Button fern (tarawera) care

Light

Button fern wants the spot a few feet back from a sunny window — bright enough to read a paperback at noon, but the sun never falls directly on the leaves. Medium to bright indirect light; avoid direct sun. A faint hand shadow at midday is the right amount; a sharp dark shadow means it's getting direct sun and probably too much.

Watering

Water button fern when the top 2 cm of soil is dry, every 7-10 days. The actual day count varies with pot size, light, and season — the finger test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) is more reliable than a fixed calendar. Empty any drainage saucer afterwards so the pot isn't sitting in water. Tolerates occasional drying better than other ferns; rot from overwatering is the main risk.

Soil and pot

Button fern grows best in free-draining alkaline mix. Compost with 25% perlite; tolerates slightly alkaline soil. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Button fern sits happiest at around 40-60% humidity and 15-24°C (60-75°F). Tolerates lower humidity than most ferns. If you keep the room above 15 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed button fern sparingly. Quarter-strength balanced feed every 6-8 weeks in growing season. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on button fern in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Brown crispy fronds — Dry soil; water more consistently.
• Yellow fronds — Overwatering or rot.
• Slow growth — Normal; button ferns are not rapid growers.
• Pale colour — Insufficient light or hungry — feed lightly.

Propagation

Divide established clumps in spring. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Button fern is pet-safe. Pellaea rotundifolia is not listed by the ASPCA. Considered safe around cats and dogs. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Button fern deep-dive guides

Every aspect of button fern care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Common button fern problems & fixes
• Button fern watering schedule
• Button fern light requirements
• Best soil mix for button fern
• Button fern fertilizing guide
• When to repot button fern
• How to propagate button fern
• How to prune button fern
• What's eating my button fern?
• Button fern growth rate & size
• Button fern cold hardiness
• Button fern temperature & humidity
• Is button fern toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is button fern toxic to cats?
• Is button fern toxic to dogs?

Featured in these plant shortlists

Button fern qualifies for 9 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
• Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
• Best pet-safe low-light plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs AND happy with no direct sun — the two hardest constraints to satisfy at once.
• Best small & tabletop houseplants — Compact houseplants that stay under about 40 cm — desk, shelf and windowsill plants that never outgrow a small space.
• Best pet-safe bedroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in lower light — calming greenery for a bedroom where a pet often sleeps too.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Best small pet-safe plants — Compact, tabletop houseplants that are also ASPCA non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe greenery for a desk or shelf.
• Browse all 30 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Button fern is also commonly called New Zealand button fern or tarawera.

• Three-Part Begonia care — light, water and common problems
• Wavy Begonia care — light, water and common problems
• Single-Leaf Begonia care — light, water and common problems
• All 10153 plant care guides in the Growli library