Cretan brake

Cretan brake: how do you recognise it?

Growth habit

Evergreen fern forming a clump of arching fronds, about 50 cm tall and wide.

Fronds

Feathery, 30–50 cm, with 3–7 narrow, long, light green leaflets. The fertile fronds are taller and have narrower leaflets.

Stalks

Thin, wiry and straw-yellow to light brown.

Spores

No flowers: the spores are borne in a line along the edge, under the rolled-back margin of the narrow leaflets.

Roots

Short, creeping rhizome with fine roots: a wide, shallow pot is enough.

Plants: March–April · Pruning: March–April

Why grow it?

• Fresh, fine foliage that gives a room a green, airy look.
• One of the easiest ferns: it grows fairly fast and tolerates a slightly darker spot.
• Variegated cultivars with a white central stripe or a crested frond tip.
• Compact (about 50 cm): lovely in a pot, on a plant stand or in a bowl.
• Evergreen and easy to rejuvenate by cutting back.

Cretan brake: where does it grow best?

• Bright light to light shade without direct sun: near an east- or north-facing window or some distance from a south-facing one. Variegated cultivars need slightly more light.
• Airy, humus-rich potting compost with a fifth of perlite; acid to neutral, free-draining but moisture-retentive.
• Moderate to warm: 15–22 °C and never below 10 °C.
• A humidity of 50 % or more is ideal. Keep it away from radiators and draughts.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun or low light

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately or generously

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 10 °C

Goes well with

• Button fern (Pellaea): Another fern with very different foliage, in the same light shade.
• Calathea: A striking leaf pattern next to the fine, light green fern fronds.
• Philodendron: Large, glossy leaves as a contrast to the airy fronds.
• Peperomia: A compact foliage plant for the same bright spot.

Cretan brake: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, about every year or every 2 years as soon as the roots fill the pot.
2. Choose a wide, shallow pot with drainage holes, one size larger than the last.
3. Use humus-rich potting compost with a fifth of perlite for an airy, moisture-retentive mix.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before, fill in and firm gently. Do not bury the crown.
5. Water generously, let excess water drain away and then keep the compost evenly moist.

Care

Water

Keep the compost evenly moist: never wet and never completely dry. The top 1 cm may just dry out. In summer usually 1–2 times a week, in winter a little less. Preferably use rainwater or low-lime water.

Feeding

From March to September every 4 weeks, half a dose of liquid houseplant feed. Not in winter.

Humidity

It tolerates normal room air, but at 50 % or more the fronds stay fresher. A tray of damp clay pebbles or an occasional mist helps.

Light

Preferably without sun, but not too dark. Variegated cultivars colour better in bright light.

Tidying

Cut withered fronds off at the base to keep the plant looking fresh.

Tip: An easy fern for a bright or slightly darker room. Keep the compost evenly moist and cut withered fronds off at the base; a scruffy plant can be cut right back in spring.

Cretan brake: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April.

When: In March–April, before new growth starts. Cut withered fronds off all year round.

How:

• Cut withered, brown or yellow fronds off at the base with clean scissors.
• A scruffy or bare plant can be cut back in spring to 2–3 cm above the ground: it regrows from the rhizome.
• Use clean scissors so that you do not pass on diseases.

Caution: Only cut a plant right back if it is healthy, and not in the dark winter months. Give it light and even moisture afterwards.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April when repotting: pull or cut the clump apart into pieces with at least 2–3 fronds and some roots. Pot each piece separately in moist potting compost and keep it sheltered and moist for a few weeks.

Spores

Possible but slow: sprinkle spores on moist, sterile compost under glass or plastic at 20–22 °C and in the light. It takes months before little plants appear. Sometimes spores also germinate by themselves in damp pots.

Cretan brake: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy: the minimum temperature is 10 °C. It overwinters indoors.
• Keep it bright, at 12–18 °C. Slightly cooler is no problem, but below 10 °C the fronds start to discolour.
• Water slightly less, but never let the rootball dry out. Do not feed from October to February inclusive.
• Do not put it above a radiator: dry heated air makes the frond edges turn brown.

Diseases and pests

• Brown, withered fronds or tips: Dry compost, dry air or draughts. Water evenly, raise the humidity and cut withered fronds off at the base.
• Yellow fronds: Too wet, too dark or salt build-up. Let the top layer dry out, flush the compost through and move it somewhere brighter.
• Scale insects and mealybugs: Brown shields or white fluffy patches on the stalks and under the fronds. Wipe them off with a cotton bud dipped in soapy water and repeat weekly; ferns are sensitive to many sprays.
• Fungus gnats: Small black flies when the compost is too wet. Let the top layer dry out and hang up yellow sticky traps.

Through the year

• January: Rest: bright and 12–18 °C, a little less water.
• February: Rest. Keep an eye on dry air from heating.
• March: Cut back and repot or divide.
• April: Repotting or dividing still possible. Start feeding (half dose).
• May: Growth: keep the compost evenly moist.
• June: Growth. Feed every 4 weeks.
• July: Growth. Watch for drying out in hot weather.
• August: Growth. Feed every 4 weeks.
• September: Last feed. Check for pests.
• October: Water less. Stop feeding.
• November: Rest: bright and cool.
• December: Rest. Keep away from radiators.

Did you know?

• The name Pteris comes from the Greek pteris, ‘fern’, which is related to pteron, ‘feather’ or ‘wing’, after the feather-like fronds.
• Despite its name it does not occur only on Crete: Pteris cretica grows in warm regions of Europe, Asia and Africa.
• In the wild it often grows in damp, shaded rock crevices and on old walls.