Skip to content
Grow In Backyard
Container Gardening

Rabbit Foot Fern Care: Never Bury the Rhizomes

Those furry feet are rhizomes that must stay above the compost. Bury them and they rot — which is the single most common way this fern is killed.

By Zakaria 4 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
Fern houseplant fronds
Photo: adege, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
On this page

The furry “feet” are rhizomes, and they must stay on top of the compost. Burying them is how most of these ferns die, and it usually happens during a well-intentioned repot.

What the rhizomes actually are

Davallia is an epiphyte — in the wild it grows on tree branches and rocks rather than in soil. The silvery-brown furry rhizomes creeping across the surface are its stems, and they absorb moisture from humid air.

That explains the two defining care points:

  • They must stay above the compost. Buried, they stay wet and rot
  • They want humidity, because they evolved to take water from the air

Repotting is where it goes wrong

Someone repots the fern, tidily covers the odd-looking furry bits with compost because they look like they should be planted, and the plant declines over the following weeks.

Set the plant so the rhizomes rest on the surface, and let the ones hanging over the rim carry on hanging.

Conditions

What it wants
Requirement
LightBright indirect. No direct midday sun
HumidityHigh. The main limiting factor indoors
WaterEvenly moist; top 1 cm dry before watering
RhizomesAbove the compost, always
CompostLight and open — houseplant mix with bark or perlite
PotWide and shallow, or a hanging basket
Temperature18–24°C. Keep off cold glass and away from draughts
FeedHalf-strength liquid feed monthly in growth

Humidity, practically

Most homes run at 30 to 40 per cent relative humidity in winter. This plant would like 50 to 60.

In order of effectiveness:

  1. A humidifier — the only measure that genuinely changes the room
  2. Grouping plants together, which raises local humidity meaningfully
  3. A pebble tray — pot on stones above water, not in it
  4. Bathroom or kitchen, if light allows
  5. Misting — pleasant, and the effect lasts minutes rather than hours

Misting gets recommended constantly and does the least of the five. It is not useless, but it should not be the plan.

Watering without wetting the rhizomes

Because the rhizomes sit on top, watering from above repeatedly soaks exactly the part that should stay relatively dry.

Bottom watering suits this plant well:

  1. Stand the pot in a few centimetres of water
  2. Leave for fifteen to twenty minutes
  3. Lift it out and let it drain completely
  4. Never leave it standing

Otherwise water carefully at the compost surface, around the rhizomes rather than over them.

Diagnosing problems

  • Brown crispy tips and edges → dry air. Occasionally dry compost
  • Whole fronds yellowing → overwatering, or compost staying wet
  • Rhizomes soft, dark, mushy → they were buried, or the compost is waterlogged
  • Pale bleached fronds → too much direct sun
  • Fronds dropping suddenly → cold draught or a sharp temperature change
  • Fine webbing under fronds → spider mites, which thrive in exactly the dry air this plant hates

Propagating

Easy, and the rhizomes do the work:

  1. Cut a rhizome section at least 5 cm long with one or two fronds, using a clean blade
  2. Lay it on damp compost in a small pot
  3. Pin it down with a hairpin or a small stone so it stays in contact — do not bury it
  4. Keep humid with a clear bag or propagator lid, opened briefly every few days
  5. Keep lightly moist
  6. Roots within a few weeks, new fronds shortly after

Spore propagation is possible and takes months. Given how readily the rhizomes root, there is little reason to attempt it.

Repotting

Infrequently — every two or three years, or when the rhizomes have covered the surface and started circling.

Go up one size only, use a wide shallow container, and set the plant at the same height it was before. See best time to repot indoor plants for timing; early spring suits this fern as it does most houseplants.

Common questions

Should rabbit foot fern rhizomes be buried?

No, and this is the single most important thing about the plant. The furry rhizomes that give it its name are meant to creep across the surface and over the rim of the pot, where they absorb moisture from the air. Buried in compost they stay wet, rot, and take the plant with them. When repotting, set the plant so the rhizomes sit on top of the compost rather than in it, and simply let the ones that trail over the side do so.

Why is my rabbit foot fern turning brown and crispy?

Dry air, almost always, since it is a tropical epiphyte adapted to constant humidity and most homes are far drier than it wants, particularly in winter with heating on. Brown crispy frond tips and edges are the first sign. Grouping plants together, standing the pot on a pebble tray, or running a humidifier all help, while misting provides only a brief lift. Dry compost and too much direct sun produce similar damage, so check watering and position as well.

How often should you water a rabbit foot fern?

Keep the compost lightly and evenly moist, which usually means watering when the top centimetre feels dry — roughly weekly in a warm room and less in winter. It wants more consistent moisture than most houseplants but will not tolerate sitting in water, since the roots are those of an epiphyte rather than a bog plant. Watering from below by standing the pot in water for twenty minutes and then draining it keeps the rhizomes dry, which is a useful habit with this species.

How do you propagate a rabbit foot fern?

By dividing the rhizomes, which is simple and reliable. Cut a section of rhizome at least five centimetres long with one or two fronds attached, using a clean sharp blade, and pin it onto the surface of damp compost with a hairpin or a small stone so it stays in contact without being buried. Keep it humid and lightly moist and roots form within a few weeks. Spores are possible but are slow and unnecessary given how easily the rhizomes take.

Does a rabbit foot fern need a special pot?

A wide shallow pot suits it far better than a deep one, because the rhizomes spread sideways across the surface rather than the roots going down. Hanging baskets are ideal, since the rhizomes creep over the edge and hang decoratively, which is much of the plant's appeal. Whatever the shape, drainage holes are essential and the compost should be light and open — a peat-free houseplant mix with added bark or perlite works well.

Backyard Weekly

Know what to plant, week by week

Join the weekly email for seasonal jobs, fixes for what is going wrong, and gear worth buying.

Not ready to subscribe? The planting calendar is free and needs no email.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. Grow In Backyard will never sell your address.

Keep reading