overwatering and Rabbits Foot Fern
Quick answer
If overwatering is what's going on with your Rabbits Foot Fern, the most likely cause is: Davallia-type ferns such as the Rabbit's-foot fern evolved with creeping rhizomes that travel over damp rocks and tree bark in constantly humid, well-drained air, so their roots and rhizomes collapse in the opposite conditions — a waterlogged pot where the saucer is never emptied and the compost has stopped draining. The historic fern grower Birkenhead warns in the same breath that both extremes hurt ferns: too dry restricts foliage and invites pests, while too much standing moisture makes the plants damp off and the soil go sour.
Start here:
- 1. Lift the pot, feel the weight, and only water when the surface of the compost is just starting to dry; water from the top of the pot, then empty any water that drains into the saucer so the pot never sits in it.
- 2. Repot into a coarse, open Davallia compost of loam, leaf mould, peat and sand over a crock drainage layer, so surplus water actually escapes instead of pooling at the bottom.
Why overwatering happens to Rabbits Foot Fern
Rabbits Foot Fern
Davallia-type ferns such as the Rabbit's-foot fern evolved with creeping rhizomes that travel over damp rocks and tree bark in constantly humid, well-drained air, so their roots and rhizomes collapse in the opposite conditions — a waterlogged pot where the saucer is never emptied and the compost has stopped draining. The historic fern grower Birkenhead warns in the same breath that both extremes hurt ferns: too dry restricts foliage and invites pests, while too much standing moisture makes the plants damp off and the soil go sour.
How to correct overwatering on Rabbits Foot Fern
- 1
Lift the pot, feel the weight, and only water when the surface of the compost is just starting to dry; water from the top of the pot, then empty any water that drains into the saucer so the pot never sits in it.
- 2
Repot into a coarse, open Davallia compost of loam, leaf mould, peat and sand over a crock drainage layer, so surplus water actually escapes instead of pooling at the bottom.
- 3
If the plant is already sodden and the fronds are collapsing, unpot it, tease away the sour wet soil, cut away any soft black rhizome or root tissue, and repot fresh in a drier open mix.
- 4
Raise humidity around the foliage by sprinkling paths and staging rather than by pouring more water into the pot — the surrounding air can be saturated while the substrate stays just damp.
Keep overwatering from repeating on this Rabbits Foot Fern
Use an open, lumpy compost such as the one recommended for Davallias with crock drainage at the pot base, water only when the surface begins to dry, never leave the pot standing in a saucer of water, and keep surrounding humidity up by misting air and surfaces rather than re-soaking the root ball.