How to Plant and Grow Maidenhair Fern

There’s a maidenhair fern for every purpose, from tropical houseplants to winter-hardy ferns for moist and shady locations.

With its feathery green foliage, maidenhair fern makes a graceful addition to shade gardens or areas of the home that offer it plenty of humidity and diffused light. Make the commitment to providing this plant the living conditions it requires and you’ll be rewarded with a specimen that enhances the landscape or brings the beauty of nature indoors.

Where to Plant Maidenhair Fern

In their native habitat, maidenhair ferns grow in cool, humid areas such as near shady streams. This can be a tricky habitat to recreate in a home garden. Try to mimic as much of its natural conditions as possible by planting the fern in a shady location with ample moisture but not soggy conditions. The soil should contain a substantial amount of leaf mold (decomposed leaves) and have a pH in the alkaline range (7 to 8).

For a visual treat, plant maidenhair fern atop a rock wall where its graceful foliage can spill over the edge.

How and When to Plant Maidenhair Fern

The best planting time for maidenhair fern is in mid to late spring or early summer before the summer heat sets in. Dig a hole that is a bit wider and as deep as the root ball of the fern so that the crown (where roots and stem meet) is about half an inch below the soil surface. Backfill the hole with a combination of the original soil and leaf mold rather than with aged manure or compost because that’s the way the fern grows in nature. Plant maidenhair ferns about 18 to 24 inches apart.

Maidenhair Fern Care Tips

 Light

It’s important to keep this fern sheltered because its delicate leaves can quickly burn and dry out with too much sun. Plant it in a shady location where any direct sun (if it’s a factor) reaches the plant only early in the morning when its rays are less intense.

Soil and Water

Maidenhair ferns like organically rich, well-drained, moisture-retentive soils. Amend your garden soil, if needed, with compost and organic matter. Don’t let maidenhair ferns dry out, or they’ll die back and go dormant.

Growing it indoors: In addition to or in place of daily misting, you may want to place a saucer filled with pebbles beneath the potted plant. Fill the saucer with water to just below the top of the pebbles. As the water evaporates, it creates a humid microclimate around the plant. Don’t overwater; saturated soil may lead to stem or root rot. And never let the roots dry out, or the plant may shrivel up and go dormant or die.

Temperature and Humidity

Not all maidenhair ferns are delicate tropical plants. Surprisingly, many types are winter hardy; some are even native to the United States. For example, the northern maidenhair fern, which is native to North America and East Asia, can be grown as low as in zone 3. Maidenhair ferns need humidity to survive. 

Fertilizer

Maidenhair fern needs no to very little fertilizer, especially when grown outdoors, as fertile soil provides it with sufficient nutrients. If at all, feed potted maidenhair fern with a balanced fertilizer once a month, diluted to half its original strength, about once a month during the growing season. 

Pruning

Other than removing yellowed or withered fronds during the growing season, and removing the previous year’s foliage in the spring, maidenhair fern should not be pruned to preserve its natural beauty.

Potting and Repotting Maidenhair Fern

Plant maidenhair fern in a container with large drainage holes in well-drained potting soil. Keeping the soil of potted maidenhair fern moist at all times is a must to replicate the plant’s natural habitat in humus-rich woodlands.

Repotting is only advised when the roots fill up the pot. You can either plant it in a larger pot with fresh soil or cut it into sections and repot those individually.

Pests and Problems 

The most common pest problems with maidenhair fern, both indoors and outdoors, are aphids, scale, mites, and mealy bugs. Outdoors, you might also find snails, and slugs on the plants.

In soil with poor drainage, the fern can develop root rot. 

How to Propagate Maidenhair Fern

All types of maidenhair ferns are quite vigorous and spread by branched rhizomes beneath the soil. This makes it relatively easy to propagate them by division rather than going through the lengthy and finicky process of growing it from spores.

In the late spring or early summer, dig up the entire root ball and cut it in halves or quarters depending on the size. Replant the sections at the same depth as the original plant and backfill the planting hole with a mix of soil and leaf mold. Keep it well watered; some of the original fronds will die off but you should see new growth within a few weeks.

Types of Maidenhair Fern

No matter which species you grow, all maidenhair ferns feature light green compound leaves made up of small leaflets. Several species and varieties bear new growth in pink or red that eventually ages to green. Most maidenhair ferns sport striking shiny black leaf stalks (petioles) that stand out against all the green foliage.

Delta Maidenhair Fern

The classic maidenhair, Adiantum raddianum, is a tropical fern native to South America. It has delicate, drooping foliage and needs high humidity to survive. It is mostly grown as a houseplant but can be grown outdoors in zones 10-11.

American Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum pedatum is native to North America and bears upright black or brown stalks with featherlike medium green fronds. It grows 12-16 inches tall. Zones 3-8.

Northern Maidenhair fern

Adiantum pedatum aleuticum, at 30 inches tall, is larger than American maidenhair fern. It has black stems. New growth may be tinged pink. Zones 3-8.

Southern Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum capillus-venerus has fan-shaped leaflets on black stems. It is hardy only in Zones 8-10 and remains evergreen down to about 28 degrees F.

Maidenhair Fern Companion Plants

Lungwort

In early spring, lungwort’s brilliant blue, pink, or white flowers bloom despite the coldest chill. The rough basal leaves, spotted or plain, are handsome through the season and into winter. Lungworts are workhorses and retain their good looks, placed close as a weed-discouraging groundcover or in borders as edgings or bright accent plants. Provide high-humus soil that retains moisture, although lungwort tolerates dry conditions.

Hosta

One of the most commonly grown garden plants for a reason, this rugged, shade-loving perennial is also among the easiest plants to grow. Hostas vary from tiny plants suitable for troughs or rock gardens to massive 4-foot clumps with heart-shaped leaves almost 2 feet long. The variations in leaf shapes and colors are virtually endless and hostas in new sizes and touting new foliage features appear each year.

Corydalis

It’s hard to find bright-colored plants for shade, so it’s a pity that brightly colored corydalis isn’t more widely planted. It’s a great shade plant. Blooms are small, but they appear in clusters. Leaves look similar to those of a fringe-leaf bleeding heart. Plants self-seed readily, but excess seedlings are easy to remove. Provide the plant with moist, organic soil for best growth.