Shoestring Fern (Grass Fern) care

Light

Most houseplants sulk in a dim corner. Shoestring Fern is one of the handful that doesn't. Low to bright indirect light, never direct sun. In the wild it clings to shaded trunks, so deep shade with filtered light keeps the thread-like fronds healthy. The tell that you've pushed even a low-light plant too far is soil that stays wet for a week — the plant has stopped transpiring, which means it's stopped using water, which is one short step from rot.

Watering

Water shoestring fern keep the mount or medium consistently moist; mist or water every 2-4 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. As a humidity-loving epiphyte it must never dry out fully. Use soft, low-mineral water and keep the root mat and surrounding moss evenly damp without being waterlogged.

Soil and pot

Shoestring Fern grows best in epiphytic mount or sphagnum-based mix. Grow mounted on bark or a tree-fern slab packed with sphagnum moss, or in a basket of loose bark, moss and perlite. It needs maximum air around the roots, not dense potting 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

Shoestring Fern sits happiest at around 70-90% humidity and 18-27°C (65-80°F). Requires very high humidity at all times; a terrarium, greenhouse or enclosed case is almost essential. Dry household air quickly browns and shrivels the fine fronds. If you keep the room above 18 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 shoestring fern sparingly. Feed very lightly every 4-6 weeks in the growing season with a quarter-strength balanced liquid or foliar feed applied to the moss and roots. This delicate epiphyte is easily burned by concentrated fertiliser. 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 shoestring fern in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Shrivelled, browning fronds — The classic sign of insufficient humidity or drying out. Keep the mount damp and humidity high, ideally in an enclosed case.
• Crispy frond tips — Caused by hard water or dry air. Switch to rainwater or distilled water and raise ambient humidity.
• Rot at the rhizome — From stagnant, waterlogged moss with poor airflow. Ensure good ventilation and keep the medium moist but not sodden.
• Sparse or stalled growth — Often too little humidity or too cold. Maintain warmth above 18°C and consistently high moisture to encourage new fronds.

Propagation

Propagated by dividing established clumps with attached rhizome and moss, then re-mounting in humid conditions. It also self-sows readily from spores in moist, shaded settings, which can colonise nearby moss or bark. 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

Shoestring Fern is pet-safe. Vittaria is a true fern genus not listed on the ASPCA toxic plants database; true ferns are generally considered non-toxic to cats and dogs. No toxic principle is reported. As with any houseplant, ingestion may cause mild, temporary digestive upset. 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.

Shoestring Fern deep-dive guides

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

• Shoestring Fern watering schedule
• Shoestring Fern light requirements
• Best soil mix for shoestring fern
• Shoestring Fern fertilizing guide
• When to repot shoestring fern
• How to propagate shoestring fern
• Shoestring Fern growth rate & size
• Shoestring Fern cold hardiness
• Shoestring Fern temperature & humidity
• Is shoestring fern toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is shoestring fern toxic to cats?
• Is shoestring fern toxic to dogs?

Featured in these plant shortlists

Shoestring Fern qualifies for 14 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 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 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.
• Best humidity-loving houseplants — Houseplants that thrive in a bathroom, kitchen, or by a humidifier — selected by documented humidity preference.
• Best bathroom plants — Humidity-loving houseplants that also cope with lower light — suited to the steamy, often-dim conditions of a typical bathroom.
• Best pet-safe trailing & hanging plants — Trailing and climbing plants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe for shelves and hanging pots in a pet home.
• Best pet-safe low-maintenance plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and forgiving of forgotten watering — the easiest safe choices for a busy pet household.
• Best pet-safe bathroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in the humid, lower-light conditions of a bathroom — safe greenery for the smallest room.
• 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.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Shoestring Fern is also commonly called Shoestring Fern or Grass Fern.

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