Bird's Nest Fern

A bird's nest fern with fancy edges. The leaves come up out of a central rosette like a nest, and on this one the leaf edges are ruffled and wavy all the way along. It looks delicate. It is tougher than it looks.

Light

Medium to bright indirect light. No direct sun, it scorches the leaves. It handles a lower light corner better than most ferns. It just grows slower there.

Water

Keep it evenly damp, not soggy. Water around the edges of the pot, into the soil. I water when the top feels just barely dry.

Food

I use a balanced liquid fern or houseplant food at quarter strength once a month in spring and summer. Ferns burn easy, so weak and steady beats strong. In winter I do not feed at all unless I see pale new leaves pushing in good light.

Soil

I mix 2 parts peat or coir, 1 part fine bark and 1 part perlite, with a handful of compost or worm castings worked in. It should feel rich and spongy and hold damp without packing into mud. I do not use dense top soil or sand heavy mixes, because the centre crown needs moisture and air at the same time.

Growing in Water

No. This fern does not root or live in plain water. Water sitting in the crown rots it, and a leaf will not make roots in a jar. I divide a big plant at the root ball or leave spores to do the slow work, and I grow it in soil.

Don't

• Don't water into the middle of the nest. Water sitting in the crown rots the new growth coming up out of it.
• Don't let it dry out hard and then flood it. That dry and drench swing is what crisps the edges.
• Don't mist it and call that humidity. If the air is dry, a humidifier near it or a pebble tray does the real work.

Good to Know

Bird's nest ferns are safe around cats and dogs, which makes this an easy yes for pet houses. And the brown lines that show up under older leaves are spores, not bugs. That is just the plant making more ferns.