Written and edited by Tammy 7th January 2023.
Do you want to know my favourite thing about walking into my bathroom every morning?... Revelling in the sheer beauty and vibrance of my Hares-foot fern!
I still don't entirely understand my infatuation with them, I have the gravest phobia of spiders and the furry Rhizomes that crawl out of the centre of the plant closely resemble that of a huntsman spider.... Nevertheless, they're one of my favourite indoor plants that I seem to be successful in growing.
Davallia canariensis commonly known as hares-foot fern or deers- foot fern is native to the Canary Islands hence the name.
They have the daintiest fine dark green fronds, that grow on the furry little crawling appendages called rhizomes. They can potentially grow up to 50cm in height and spread to cover an area of 100cm. (Mine pictured here is still happily growing in a 15cm pot and is approx. 20cm tall by 30cm wide).
In their natural habitat these ferns are epiphytic meaning that they grow on other host plants, or in rock crevasses with their rhizomes deriving moisture and nutrients from the air, so it's important not to trim back or disturb them.
In actual fact, these plants don't like to be disturbed or be given too much attention at all.
They like a bright filtered light (not direct) and need to be kept moist at all times but not sodden. Misting the fronds to create humidity is favourable or if you've got room in your bathroom that gets steamy, better still. Mine is in the bathroom on the Northern side of the house where it's always nice and bright and it's thriving in there.
As with most indoor plants, feed them with a soluble plant food that's specifically for indoor plants now, throughout the warmer months while they're actively growing.
I've used the Yates Thrive indoor plants liquid food and found it to be a good product.
I've also just recently found and bought another product I'm keen to try, Munash Organics Indoor plant soil food. It's natural rock minerals sourced from volcanic rock in Victoria and made right there in Ballarat. It'll be interesting to see how my plants respond to it.
As always, please make sure you use the products as per the manufacturer's instructions on the labels.
I wonder how many others are scared of spiders yet love these plants like međŞ´đ
Happy Gardening!
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