Rabbit’s Foot Fern Care: Information On Growing A Rabbit’s Foot Fern Houseplant

A rabbit’s foot fern plant is very sensitive to chemicals. Avoid using leaf shine products and insecticides on the plant. A gentle shower keeps the fronds looking clean and fresh and also removes many of the insects that feed on the foliage. Tobacco smoke, scented candles, and most forms of air pollution also harm the plant.

Davallia solida var. fejeensis

Rabbit’s Foot Fern is an epiphytic fern native to tropical areas. It grows well in containers or hanging baskets. The fuzzy rhizomes creep over the potting medium and spill over the pot developing fronds at intervals.

This fern is more tolerant of low humidity situations than other ferns but benefits from occasional misting. Water enough to keep the soil mixture moist but allow the top 1/2 inch to dry out between waterings. Plant in a peat-based soil mixture and give it good indirect lighting with temperatures above 55 degrees.

To propagate, take rhizome tip cuttings of 2 to 3 inches with one or two fronds still attached. Place cuttings on a potting medium and pin down with a small wire loop. Moisten the potting medium and place the container in a plastic bag in a location with bright light. When you see additional fronds forming yu will know it is well-rooted.

Family name previously Davalliaceae

Quick ID Hints:

• Densely chaffy scales covering long creeping rhizomes
• Multi-pinnate fronds
• Pinnae ovate to deltoid

VIDEO Created by NC State Extension’s Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum.

• Attributes: Genus: Davallia Species: solida Family: Polypodiaceae Life Cycle: Perennial Recommended Propagation Strategy: Division Root Cutting Country Or Region Of Origin: Fiji, Micronesia, Columbia Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems): Rabbits and deer

• Whole Plant Traits: Plant Type: Epiphyte Fern Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics: Broadleaf Evergreen Habit/Form: Arching Erect Spreading Maintenance: Medium Texture: Medium

• Cultural Conditions: Light: Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours) Soil Texture: High Organic Matter Soil Drainage: Good Drainage Moist

• Fruit: Fruit Description: No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.

• Flowers: Flower Description: No flowers.

• Leaves: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics: Broadleaf Evergreen Leaf Color: Gray/Silver Green Leaf Feel: Leathery Leaf Type: Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately) Fronds Leaf Arrangement: Alternate Leaf Shape: Lanceolate Ovate Leaf Margin: Lobed Hairs Present: No Leaf Length: > 6 inches Leaf Width: > 6 inches Leaf Description: The 18-24 inch long firm, leathery fronds are multi-pinnate and erect to horizontal. The shape is ovate to deltoid, acute apically. Pinnules (leaflets) are lanceolate and narrowly acute. The fertile segments are narrower that infertile segments and occasionally bifid (toothed) at the apex. Sori submarginal to marginal, terminating veinlets.

• Stem: Stem Color: Green Stem Is Aromatic: No Stem Surface: Smooth (glabrous) Stem Description: Rhizomes long creeping, freely branching, clothed densely with chaffy scales. Petioles elongate to 10″, glabrous.

• Landscape: Landscape Location: Container Hanging Baskets Houseplants Resistance To Challenges: Deer Rabbits

Davallia solida var. fejeensis

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Rabbit’s Foot Fern Care: Information On Growing A Rabbit’s Foot Fern Houseplant

The rabbit’s foot fern plant gets its name from the furry rhizomes that grow on top of the soil and resemble a rabbit’s foot. The rhizomes often grow over the side of the pot, adding an extra dimension to the plant. Functional as well as decorative, the rhizomes absorb moisture and nutrients as they crawl across the moist soil.

Growing a rabbit’s foot fern houseplant in a hanging basket shows off the furry rhizomes to their best advantage. The rhizomes can grow quite long and over time they take on a spider-like appearance. Never bury the rhizomes under the soil, however, as this encourages rot.

Rabbit’s Foot Fern Care

As with any houseplant, care of rabbit’s foot fern includes providing adequate light, proper moisture and temperature, and regular fertilization. Even with the best of care, you may occasionally lose some of the older fronds. This is normal and not an indication that you have done anything wrong.

Rabbit’s foot ferns like bright but indirect sunlight, such as that found near a window with an eastern exposure.

During the day they like temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees F. (21-24 C.), and slightly cooler temperatures at night.

Water the plants lightly but often to keep the surface of the soil lightly moist. Daily misting helps keep the surface rhizomes from drying out. Every two weeks your rabbit’s foot fern care should also include watering the plant with a liquid houseplant fertilizer mixed at half strength.

Rabbit’s foot ferns need repotting about every two years, and the best time to repot is in spring. Mix regular potting soil half-and-half with sand to create an ideal medium for rabbit’s foot ferns. This is an excellent time to divide large plants.

Special Needs for Rabbit’s Foot Fern Plant

Known botanically as Davallia fejeensis ferns, rabbit’s foot ferns have light, airy foliage compared to their cousins, the deer’s foot ferns (D. canariensis) and the squirrel’s foot ferns (D. trichomanoides). Light foliage doesn’t hold moisture as well as thick foliage, so the plants need frequent misting and an occasional shower to keep them from drying out.

A rabbit’s foot fern plant is very sensitive to chemicals. Avoid using leaf shine products and insecticides on the plant. A gentle shower keeps the fronds looking clean and fresh and also removes many of the insects that feed on the foliage. Tobacco smoke, scented candles, and most forms of air pollution also harm the plant.

Though it may need a little more maintenance than other plants in the home, growing a rabbit’s foot fern houseplant is a great way to enjoy this unusual, furry-footed oddity.