How to Grow a Rabbit's Foot Fern - Care Tips

Rabbit’s Foot Fern

Davillia fejeensis

Hare's Foot Fern Ferns

Rabbit’s Foot Fern, originally from Fiji, is a lovely compact plant that never makes a mess like other ferns. It has thin lacy medium green fronds that have an almost bluish tinge. As a Rabbit’s Foot Fern matures it develops furry creeping rhizomes (fleshy roots) that grow on the surface of the soil and cling to the edges of the pot. These rhizomes are covered in brown hairy looking scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew.s that make them look like the feet of a Rabbit. This upright airy fern, about 16”-18” tall and 18”-20” wide makes a unique and beautiful houseplant.

Light

A Rabbit’s Foot Fern does well in the medium light provided by a north or east- facing window. Avoid south & west facing windows because the intense sun will burn the fronds and the heat will cause the soil to dry out too quickly.

Water

This particular fern likes to be a little drier than most other indoor ferns. Allow the top 25% of the soil to dry out before watering.

Fertilizer

Fertilize every 2 weeks in the spring, summer & fall with a basic houseplant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. If the plant is not producing new fronds, do not feed it. Too much fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small. burns the edges of the fronds.

Temperature

Temperatures should be between 65°-75°F (18.3°-23.9°C) during the day and 10° cooler at night.

Humidity

A Rabbit’s Foot Fern likes 40-50% humidity.

Pests

Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants. and scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew. can be a problem. If the infestation is very bad, cut off the entire frond. Do not use commercial pesticides; they will damage the fronds. Use a Qtip dipped in alcohol to remove any bugs.

Diseases

A Rabbit’s Foot Fern is usually disease resistant.

Soil

Use a soil that is 50% peat moss and 50% chopped bark.

Pot Size

Rabbit’s Foot Ferns have very shallow root systems so always plant them in a shallow pot. Repot every few years only when the plant fills the entire pot.

Pruning

Pruning is never necessary.

Propagation

Propagate by plant divisionLearn how to propagate plants by plant division at https://www.houseplant411.com/glossary. Carefully divide the plant rhizomes (fleshy roots); be sure that there is a piece of stem attached to each section.

Resting Period

Allow a Rabbit's Foot fern to rest during the winter in an area that has a little less light and where the temperature is around 55°F (12.8°C).

Poisonous Plant Info

A Rabbit’s Foot Fern is a non- poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets. houseplant.

I know a Rabbit’s Foot Fern likes humidity. We live in Arizona where it’s pretty dry. Should I mist it every day?

I am not a big advocate of misting plants. I don’t think it does much good and water on the leaves of a plant encourages fungal and bacterial infections. You can increase the humidity by putting a small humidifier near the fern, grouping plants together, or setting your Rabbit’s Foot on a tray of wet gravel. Be sure your plant is sitting on the stones and not in the water.

There are these brown spots on the undersides of the fronds of my Rabbit’s Foot fern. Is that scale?

Brown spots on the back side of fern fronds (leaves) are usually spores not scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew.. Spores are similar to seeds in other plants and are the way Rabbit's Foot ferns propagate in nature.

The fronds of my Rabbit’s Foot Fern have the little white sticky stuff on them. Is it some kind of bug or a disease?

It sounds like your fern has Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants.. A Rabbit’s Foot doesn’t like to be sprayed with any kind of pesticide. Carefully wipe the sticky stuff off with a Qtip dipped in alcohol. Try to locate the tiny white oval Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants. that are leaving the white stuff on your plant and remove them in the same manner. If the infestation in really bad, cut off the entire frond.

Could you tell me why the edges of the fronds of my Rabbit’s Foot fern have brown on them?

There are a couple of reasons why the fronds could be turning brown. Too much fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small. causes salts to build up in the soil: these salts can burn the leaves. Direct sun will also burn the leaves.