Cretan Brake
3.8 out of 5 (6 experiences)
Large, lush leaves
About Cretan Brake
Cretan Brake is a popular houseplant šæ that is easy to grow and needs regular watering to thrive. They do best in abundant sunlight ā and should be less than 3 feet from a window.
Plant parents describe this plant as having large, lush leaves with a whopping 772 being grown with Greg around the world. Check out the reviews below for more details!š
Cretan Brake likes soil that is good at retaining moisture. Your plant shouldn't need added fertilizers if you repot each time it doubles in size.
Cretan Brake belongs to the Pteris genus, and is native to Tropical and Subtropical Africa.
Taxonomy
Pteris cretica
Pteris
Pteridaceae
Polypodiales
Also known as
Ribbon fern and Cretan brake fern
How to care for Cretan Brake
How often to water your Cretan Brake
every 9
Cretan Brake needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesnāt get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Cretan Brake in your home
a window
Cretan Brake may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves š, without ample sunlight.
Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Cretan Brake in your home š”.
How to fertilize Cretan Brake
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil itās likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Cretan Brake after it doubles in size or once a yearāwhichever comes first.
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Whatās wrong with him? My mum gave me this guy in hopes that I would be able to bring him back to life but he looks worse than before and I donāt know whatās wrong with him Heās always crispy, even after watering, and heās just getting more brown I donāt want to kill this one š #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #NewPlantMom
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Her leaves are curling and turning brown?! Am I under watering her?! Is she sick? Iāve switched to distilled water to see if that helps #CretanBrake
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My plant seems to be curling up and browning at the edgesā¦anyone know why? i recently had an issue with aphids so i took him out of the pot anf washed everything+treated the soil+checked for root rot etc. but now heās browning and curling up his leaves at the edges. anyone got an idea why? i tried cutting it back but it doesnāt seem to be working. #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #sickplants
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What's up with my fern? I think these brown patches might be from accidentally watering with the wrong watering can which had diluted seasol in it. Can anyone confirm? There are no pests to be seen and I have not moved from the position its always been happy in. It's not in direct sun but gets plenty of light, no breeze or air conditioned air. Should I leave it be or trim the worst ones off?
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The leaves keep growing and then shriveling up and falling off. I tried near window far from window with indirect light.. havenāt figured out how to make this flourish yet. Any suggestions? #CretanBrake
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Whatās up with Cretan? I thought it was scale, but Iāve been using neem oil for two months now and it seems like itās getting worse. Iāve been watering it extra recently because the leaves are still quite crispy, but perhaps thatās why? Thoughts? #helpneeded #CretanBrake #FernFriends
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My Cretan Brake turned white. Not a speck of green anywhere. Some black on leaves. Anyone know why? #CretanBrake
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Can this plant handle direct sunlight? Currently getting a little grow light action but I want to move her to an east window. 2-4 hours of direct sunlight.. what do you think? #CretanBrake
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Anyone with experience growing ferns by wavy glass block windows? I have a window ledge in my shower begging for plants and I thought ferns would love the humidity. Thoughts? #CretanBrake
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My plant turned very pale this winter and has a few dark dried area on leaves. I cut out the dead and Iāve misted more often. Thoughts? #CretanBrake
Care Summary for Cretan Brake
Cretan Brake
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 3ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4ā pot your plant is in, and that it doesnāt get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Large, lush leaves 1
Fast grower 1
Browns easily 1
Survivor 1
01/27/2022
Keep watered but not too wet or soggy!
Large, lush leaves
10/04/2021
Right now it is too new in my house to describe its progress. But it is very beautiful light and airy and yet very present in the room.
08/27/2021
I struggle with ferns in general, but after killing two of these, Iām gonna say the Cretan brake is the least hardy of all the ferns Iāve had. I do live in a dry climate, but Iāve managed to keep other ferns at least alive with attentive care - not this guy! He is a bone-dry shriveled mess even with constant moist-not-wet soil, lots of misting, and living in the most fern-friendly room in my home.
07/29/2021
so fun
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