought a small Blue Star Fern today (for £2.99 - bargain!) It's a new variety for me so I was looking for a few tips on care and you've done the job perfectly, thank you again and you have a new subscriber - happy growing! 🪴🪴🪴

[@AndyoLawrence]

Thank you Lindsey! So nice of you to say, I’m glad it was helpful, I do love the blue star fern, such a beautiful plant.

[@ShaloMEibbotson]

Me too. I bought one on Monday for £2.99 from Lidl. I came here for tips so I can look after it properly.

[@AndyoLawrence]

@@ShaloMEibbotson That’s a great price, 👍 Enjoy it!

[@TheMobilefun]

Thanks for the tips. By the way I have 1 blue star fern left in the garage by accident (when we moved house) for 2 moths from middle of January to March still fine 😍 we live in NW London

[@HouseplantHacks]

Wow! That was lucky! The cold must have made it semi dormant!

[@Reenomeano]

I just got one of these. Love it! And same I don't really have room but got one anyway haha 😂

[@HouseplantHacks]

I know right! To see one is to instantly love it! :-)

[@Kira-kg4kl]

More plants than I have house...... relatable 🤣🤣 I got one of these from the range for pretty cheap and it's huge, I put it in a bioactive terrarium and it didnt adjust very well, it's coming back strong now however thank god, I've obviously had to dapple the lighting as I think I kind of shocked it :S Thank for the info 🙏 it seems to love the humidity in there

[@HouseplantHacks]

Yes, they love the humidity and regular watering I've found, they really don't like to dry out.

[@faridaida8064]

Nice

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thanks!

[@montgomeryclift4520]

Thank you for all this information, I really like this plant and I want it to be as good as possible;) greetings from Poland :)

[@HouseplantHacks]

You can do it! Best of luck.

[@sueford2795]

I just bought a massive one in tesco, only one there .its just like the one in the video. Great advice here so I got to decide bathroom or kitchen. 🙂

[@HouseplantHacks]

Good choice! Enjoy!

[@lornamacsween4273]

I've just watered as you suggested. Let's hope it hasn't completely given up on me 🤞 Thanks for the reply

[@HouseplantHacks]

They can often come back with new shoots once they get the right watering. 🤞

[@amandad6782]

I just bought a blue star fern today. I've been wanting one. Same, no room for it.

[@HouseplantHacks]

:-) It's hard to refuse sometimes! They are such amazing looking plants.

[@beverleywheeler]

I feel ya brother. I have a small one bedroom apartment and about seventy plants. People say it's like a nursery or jungle but I love it and find it very relaxing. I also have a blue fern and it does have drainage holes but it's not really growing and I find that the top of each leaf is drying up. Any tips on what I should do, I'd appreciate that very much and of course I love watching your videos Have a blessed day!!

[@HouseplantHacks]

Your apartment sounds like heaven! I think the BlueStart Frn needs good drainage in the soil, from my imited experience it seems like they come with quite compact soil and they can benefit from loose more free draining soil like an corchid bark mix sothing that will drain well. Generally they need more water than you think. Good luck, Andy

[@Matt-dr5et]

Thanks So much about a tip with rain water

[@HouseplantHacks]

No worries!

[@badabumbum1]

Hi there - thanks for the video. I as well just bought one in my local garden center. Any idea about propagating? I read, its possible to seperate the rhizomes. But how? just by garden scissors? As for the potting mix - right now, I obviously dont need to repott it. so you are talking of soil an bark much?

[@HouseplantHacks]

Yes, propagate by division, just carefully prise it apart with your hands or garden scissors is also fine, as long as each part has a good amount of roots and rhyzome then it sould be fine. Free draining soil and barck mulch would be perfect. Andy

[@suginami123]

I’ve been growing one for 6 months. It was tiny but now it has long fronds 8 or 10 inches the part near the window has long fronds and the inner side stands up. I’m in Tokyo. Long hot summer. Cold dry winter

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thanks for sharing.

