This fern likes eastern facing light. Avoid hotter facing windows and direct sunlight to avoid burning the fronds.
Keep the potting soil moist during the growing season. Allow the top soil to dry on the first 25% during the winter months.
Keep this plant on a pebble tray or near a humidifier to raise the humidity levels.
This fern likes warm temperatures but slightly cooler at night.
Use as a groundcover in warmer climates. Overwinter in a container where temperatures are at 60°F or higher.
Fertilize twice a month by diluting a liquid fertilizer into the water while watering. Use half the recommended strength. Fertilize in the spring and summer months but let the plant rest in the fall and winter.
When receiving the Rabbit Foot Fern, do not repot immediately but wait at least 6-12 months or if the roots are beginning to get crowded and growing through the drainage holes.
Repot in the spring, using a 2 inches bigger pot to give the roots room to spread. Water your plant in the old pot before transferring over and let them sit for an hour. Place a piece of screening at the bottom of the container over the drainage hole to secure the soil and allow them to drain. Use a rich, well-draining indoor potting mix amended with 50% coconut coir to help retain moisture.
Lift the plant and release the roots against the existing planter. Use a clean knife or garden trowel to wedge between the pot and the soil to loosen.
Inspect the root ball. Notice if there are any dead or rotting roots and trim them off with sterile pruners. If the plant is rootbound, you may also divide them to make two plants by cutting through the roots with a clean knife and planting in separate pots.
Ensure the plant is sitting about 1 inch below the edge of the pot to avoid water spillage. Add more soil and backfill around the sides by tamping down. Fill up to the soil line but not over.
Please do not cover the Rabbit Foot's rhizomes (the fuzzy stems) but let them sit on top of the soil to avoid rotting. These will grow over the pot in time.
Water thoroughly, and let them drain. If settling occurs, add more soil.
When watering your fern, give them an overhead shower to knock off the dust. During watering and fertilizing is an excellent time to trim off any browning, yellowing, or discolored leaves. Cut the stem all the way back to the base. Avoid trimming the fern's top, if possible, except for the dead, damaged, or diseased parts. Bravo! Now your fern looks like they just had a face-lift!
Indoors: Propagate and divide Rabbit Foot Fern in the early spring when emerging from dormancy. Pull from the container and brush or wash away the soil carefully. Carefully divide by using a sterile knife, cutting in half or quarters, and repotting in a rich, indoor potting soil mix amended with coconut coir.
Use a container that is two inches wider than the root ball. Make sure it has drainage and is deep enough for the roots to grow.
Set them in medium indirect sunlight while they are rooting. Enclose the new plantings in clear plastic bags and mist several times a week to keep the humidity high. Remove the plastic bag when the roots establish. You may observe some leaf changes as they acclimate to their new environment. They may suffer some transplant shock depending on how tight the roots were intertwined together. Trim off any declining leaves as they regains their energy and gets rooted into the soil over time. Check the moisture and humidity each day and add misting to keep the soil moist while the roots establish.
After 6-8 weeks, roots will begin to settle. You can tug onto the stem to ensure the roots are anchoring well. You can remove the clear plastic bag at this time but still maintain high humidity around the plant.
Outdoors: Carefully loosen the soil and dig the roots up. Separate the plant with a sterile knife cutting the root ball into halves or quarters depending on its size. Plant these in new locations in your garden. Add rich, damp, and loamy soil in a part-shade morning sun location. Then water with filtered or rainwater at the soil level.
