What's the Perfect Habitat for a Leatherleaf Fern?

Considerations

• Although the cut fronds of leatherleaf fern flourish in indoor floral bouquets, the plant grows best in an outdoor habitat. It does not prosper as vigorously when you grow it indoors, particularly in the winter, because forced-air heating may cause the edges of its fronds to scorch. When you grow it inside, the container restricts leatherleaf fern’s natural growth habit as a ground cover. It spreads by aboveground stolons, which are lateral stems, and needs plenty of room for this horizontal growth.

Light

• Leatherleaf fern’s habitat is in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, where it grows as a perennial. You can grow this plant in dense shade, which receives no direct sun, or in shifting shade, which is found under trees and allows some filtered sunlight to reach the fern as the sun shifts positions during the day. To provide leatherleaf fern with optimal light for healthy growth, you can take a cue from commercial growers. In Florida, the growers cultivate leatherleaf fern under 70 percent shade. They use shade cloth or grow the plants in the shade of evergreen trees.

Water

• Leatherleaf fern fronds contain approximately 75 percent water weight, which makes proper watering vital to the plant’s healthy growth. However, the fern cannot tolerate wet feet from soil that remains waterlogged for more than 12 hours, or it may suffer damage from root rot. Water leatherleaf fern to a depth of 1 inch, and allow the soil to dry only slightly before watering again. Your goal is to keep the soil lightly moist but not saturated.

Soil

• Leatherleaf fern flourishes in well-draining soil, particularly sandy soils. Before planting your fern, apply a 2-inch layer of organic amendments on top of the soil, such as peat moss, compost and pine bark, and till to a depth of 6 inches to improve the soil fertility. The soil pH is particularly important for leatherleaf fern. Outside its optimal range of 5.5 to 6.0, the plant cannot utilize nutrients in the soil, and it may turn yellow or have stunted growth. If the soil pH is below 5.5, add dolomitic limestone, and if the pH is above 6.0, add sulfur to adjust the pH to leatherleaf fern’s optimal range.