Hound's Tongue Fern (Hound's Tongue) care

Light

The Goldilocks zone. Not the south-facing windowsill (too hot, too direct), not the back of the room (too dim, growth stalls). Performs well in medium to bright indirect light; an east- or north-facing window is ideal. It tolerates lower light levels better than most ferns but growth slows and fronds become elongated in deep shade. Avoid direct midday sun, which scorches the leathery fronds. If you can't decide, a free phone lux-meter app aimed at the leaf at noon should read between 800 and 1,500 lux.

Watering

Watering hound's tongue fern: when the top 2-3 cm of mix begins to dry, roughly every 7-10 days. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Keep the root zone evenly moist but never waterlogged. The leathery fronds tolerate brief dryness better than delicate ferns, but prolonged drought causes frond tips to brown. The surface rhizome should not be buried and can be allowed to dry slightly between waterings. Use room-temperature water; hard, chlorinated tap water may cause tip browning.

Soil and pot

Hound's Tongue Fern grows best in coarse, humusy, epiphyte-friendly fern mix. Use a very free-draining medium: standard houseplant mix blended with coarse orchid bark, coco coir, and perlite works well. As an epiphyte the creeping rhizome must rest on the surface of the mix, not be buried. Wide, shallow pots or hanging baskets suit the spreading rhizome better than deep containers. 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

Hound's Tongue Fern sits happiest at around 40-65% humidity and 16-26°C (60-78°F). More tolerant of average household humidity than most ferns; 40-50% is manageable, though 55-65% gives best growth and glossiest fronds. A pebble tray or occasional misting helps in centrally heated rooms. Avoid consistently dry air below 35%, which causes tip browning. If you keep the room above 16 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 hound's tongue fern sparingly. Feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser diluted to half strength every 4-6 weeks in spring and summer. Ferns are light feeders; over-fertilising causes frond-tip burn. Pause feeding in autumn and winter. Skip feeding for several months after repotting into fresh mix. 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 hound's tongue fern in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Brown frond tips — Usually low humidity, inconsistent watering, or mineral build-up from hard tap water. Raise humidity, water more evenly, and use filtered or rainwater.
• Yellowing or mushy fronds — Overwatering and poor drainage leading to root or rhizome rot. Let the top of the mix dry slightly between waterings, ensure the pot drains freely, and never bury the creeping rhizome.
• Scale insects — Small brown bumps along fronds and the creeping rhizome that sap vigour and leave sticky residue. Remove manually with a cotton bud dipped in dilute insecticidal soap and treat with horticultural oil; repeat weekly until clear.

Propagation

Propagate by division of the creeping rhizome in spring. Cut a section of healthy rhizome bearing at least one frond and some roots, pin it gently onto moist, free-draining fern mix without burying it, and keep warm and humid until established. Spore propagation is possible but slow. 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

Hound's Tongue Fern is mildly toxic to pets. Microsorum pustulatum is not individually listed in the ASPCA toxic or non-toxic plant database, and no Microsorum species appears in the ASPCA database. While true ferns (family Polypodiaceae) are generally low-risk, formal safety for this species has not been established by the ASPCA. Treat as mildly toxic as a precaution, keep out of reach of pets, and verify with your veterinarian if ingestion occurs. 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.

Hound's Tongue Fern deep-dive guides

Every aspect of hound's tongue fern care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Hound's Tongue Fern watering schedule
• Hound's Tongue Fern light requirements
• Best soil mix for hound's tongue fern
• Hound's Tongue Fern fertilizing guide
• When to repot hound's tongue fern
• How to propagate hound's tongue fern
• Hound's Tongue Fern growth rate & size
• Hound's Tongue Fern cold hardiness
• Hound's Tongue Fern temperature & humidity
• Is hound's tongue fern toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is hound's tongue fern toxic to cats?
• Is hound's tongue fern toxic to dogs?

Featured in these plant shortlists

Hound's Tongue Fern qualifies for 5 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• 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 drought-tolerant houseplants — Houseplants that prefer to dry out — forgiving of forgotten watering and ideal for travel or busy weeks.
• Best trailing & climbing houseplants — Vining and trailing houseplants for shelves, hanging pots, and moss poles — selected by growth habit.
• Best houseplants for beginners — Forgiving of irregular light and watering — the houseplants least likely to die in a new plant parent’s first season.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

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Hound's Tongue Fern is also known as Hound's Tongue Fern, Hound's Tongue, Kangaroo Fern, and Fragrant Fern.

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