[@melanieevans1574]

I have one - it's just beautiful and at the moment half the size of yours. But I am stuck on knowing when to repot. Could you tell me if they like to be root bound or do they like a bit of room?

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thats a good question, as it's an epiphyte it will last in a pot longer than most, as it takes most of it's nutriants through the ryzomes on the surface, certainly wait until late spring to ensure it it growing strongly but still has plenty of the season to recover. If you feel like you are watering more often as in every few days it might be time to repot, maybe try and slip off the pot if you can easily and carefully inspect the roots. if it looks ok you can put it back in. There is no hard and fast rule really. Good luck.

[@melanieevans1574]

@@HouseplantHacks - ahh that's very helpful. Thanks. I hope one day you will do a little clip on plants that like to be root bound and not root bound. I've got some nice plants and I'm doing very well with them but this bit always puzzles me because I can never find that particular information

[@jamesoxford9220]

My grandmother has had a very big one since I was a child .... she gave me a rhizome with leaves. Do you think that if I plant it, it will grow?

[@Kira-kg4kl]

It will definitely grow, just pop it in a shaded area outside if you are in a warmer country, and in a bright room inside with no direct light if your in a colder country ^_^ it should get as big as your grandmother's in time

[@ivanfelipegh]

🤍 channel.

[@lornamacsween4273]

My blue star fern has gone almost bald! Lost so many leaves. It was quite healthy when I got it but been struggling since. Even bought a water meter to make sure I was watering it correctly. There are a couple of teeny shoots unfurling but I an worried about it. Do they die off like garden ferns then come back up?

[@HouseplantHacks]

It's generally due to lack of water, they have a very dense rootball so just a bit in the top of the pot is not sufficient to keep all the roots hydrated so water plenty from the top then have it sit in water and it can take some up from below too, this will make a big difference.

[@DSMSDigitalMedia]

My blue star fern is way smaller. Is yours large because it has a large rhizome? Thank you.

[@HouseplantHacks]

I think the Rhizome grows with the plants so a bigger plant will have bigger rhizome. In time yours will grow nice and big I'm sure, give it a repot once it gets too cramped and I'm sure it will get there. :-)

[@MaikaRose]

So I just got mine about two weeks ago and it's started losing leaves and just looking weird. It is growing new leaves, but I was just a bit concerned. I have it in my bathroom and misted it thoroughly yesterday evening (which made the pretty blue leaves turn green). So my guess is that it is just adjusting to my environment, seeing as I can't see any bugs on it or scale. However, that was also my assumption with my rabbits foot fern and that ended up having scale (it's far enough away), so I'm treating that with neem and wiping off the scale I can with alcohol. That one is recovering now, but I just don't want the same to happen to this one 😭 I swear I'm so good with plants, but ferns stump me every time. Slowly getting there.

[@HouseplantHacks]

I know what you mean, ferns can be tricky especially Rabbits foot fern as they often need higher humidity levels than most. I think you are right that it’s probably just adjusting to its new environment, loosing a few leaves is normal at this stage, if new ones are coming through then I would just give it time and see how it’s goes over the next week or so.

[@MaikaRose]

@@HouseplantHacks thanks :)

[@Kira-kg4kl]

Mine did the exact same when it was adjusting, if its regrowing you'll be fine, mine dropped all its leaves accept 2 :S

[@MaikaRose]

@@Kira-kg4kl unfortunately, that one did end up dying. Fun fact, don't use neem oil on plants with that blueish hue. They don't like it ^^ I rescued another one and that one lost a load of leaves too, but it's slowly regrowing. What does happen often, though, is that the growing leaves turn brown at the top and die before they even fully unfurl. some make it, some don't.

[@tannerrichert6550]

I’ve had mine for about a month now, in the corner of my room, getting indirect light for about 4-6 hours a day. It’s been losing leaves rapidly and I’m starting to get concerned for it, being that I haven’t seen any new growth in the month that I’ve had it. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[@sunshinecarnivores1919]

If I threw caution to the wind I would have the same problems.

