When watering the Foxtail fern, you should aim to use filtered water that is at room temperature. Filtered water is better for this plant, as tap water can contain particles that are harmful to its health. The reason that the water should be at room temperature or slightly warmer is that the Foxtail fern comes from a warm environment, and cold water can be somewhat of a shock to its system. Also, you should avoid overhead watering for this plant, as it can cause foliage complications. Instead, simply apply your filtered room temperature water to the soil until the soil is entirely soaked. Soaking the soil can be very beneficial for this plant as it moistens the roots and helps them continue to spread through the soil and collect the nutrients they need.

Both overwatering and underwatering will be detrimental to the health of your Foxtail fern, but overwatering is a far more common issue. When this species receives too much water, its stems and leaves may begin to wilt and turn from green to yellow. Overwatering over a prolonged period may also lead to diseases such as root rot, mold, and mildew, all of which can kill your plant. Underwatering is far less common for the Foxtail fern, as this plant has decent drought tolerance. However, underwatering remains a possibility, and when it occurs, you can expect to find that the leaves of your Foxtail fern have become brittle and brown. It is crucial that you notice the signs of overwatering as soon as possible when caring for your Foxtail fern. Some of the diseases that arise from overwatering, such as root rot, may not be correctable if you wait too long. If you see early signs of overwatering, you should reduce your watering schedule immediately. You may also want to assess the quality of soil in which your Foxtail fern grows. If you find that the soil drains very poorly, you should replace it immediately with a loose, well-draining potting mix. On the other hand, if you find signs that your Foxtail fern is receiving too little water, all you need to do is water more regularly until those signs have subsided.

If your plant is in a pot. The most precise way to decide whether your Foxtail fern needs water is to plunge your finger into the soil. If you notice that the first two to three inches of soil have become dry, it is time to add some water. If you grow your Foxtail fern outdoors in the ground, you can use a similar method to test the soil. Again, when you find that the first few inches of soil have dried out, it is time to add water. During the spring and early fall, this method will often lead you to water this plant about once every week. When extremely hot weather arrives, you may need to increase your watering frequency to about twice or more per week. With that said, mature, well-established the Foxtail fern can show an admirable ability to withstand drought.

When it comes time to water your Foxtail fern, you should not be shy about how much water you give. With the first two to three inches of soil dry, this plant will appreciate a long and thorough watering. Supply enough water to soak the soil entirely. The amount of water you add should be enough to cause excess water to flow through the drainage holes at the bottom of your pot. If you don’t see excess water draining from the pot, you have likely underwatered your plant. But do not let the water accumulate inside the soil, which will be very dangerous to the plant as well. Alternatively, a lack of water draining through the pot could indicate poorly draining soils, which is detrimental to the health of this plant and should be avoided. If the plant is outside, 1 inch of rain per week will be sufficient.

The water needs of the Foxtail fern can change depending on growth stages as well. For example, when your Foxtail fern is in the first few years of its life, or if you have just transplanted it to a new growing location, you will need to give more water than usual. During both of those stages, your Foxtail fern will put a lot of energy towards sprouting new roots that will then support future growth. For those roots to perform their best, they need a bit more moisture than they would at a more mature phase. After a few seasons, your Foxtail fern will need much less water. Another growth stage in which this plant may need more water is during the bloom period. Flower development can make use of a significant amount of moisture, which is why you might need to give your Foxtail fern more water at this time.

The Foxtail fern will have its highest water needs during the hottest months of the year. During the height of summer, you may need to give this plant water more than once per week, depending on how fast the soil dries out. The opposite is true during the winter. In winter, your plant will enter a dormant phase, in which it will need far less water than usual. In fact, you may not need to water this plant at all during the winter months. However, if you do water during winter, you should not do so more than about once per month. Watering too much at this time will make it more likely that your Foxtail fern will contract a disease.

It is most common to grow the Foxtail fern indoors for any gardener that does not live in temperate and tropical regions. Those gardeners should consider the fact that soil in a container can dry out a bit faster than ground soil. Also, the presence of drying elements such as air conditioning units can cause your Foxtail fern to need water on a more frequent basis as well. if you planted it outside. When that is the case, it’s likely you won’t need to water your Foxtail fern very much at all. If you receive rainfall on a regular basis, that may be enough to keep your plant alive. Alternatively, those who grow this plant inside will need to water it more often, as allowing rainwater to soak the soil will not be an option.

