Plant Care Maidenhair Fern

Maidenhair Fern

3.0 out of 5 (53 experiences)

Maidenhair Fern has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily
Maidenhair Fern has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower

Also known as

Southern Maidenhair Fern, Black Maidenhair Fern and Venus Hair Fern

Taxonomy

Adiantum capillus-veneris
Adiantum
Pteridaceae
Polypodiales

How to care for Maidenhair Fern

💦 Water

How often to water your Maidenhair Fern

Water needs for Maidenhair Fern
0.5 cups
every 9

Maidenhair Fern needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Maidenhair Fern

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Maidenhair Fern in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Maidenhair Fern: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Maidenhair Fern may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Maidenhair Fern in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Maidenhair Fern

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Maidenhair Fern: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Maidenhair Fern after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #MaidenHairFern
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Maidenhair Fern can be challenging to care for, according to some plant parents. Check out the reviews down below to learn from their experiences!

Benefits of Growing Maidenhair Fern →

Common Maidenhair Fern Problems →


💦 Water Needs

Maidenhair Fern prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Maidenhair Fern Water Frequency →

Maidenhair Fern Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Maidenhair Fern may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Maidenhair Fern Light Requirements →

Maidenhair Fern Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Maidenhair Fern is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.


💨 Humidity

Maidenhair Fern enjoys lots of humidity. Provide humidity for your plant by watering regularly and thoroughly, since plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves. They may also benefit from being placed next to a humidifier.

Maidenhair Fern Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Maidenhair Fern is very sensitive to dry soil, so choose a potting soil that retains moisture. A good soil will still drain well and contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir or sphagnum moss.

Best Soil Mix for Maidenhair Fern →

When and How to Successfully Repot Maidenhair Fern →


💩 Fertilizer

Maidenhair Fern grows very slowly and doesn’t require added fertilizer. Replacing your plant’s potting soil once a year should provide them with more than enough nutrition. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!

How Much and When to Fertilize Maidenhair Fern →


🌎 Native Region

Maidenhair Fern is native to Worldwide.


🌸 Flowers

Maidenhair Fern does not flower.

Maidenhair Fern Flowers →


⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Maidenhair Fern is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.

How and When to Prune Maidenhair Fern →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors

USDA Hardiness Zone
Maidenhair Fern can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 6a-9b. Find your local hardiness zone here.

Maidenhair Fern Temperature Tolerance →


🌱 Propagation

Maidenhair Fern can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Maidenhair Fern, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Maidenhair Fern

Maidenhair Fern

Maidenhair Fern


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Maidenhair Fern has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 37
Maidenhair Fern has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 16
Maidenhair Fern has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 6
Maidenhair Fern has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 6
Maidenhair Fern has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 6
Maidenhair Fern has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 1
Maidenhair Fern has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 1
@RadiantBasil avatar
@@RadiantBasil
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 155 XP
globe Elk Grove, CA
02/22/2022

Don’t put it in direct sunlight, likes moist soil

Survivor Survivor
@tessalou avatar
@@tessalou
leaf-1 45 Plants
xp 1,860 XP
globe Withcott, Queensland
11/20/2021

Cute plant to give a fresh look.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Charlotte avatar
@Charlotte
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 156 XP
globe Dedham, England
10/12/2021

Mine is all shrivelled up already

Browns easily Browns easily
@IsabellaMadden22 avatar
@@IsabellaMadden22
leaf-1 30 Plants
xp 664 XP
09/12/2021

The most dramatic, high maintenance plants in my collection. However he hasn’t given up on life. He’s doing really well at the moment. He’s spent most of his life as a crispy bush. I’m determined to nurture him to back to health.

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
Ivy avatar
@Ivy
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 91 XP
globe Markham, Ontario
08/30/2021

If you don’t have much light, and u can keep it happy with moisture, and you want something green to vivid your space, take it.

Breauna avatar
@Breauna
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 84 XP
globe Anacortes, WA
07/24/2021

One of the hardest plants to take care of!

Browns easily Browns easily
@eleanortheflorist avatar
@@eleanortheflorist
leaf-1 19 Plants
xp 610 XP
globe Saint Ives, England
07/16/2021

Beautiful plant. Very sensitive and isn't at all hardy. Browns easily so keep soil moist, water when very top layer is wet. Bottom water to reduce mould. Keep out of direct sunlight

Browns easily Browns easily
@ackabizzle avatar
@@ackabizzle
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 46 XP
07/07/2021

Never allow to dry out completely. If the soil isn’t kept more than half moist this plant will brown and crisp away. It can be rejuvenated with a trim and fresh drink though.

Browns easily Browns easily
@maddiesteele avatar
@@maddiesteele
leaf-1 11 Plants
xp 368 XP
globe Dallas, TX
07/05/2021

died in the first week😍

Elyse avatar
@Elyse
leaf-1 17 Plants
xp 835 XP
globe Wilsonville, OR
06/26/2021

Bottom water!! My maiden hair is very moody

Browns easily Browns easily
@liz avatar
@@liz
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 402 XP
globe Los Angeles, CA
06/25/2021

They are very beautiful and high maintenance. They brown very easily but if taken care of, grow to a decent size.

Browns easily Browns easily
@reen avatar
@@reen
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 499 XP
globe Sydney, New South Wales
06/19/2021

This finicky baby keeps me on my toes and I love her for it.

Browns easily Browns easily
Fast grower Fast grower
@calebsneath avatar
@@calebsneath
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 90 XP
06/15/2021

Lovely plant and beautiful when it’s thriving! However, it is very high maintenance and very thirsty indeed!

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
@RootWitch13 avatar
@@RootWitch13
leaf-1 13 Plants
xp 120 XP
06/05/2021

Nope. Lol. Don’t do it.

Browns easily Browns easily
@georgie.leaman avatar
@@georgie.leaman
leaf-1 89 Plants
xp 2,843 XP
globe Newcastle upon Tyne, England
06/02/2021

Only had this plant a day but i’m in love with it, genuinely never seen such a beautiful plant

Plantlover avatar
@Plantlover
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 93 XP
globe Los Angeles, CA
05/30/2021

This plant is very special. It is picky but if it’s needs are meet it will reward you.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Emily avatar
@Emily
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 69 XP
globe Auckland
05/26/2021

Beautiful but is too much of a diva

@Jaedi_06 avatar
@@Jaedi_06
leaf-1 24 Plants
xp 678 XP
globe Alamo, CA
05/19/2021

Literally if your a beginner plant parent stay away from this maiden hair fern. It is so hard to keep alive you have to water almost everyday. Very bad

Browns easily Browns easily
@flowermamas avatar
@@flowermamas
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 62 XP
globe Tomball, TX
05/16/2021

lil baby is annoying to keep alive, lil bud SENSITIVE like cancer moon sensitive

Browns easily Browns easily
Dean avatar
@Dean
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 26 XP
globe Masterton, Wellington
05/15/2021

My maidenhair fern does well in my med light bathroom. My bathroom doesn’t get any full sun in there. It loves the humidity and I never let him dry out as straight away I notice browning of his leaves.

Browns easily Browns easily

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