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Button fernis a compact, low-maintenancetype of fernnative to Australia and New Zealand.
This plant is known for its compact size and arcing fronds lined with small, rounded pinnules.
Here’s how to grow and care for button ferns in your home.
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Keep button ferns out of direct sunlight, which can burn the leaves.
Soil
Plant your button fern in a light, well-drained potting mix.
Standard houseplant potting mix typically works well.
The Spruce / Jason Donnelly
Water when the top of the soil is just beginning to look dry.
Temperature and Humidity
Button ferns do best in warm conditions with moderate humidity.
Give them temperatures between 65F and 80F and 40 to 50 percent humidity.
The Spruce / Jason Donnelly
Fertilizer
Button ferns don’t need much fertilizer.
It’s best to divide button ferns while repotting them in the spring.
Here’s how to propagate button fern.
The Spruce / Jason Donnelly
Use fresh soil and only go up one pot size.
Diseases like root rot can affect button ferns that sit in overly wet soil.
Check the plant’s soil moisture and water deeply if it’s completely dried out.
The Spruce / Jason Donnelly
Monitor soil regularly and water just as the top of the soil has begun to dry out.
Leaves Turning Yellow
Yellowing leaves are a common symptom of overwatering.
Only water once the soil surface has begun to dry out.
Browning Tips
Browning tips on your button fern may indicate an overly dry environment.
Create a more humid microclimate for your plant by running a humidifier nearby.
Leaf drop on button ferns is typically triggered by stress from severe underwatering.
Button ferns are pretty easy to grow as houseplants.
Button ferns can grow in partial shade outdoors.
Hemionitis rotundifolia.NC State Extension.
