Plant Care Rabbit's Foot Fern

Rabbit's Foot Fern

4.1 out of 5 (28 experiences)

Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily
Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Survivor plant personality Survivor

About Rabbit's Foot Fern

Rabbit's Foot Fern is a super popular houseplant 🌿 that is isn’t challenging to grow and needs regular watering to thrive. They do best in abundant sunlight ☀ and should be less than 3 feet from a window.

Plant parents describe this plant as browning easily and being a survivor with a whopping 3232 being grown with Greg around the world. Check out the reviews below for more details!🌟

Rabbit's Foot Fern likes soil that is good at retaining moisture. Your plant shouldn't need added fertilizers if you repot each time it doubles in size.

Taxonomy

Davallia solida var. fejeensis
Davallia
Davalliaceae
Polypodiales

Also known as

Tarantula Fern

How to care for Rabbit's Foot Fern

💦 Water

How often to water your Rabbit's Foot Fern

Water needs for Rabbit's Foot Fern
0.5 cups
every 9

Rabbit's Foot Fern needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 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.

Calculate water needs of Rabbit's Foot Fern

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Rabbit's Foot Fern in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Rabbit's Foot Fern: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Rabbit's Foot Fern may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, 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 Rabbit's Foot Fern in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Rabbit's Foot Fern

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Rabbit's Foot Fern: repot after 2X growth

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 Rabbit's Foot Fern after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #RabbitFootFern
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Rabbit's Foot Fern is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!


💦 Water Needs

Rabbit's Foot Fern prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Rabbit's Foot Fern may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Rabbit's Foot Fern is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.


💨 Humidity

Rabbit's Foot Fern enjoys lots of humidity. Provide humidity for your plant by watering regularly and thoroughly, since plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves. They may also benefit from being placed next to a humidifier.


🪴 Soil

Rabbit's Foot Fern is very sensitive to dry soil, so choose a potting soil that retains moisture. A good soil will still drain well and contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir or sphagnum moss.


💩 Fertilizer

Rabbit's Foot Fern should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!


❄️ Dormancy

It’s common for Rabbit's Foot Fern to go dormant in the wintertime and you may notice their growth slow down. Waterings should be spaced out more during this time.


🌎 Native Region

Rabbit's Foot Fern is native to Tropical and Subtropical Australia, Asia, and Africa.


🌸 Flowers

Rabbit's Foot Fern does not flower.


⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Rabbit's Foot Fern is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.


🌦️ Growing Outdoors

USDA Hardiness Zone
Rabbit's Foot Fern can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 10a-12b. Find your local hardiness zone here.


🌱 Propagation

Rabbit's Foot Fern can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Rabbit's Foot Fern, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Rabbit's Foot Fern

Rabbit's Foot Fern

Rabbit's Foot Fern


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft 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.

What other plant parents say

Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 15
Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 12
Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 10
Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 4
Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 2
Rabbit's Foot Fern has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 1
@wormieteeth avatar
@@wormieteeth
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 78 XP
11/14/2021

Roots need to be free to grow/hang out of pot + frequent misting

Survivor Survivor
Arianna avatar
@Arianna
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 1,525 XP
globe Bukit Panjang, Singapore
11/01/2021

This plant is somehow still around even though it was neglected many times so it’s a trooper! This guy browns pretty easily in direct sunlight though. But otherwise it seems to keep growing new leaves

Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
Abby avatar
@Abby
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 79 XP
globe Pataskala, OH
10/11/2021

Very easy care

@IsabellaMadden22 avatar
@@IsabellaMadden22
leaf-1 30 Plants
xp 664 XP
09/12/2021

One of my favourite plants in my collection. Has never let me down. I like to keep his soil moist and mist occasionally. Likes a cool, dark corner of my room in summer. In winter, I keep him in a brighter spot. Grows so quickly in summer. I’m very proud of him.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
@Sassypinata avatar
@@Sassypinata
leaf-1 14 Plants
xp 323 XP
06/24/2021

I want to say that this pony does well in moderate climate. Definitely not doing well in Central Valley heat where the temps get up to 110 for a good 6 months out of the year. As in constant from day to night (night gets to 90s) . The little leaves got really dry even though I most every day. I think this plant would thrive in Northern California and southern a California weather.

Browns easily Browns easily
@theshortloudone avatar
@@theshortloudone
leaf-1 15 Plants
xp 284 XP
06/09/2021

They like higher humidity like most ferns but unlike most ferns I have YET to kill it and in fact it has been very happy!!!

Survivor Survivor
Pauline avatar
@Pauline
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 76 XP
globe DSL de Drummond, Nouveau-Brunswick
06/07/2021

Love the leaves and root system

@babydarko avatar
@@babydarko
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 178 XP
05/20/2021

my rabbits foot fern is beautiful, but a little finicky about the soil and watering times imo. she's still a really great simple plant!

@deathbycinnamon avatar
@@deathbycinnamon
leaf-1 17 Plants
xp 773 XP
globe Winnipeg, Manitoba
05/15/2021

cutest plant i own, love her so much browns if too much sunlight!!

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@deathbycinnamon avatar
@@deathbycinnamon
leaf-1 17 Plants
xp 773 XP
globe Winnipeg, Manitoba
05/15/2021

one of the cutest plants i own! easy to manage but will brown in too much sunlight!

Browns easily Browns easily
Survivor Survivor
@christian avatar
@@christian
leaf-1 32 Plants
xp 1,086 XP
globe Kent, OH
03/30/2021

I freaking love this plant. I can just look at it and pop a smirk when I’m feeling down. It do be looking like it’s sprouting tarantula legs from the soil (do not recommend for arachnophobes, much like myself) but he fr just vibin.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Fast grower Fast grower

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