[@marco.a13]

I got one but the new leaves don't develop... the sprouts seem weak and they don't get to grow. Idk what to do

[@HouseplantHacks]

Maybe needs more water, they can dry out quite quickly.

[@Desmond000007]

I didnt quite get the humidity thing..You put water in a tray with gravel?

[@HouseplantHacks]

Yes, the gravel raises the bottom of the plant away from the water, the idea is not to water the plant with this tray but to leave a small layer of water to slowly evaporate, this will slightly elevate the amount of humidity around the area of the houseplant. This does a similar thing to misting but would last for a longer time as mist can evaporate within less than 15 minutes sometimes and then won't be contributing anything else after that. A tray of water may take a few days to evaporate when you can then top it up again to provide a constant amount of humidity for your plant. The levels will be low but my experiments show it adds a few percent increase to the humidity levels.

[@Desmond000007]

@@HouseplantHacks Thank you for taking the time to reply

[@achnix3167]

Mine has a lot of dried leaf tips and isnt really growing. Looks a bit sad

[@HouseplantHacks]

This is most likely because it has become too dry at some point, these ferns cannot withstand any period of drought so the soil and rhizomes need to be kept most, let the top of the soil dry a little then water again, they also appreciate higher humidity levels so a gravel tray that you can out water in will help raise the humidity levels around the plant. Also make sure it is not kept in direct sun, this will also scorch the leaves. If you bring back the water levels and humidity it will grow new healthy leaves so all is not lost.

[@achnix3167]

@@HouseplantHacks felt like i was trying all that to begin with 🤕🤣... maybe the gravel tray will do the trick because spritzing every other day didnt. I was wondering if those rhizomes are fine being pretty exposed on top of the soil rather than covered?

[@HouseplantHacks]

@@achnix3167 Misting only works for a few hours and then it's gone, humidity trays will last as long as the gravel is wet so will be more effective. The rhizomes are supposed to on the top of the soil, don't cover them, they take in moisture through them, light and nutrients so they are fine to be on the top, you can water them when you water the plant. I'm sure it will come back fine, they are a little picky and the odd leaf going brown from time to time can be expected, if you cut it off a new one should grow in its place.

[@achnix3167]

@@HouseplantHacks thanks!

[@mairwaugus5203]

When in doubt:humidify. I run ultrasonic humidifiers.

[@Chris-nl8lo]

I've got one but the leaves are drying out. No idea why

[@HouseplantHacks]

They do like to stay quite mopist in the soil, so if the pot is drying out between waterings the leaves can turn dry and crispy. Good luck.

[@Chris-nl8lo]

@@HouseplantHacks thanks for getting back to us. I think I have had a break through with it. I've got a feeling I have been over watering it. I've all so put in front of a slight open window. It seem to like the fresh air.

[@under40ty]

Apakah seperti bintang biru tidak...

[@HouseplantHacks]

Thats just the name of the plant dude! :-)

[@sspreadfire]

I just bought one and found to have mites on it, so I spray insecticide soap on it. It lost its blue color !!

[@HouseplantHacks]

Sorry to hear that, hopefull once the pests are dealt with the new leaves that come out will be blue again. Good luck.

[@sspreadfire]

@@HouseplantHacks yeah ..the white dusty powder on the leave is making this plant blue & soap washed it off. Also, 1 % neem oil drench can burn new babies leave on this fern. Luckily I only lost 1 sprout

[@icemancometh8679]

Hey, did you hear about Andy? Oh no, he didn't get the Coco? No, worse, he got bit by the plant bug. Oh no! Yeah now he's got to watch it because there's a lot of plants out there. Yeah and the only way I found to curb my Temptations was to go online and look at a bunch of plants and force myself not to buy anything. Oh man I can't do that! I know right!

[@HouseplantHacks]

It's a fair diagnosis doc, I've got it bad!!

[@TheEnAheL]

Split it into 2-3 & make U´re nighbour HAPPY (they do cean the air) 😉