Expert: C.L. Fornari - 7/9/2011

Question
I just bought this plant for indoor use, small (+/-) 3" pot and upon investigating how to care for it, now find there are male/female plants. How can I tell the difference between the two> I can't find that answer in all the places I've looked thus-far. I'd really like to know since they say you need both sexes in order to have the female plant produce the 'berries'.
Any help, including links that have visual aids for help would be most greatly appreciated too; as I'm a semi-newbie to house plant growing. ( I have such a brown-thumb I could kill silk plants!) Thanks ever so much for your time and your knowledge....happy growing =)

Answer
Wallflower,
Usually people don't worry about males and females in regards to houseplants as they seldom cross pollinate in order for the females to produce berries.  I'm guessing that you didn't buy this plant for the berry production but for the foliage, yes? And in that case, you, like most others who grow this indoors, will enjoy the plant no matter what sex it is.

In order to have berries on the female fern you'll need a male and female and the conditions right for pollination and even when pollinated the berries on this plant are dark and not that showy. So why bother?  

The type of asparagus that people grow to eat are more important when it comes to male and female as the male plants produce more shoots since they don't put energy into the seeds. So people planting asparagus beds often look for male plants only.  But for houseplants, it's the foliage that counts not the seeds.  

If I'm missing your reason for wanting berries let me know and I'll try to address your concerns, OK?

all the best,
C.L.