Pruning your Foxtail fern is a fairly simple process. First, you will need a reliable set of hand pruners or hedge trimmers. You may use a clean pair of sharp scissors if you don’t have pruners or garden shears on hand. It’s important to always clean your gardening tools before and after using them to prevent the possibility of spreading disease or infection to other plants. To prune your Foxtail fern simply allow your plant to go dormant over the Winter. Some time between late winter and early spring – or when new growth starts to appear – take your clean pruners or trimmers and cut away any dying, damaged, yellow or declining foliage. Repeat this process until you reach the base of the plant or until there are no dead pieces left to cut. When pruning, be careful not to damage the new growth that may be emerging near the base of your plant. These parts cannot be restored and pruning can increase the ventilation of the plants and facilitate their growth. Any pruning that is done to this plant should be cut straight across the blades or stems. No angled cuts are required. Diseased leaf blade foliage can be removed as it appears. This could be done anytime when your Foxtail fern is growing.

Once you’ve pruned your plant, you should dispose of the stems and leaves either by composting the healthy ones or throwing out the diseased parts. You can also fertilize just before or after pruning, which gives Foxtail fern a little vitamin boost that can provide it the nutrients needed to better protect itself from any nearby pathogens or diseases. Do not water the Foxtail fern immediately after pruning as this can lead to fungal infestation of the plants through the wounds. You don’t need much after care when you’re done pruning. It might benefit from light watering and some liquid plant food to encourage new growth.

Early spring and late winter are the best times to prune your Foxtail fern on a large scale. If you want to control the size of your Foxtail fern, you can prune them as you wish, but be careful not to prune more than a third of the size of the plant. Yellow and diseased leaves may appear during the summer months when the Foxtail fern is growing vigorously and these types of leaves need to be pruned back immediately. These parts of the Foxtail fern cannot be restored and pruning increases the ventilation of the plant and facilitates its growth.

Strategic pruning is usually done at different times of the year or during certain stages of growth depending on the plant. However, knowing when to prune your Foxtail fern depends on where you live and how established your plant is. For example, if your Foxtail fern is a new resident, it’s a good idea to wait until the plant starts to grow back before you start pruning. On the other hand, if your plant is already established, you will want to prune the dry or dead parts in plant before new leafy growth appears in early spring or late winter. This is the time of year when plants are dormant and pruning causes the least damage to them. This is also the best time of year to do more extensive pruning. It’s important to note that if Foxtail fern is pruned too late in the season, it can leave new growth at risk for damage or disease. However, if your Foxtail fern is indoors this is not a problem and you can prune at any time. Since this can affect the long-term health and appearance of your plant, it’s important to keep this in mind when deciding when and how to prune. As your Foxtail fern grows larger over time, you can trim it as needed after annual pruning. Dead, damaged, or diseased leaf blade foliage can be removed as it appears. This could be done anytime when your Foxtail fern is growing.

Foxtail fern typically needs full, indirect sunlight in order to thrive indoors. This means that the plant should be exposed to bright sunlight that doesn’t hit it directly from a window or another light source, like a grow light. You can easily protect it from direct sunlight by placing a sheer curtain between your Foxtail fern and the window, or by placing it behind a part of the window with a dark screen.

If this is your first time bringing your Foxtail fern home, then it might be a good idea to try to ease it into the sunlight it needs, rather than place it in bright, indirect light right away. Over the course of two weeks or so, you can slowly move your plant into the sunlight to avoid shock or burning of the leaves from sudden intense light exposure. By easing it into the light, your Foxtail fern is much more likely to adapt to your home environment well.

Foxtail fern is one that can easily sunburn with too much sunlight. In the wild, these plants only receive mild, dappled light, filtered down from tree canopies. While they need more light than that to grow in our homes, too much can certainly cause issues. If your Foxtail fern is getting too much light, you’ll notice that the foliage begins to look bleached or washed out, the tips of leaves may turn yellow or brown and crispy, and it may even grow too quickly to support itself.

