Mature size & growth rate

How big does Squirrel's Foot Fern (Davallia trichomanoides) get?

Also called Squirrel Foot Fern, Dwarf Rabbit's Foot Fern, Ball Fern.

More about squirrel's foot fern

About Squirrel's Foot Fern

Davallia trichomanoides · also called Squirrel Foot Fern, Dwarf Rabbit's Foot Fern · houseplant

Davallia trichomanoides is a charming epiphytic fern famous for its pale, furry rhizomes that creep over the pot rim like the feet of a small animal. The finely divided, lacy fronds are semi-deciduous. It is a rewarding houseplant and is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA.

Mature size: 20-30 cm tall; rhizomes may creep well beyond the pot edge

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Squirrel's Foot Fern does not get tall — it gets long. Size here is about stem length and how you train or cut it, not how much floor it claims. Indoors and in a pot, expect 20-30 cm tall. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — rhizomes may creep well beyond the pot edge — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

Growth shows up as lengthening stems that trail down or climb up a support; the plant can be kept tiny or grown metres long from the exact same root system.

Growth rate and years to mature

Squirrel's Foot Fern is a moderate grower. Realistically, expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Its feeding profile backs this up: feed monthly during spring and summer with a dilute balanced liquid fertiliser at quarter strength. avoid over-fertilising the naturally lean epiphytic mix as salt build-up damages rhizomes.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the squirrel's foot fern repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast squirrel's foot fern grows.

How to keep squirrel's foot fern smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For squirrel's foot fern specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — squirrel's foot fern takes hard cutting well and bushes out from the cut.
Cut just above a leaf node; each trimmed stem usually branches into two, so pruning makes it fuller, not sparser.
The cuttings root easily in water or mix, so "keeping it smaller" doubles as free new plants.
A trim once or twice a season is usually enough to hold its length.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Decide the length you want. Pick the point each vine of squirrel's foot fern should stop — you can be aggressive; it regrows readily.
Cut just above a node. Snip about 0.5 cm above a leaf node so the stem branches there instead of dying back.
Root the cuttings. Drop the trimmed pieces in water or mix — they root in 2-4 weeks and can fill the same pot for a bushier look.
Repeat as it runs. Re-trim whenever it overshoots; regular light pruning keeps it both smaller and fuller.

How to grow squirrel's foot fern bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for squirrel's foot fern the accelerators are:

Good light plus a moss pole or trellis triggers the longest, fastest, largest-leaved growth.
Give it something to climb — many vines grow far faster and bigger up a support than trailing.
Feed through spring and summer and keep it consistently watered while it is actively running.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The squirrel's foot fern light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When squirrel's foot fern outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for squirrel's foot fern:

Vines pooling on the floor or wrapping past where you want them — purely a trimming cue, not a repot one.
Bare, leggy stems with leaves only at the tips (usually a light problem, not a size one).
A tangled mass that has outrun its support and needs cutting back and re-training.

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the squirrel's foot fern repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the squirrel's foot fern propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Squirrel's Foot Fern size — frequently asked questions

How big does squirrel's foot fern get?

Squirrel's Foot Fern reaches 20-30 cm tall when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (rhizomes may creep well beyond the pot edge). Growth shows up as lengthening stems that trail down or climb up a support; the plant can be kept tiny or grown metres long from the exact same root system.

Is squirrel's foot fern slow or fast growing?

Squirrel's Foot Fern is a moderate grower. Expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Squirrel's Foot Fern does not get tall — it gets long. Size here is about stem length and how you train or cut it, not how much floor it claims.

How long does squirrel's foot fern take to reach full size?

Roughly three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep squirrel's foot fern smaller?

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — squirrel's foot fern takes hard cutting well and bushes out from the cut. Cut just above a leaf node; each trimmed stem usually branches into two, so pruning makes it fuller, not sparser. The cuttings root easily in water or mix, so "keeping it smaller" doubles as free new plants. A trim once or twice a season is usually enough to hold its length.

How can I make squirrel's foot fern grow bigger or faster?

Good light plus a moss pole or trellis triggers the longest, fastest, largest-leaved growth. Give it something to climb — many vines grow far faster and bigger up a support than trailing. Feed through spring and summer and keep it consistently watered while it is actively running.