Male-Fern
About Male-Fern
Male-Fern is a popular houseplant 🌿 that is easy to grow and needs very little water to thrive. They do best in long-lasting, direct light ☀️ and should be less than 1 foot from a window.
Male-Fern likes soil that is well draining. Your plant shouldn't need added fertilizers if you repot each time it doubles in size.
Male-Fern belongs to the Dryopteris genus, and is native to the Temperate Northern Hemisphere.
⚠️ Male-Fern is extremely dangerous if consumed. If you, a family member, or a pet has ingested any amount of plant material contact Poison Control, US (800) 222-1222, or your veterinarian immediately. These plants are not recommended for homes with children, cats, or dogs.
Taxonomy
Dryopteris filix-mas
Dryopteris
Dryopteridaceae
Polypodiales
Also known as
Male fern and Worm fern
How to care for Male-Fern
How often to water your Male-Fern
every 12
Male-Fern needs 0.5 cups of water every 12 when it doesn’t 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
12
Finding light for Male-Fern in your home
a window
Male-Fern love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.
Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Male-Fern does not tolerate low-light 🚫.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Male-Fern in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Male-Fern
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 it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Male-Fern after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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What color are autumn fern root’s supposed to be? I’m repotting my autumn fern right now and I’m noticing the roots are really really dark brown almost black. But there isn’t any fowl odor or mushiness about them so I don’t believe it’s rot. I can’t seem to find any reference to what autumn fern roots should look. Any help would be greatly appreciated! #AutumnFern
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Sometimes plants are so funny! Earlier today I noticed that my autumn ferns fiddlehead (which I’ve been tracking it’s growth) had flopped over and was wilted. Obviously I was devastated and sadly I watered my fern just in case and left it alone. A few hours later: the fiddlehead is back to normal and completely fine???? I love plants lol
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Autumn fern fiddlehead growth progress between within three days!!! #Fern #Growth
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My autumn fern is sprouting a new frond! I was checking up on it and I noticed this fiddlehead, I’m suuuuppperrrr excited!!!
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Why is my autumn fern pale? Does anyone know why some of the fronds on my autumn fern became pale? I’ve had it since August and haven’t repotted it. I think it caught a chill when I had it close to a window at the beginning of winter. I snipped off other pale, shrivelled fronds around Christmas, so I’m worried that it’s dying slowly. Thanks for the help! #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #NewGrowth
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Do I still water when dormant this winter? #MaleFern I didn’t make the best choice when I brought this inside after summer. It has gone dormant and everything has fallen off. I did not put it in any direct sunlight. I’m hoping it will come back in the spring when I put it outside. Anyone else do this?
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Why is my fern not happy ? Recently my fern has started getting curled up leaves it seems like they dried even though I have watered it. I had it in a self watering pot and though maybe it wasn’t drying out quick enough and it was maybe a result of overwatering, so I repotted it and hadn’t watered until today, because it just seems like it’s getting worse not better. It had been doing great in this pot, it was a bit rootbound, but other than that it’s done fine. I have it in a northwest window. I moved it to a more sunny spot because I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong. Does anyone know what could be the cause ? #FernFriends #AutumnFern #helpneeded #Question #PlantAddict
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Happy Monday. Hope everyone had a good weekend! 🌿 Wanted to share the new leaves on my Autumn Fern, there was atleast 6 new leaves when I checked today, I recently repotted into a pot with another chamber that allows the pot to absorb the water gradually, the fern seems to be adjusting well and responding well to the moisture. #HappyPlants #NewGrowth #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantLove #FernFriends #Fern #AutumnFern #PlantAddict #PlantTherapy #repot
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Hey! My #AutumnFern and it’s #leaves are looking great except one. Why? Its stem was bent for a few days (weeks?) until we taped it in place. Does it have anything to do with that? I’m also misting that leaf whenever I mist the whole fern. The other #Leaf with a bent stem is looking fine, so I seriously don’t know what’s going on. #fern #PlantAddict
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Can anyone help me with my fern? It didn't look like this when I first got it, but after climbing out of a mental rut a few weeks ago, I want to do what I can to revive it. Does anyone have any tips?
Care Summary for Male-Fern
Male-Fern
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 12 days
Placement
< 1ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.