Sunburn for plants is much less severe than sunburn for people. While it may look unsightly, crispy, burnt leaves can be removed if they’re too far damaged to recover, or over half of the leaf is damaged. However, you can also try trimming back the leaves just to remove any sunburn damage in an effort to save them, if there’s not too much discoloration. Move your Foxtail fern away from its light source to avoid future light damage.

While some plants may be ready to face the sweltering sun straight out of the ground, Foxtail fern needs some time to build itself up enough to tolerate bright light. Propagated cuttings should receive only moderate indirect light, while new leaves during the growing season should be shielded a bit as well. The tender new leaves are more prone to sunburn than any other part of the plant.

Fortunately, plants can communicate in their own language to convey whether they have adequate sunlight or not. Like most plants, your Foxtail fern will tell you if it isn’t getting enough sunlight. The most visible sign is when your plant becomes particularly dark, or there is no new growth on the plant from one season to the next. You’ll also notice that leaves that do grow in may remain smaller than others, since there isn’t enough light to photosynthesize to support large new leaves.

Depending on how bright the sunlight is that your Foxtail fern gets, the number of hours in a day may vary. If you have your plant in bright, indirect light, then there’s no need to try to restrict or increase the amount of time your plant gets this light each day. However, if light is less bright or further away from your Foxtail fern, then you can try to aim for at least eight hours of full light per day.

For this tropical plant to thrive, you’ll want to keep them between 75℉ and 90℉ (25-32℃). Each species can handle temperatures outside of this range, but keeping it within several degrees of these limits will ensure they grow to their maximum potential. As for its extreme temperature limits, any environment below 50℉ (10℃) or above 95℉ (35℃) will begin to hinder its growth and cause various aberrations to its leaves and stems. This is especially true with low temperatures; even a light frost can cause your tropical plants to perish. Cellular death can begin to happen at a rapid pace, with some species dying in as little as 12 to 24 hours.

While Foxtail fern doesn’t require any changes in temperature to enter different growing phases, it is important to stay consistent. Wild temperature fluctuations can slow down its growth regardless of its current phase, so it's always better to keep them in a controlled environment. That optimal temperature range of 75℉ and 90℉ (25-32℃) is vital to maintain, especially staying above the lower limit. Going above 90℉(32℃) isn’t ideal, but as tropical plant it won’t suffer too much. On the other hand, going below 50℉ (10℃) (and especially 40℉/5℃) will begin to directly damage this heat-loving plant species.

Foxtail fern does not need different temperatures for different growing seasons. The most important step in seasonal care is to keep the environment within the optimal temperature range. That's why it's always best to keep this plant indoors. That way, you can control the temperature no matter what the climate is like outside. Light is also important for tropical species, with all of these plants preferring a partial side level of sun exposure. This means any light they receive needs to be dappled or filtered, with bright but indirect light being the best option when growing your plants indoors. Too much direct sunlight can negatively affect your plant’s leaves, reducing its growth potential.

Tip #1: Don’t Leave Your Plant Near Windows in Colder Months If you want to make sure your plant isn’t exposed to colder temperatures, you may want to keep them away from windows. In colder months like late fall and winter, even the smallest draft can leak cold air into your home through cracks in your windows. While this air usually dissipates and warms up as it travels throughout your home, any plants placed in close proximity to the window will be affected. Move your tropical plants into an area where they will still get bright but indirect light, while making sure they won’t be affected by potential drafts. Tip #2: If You Find Dry Patches, Your Plant May Be Getting Too Much Sunlight or Heat You may notice the leaves become white or even scorched on a sunny day. These discolorations and unusual markings usually indicate that a plant is getting too much heat or sunlight, and it may be dehydrated. Excess light and heat will dry out the soil, stopping plants from getting the moisture they need to support their cellular structure. It also slows down or stops the process of photosynthesis, further hindering growth. If ignored for too long, these dry spots can spread and eventually result in the death of your plants. Tip #3: Avoid Frost at All Costs Colder temperatures and frost can damage your plants by causing ice crystals or disrupt normal physiological activity. This makes it nearly impossible for water to move freely throughout plant tissue, creating a deficit of moisture in their stems and leaves. You can tell a plant has been damaged by frost if it begins to suffer from hydrosis (it will appear as though it's soaked with water.) If the problem persists, your plants may begin shriveling and turning a dark brown or black hue. After that, the plant will almost certainly die.

