I Have An Asparagus Fern Plant. I Wanted To Get…
Gail Asked
I have an asparagus fern plant. I wanted to get the dead parts outso I removed it from the pot and started separating the dead roots. I found grape-like pods and put them in water; was this the right thing to do?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Gail in Pennsylvania: There are a few different ferns commonly known as the asparagus fern, the most well known being the Asparagus densiflorus. This fern is actually a relative of the asparagus vegetable, hence its name. It is good that you divided the dead foliage from the healthy foliage. This will not only make your plant more aesthetically pleasing but it will also invigorate your fern to put on new growth. The grape-like pods you mentioned are tubers that are usually green in color and found a few inches below the soil line. They store nutrients as well as moisture for the fern and are released when needed. Underground rhizomes and tubers also serve as propagation organs by professional growers. They can be cut into pieces and planted to produce offspring. It is best to plant them directly in soil as they will probably rot if put in water for any extended amount of time.