The best way to maintain the right temperature range for Foxtail fern is by keeping an eye on both the climate and humidity. You’ll want to try to keep each species in a room where you have access to climate control, keeping the heat in the temperature range best mimics its natural habitat. The humidity levels will also have a direct effect on temperature, so it's important to monitor these as well. You can artificially raise the humidity of your growing space by using a humidifier or lightly misting the leaves with water. If you intend to grow this species outside, you may find it difficult to maintain the right balance of temperature and humidity. If temperatures begin to drop or the air becomes too dry, your best option is to find room within your home and move your plant inside. An indoor growing space will allow you to control the climate more closely, helping your plant reach its full potential.

All plants rely on soil nutrients to facilitate their growth, and the Foxtail fern is no exception. However, it is not always a guarantee that the soil in which your plants grow will have all of the nutrients required. Fertilization and soil amendments help ensure that the plants in your garden not only have the basic nutrients they need but also that they get the nutrients that are specifically necessary to them. Foxtail fern needs fertilizer to ensure that its roots and stems continue to develop in a healthy way throughout the growing season. Fertilization will also help a Foxtail fern a set of leaves that looks fantastic, which is especially important for this plant since its foliage is its main point of ornamental appeal.

A Foxtail fern will need the greatest amount of fertilizer during the seasons in which it is actively growing. This active growth phase typically spans most of the months that make up spring, summer, and early fall. Once winter ends, you should plan to feed your Foxtail fern about once every two to four weeks. Continue feeding at this rate until the fall months arrive. Once fall arrives, you can reduce your fertilization rate, reducing the amount of fertilizer you give gradually until you cease feedings entirely in anticipation of winter, when the Foxtail fern will have far less active growth.

Throughout most of the year, including spring, summer, and most of the fall, you should continue feeding your Foxtail fern regularly. The only exception to this is if you notice that your Foxtail fern has received too much fertilizer or if you have managed to fertilize your Foxtail fern incorrectly, causing fertilizer burn or some other issue that you'll need to remedy before returning to a regular feeding schedule. The only time of year when you should not fertilize a Foxtail fern is during winter. If you grow this plant indoors in an area where the winters are cold, it will enter a dormant phase during the winter. Feeding this plant during its dormant phase is not only unnecessary and unhelpful to this plant's growth, but it is also very likely to cause fertilizer burn.

The fertilizer for a Foxtail fern has a specific blend of nutrients, each of which is present in relatively low amounts. An ideal fertilizer will have an N-P-K ratio of 3-1-2. However, a general-purpose fertilizer that has an even blend of nutrients can work well in some cases. Still, even when using a balanced fertilizer, the ratio number representing the volume of each nutrient should be at 10 or lower. The fertilizer you use can be either granular or liquid based. If you choose to use a liquid-based fertilizer, it is often best to dilute the strength by half. While there is not much downside to granular fertilizer, it is often most sensible to use liquid fertilizer, especially if you feed your Foxtail fern while you supply water.

The fertilizer that you purchase for your Foxtail fern will likely come with application instructions that you should follow in most cases. However, for a Foxtail fern, you should always fertilize just before or while you are watering the soil, as this will prevent the fertilizer from burning the plant's roots. If you use a slow-release granular fertilizer, you should sprinkle it on the soil and then provide water immediately after. If you use a liquid-based fertilizer, you should dilute it with water, apply it to the soil, then supply a bit more water. Diluting your fertilizer by at least half is especially important in spring and fall when the plant's growth is ramping up and decelerating, respectively.

Since it is advisable to fertilize your Foxtail fern every few weeks throughout the growing season, overfertilization is not often an issue. However, it remains possible for this to occur. If you overfertilize your Foxtail fern, you may notice accumulations of excess fertilizer on the soil’s surface and foliage discoloration. Fertilizer burn is the most common issue you should worry about when feeding a Foxtail fern. This issue occurs when you overfertilize, fail to dilute your fertilizer, or when don’t water during and after fertilization. In any of those cases, the fertilizer can draw moisture out of your plant’s roots, causing it to dry out. Often, fertilizer burn will manifest with browning and yellowing of this plant’s leaves.