Watering schedule

How often to water Squirrel's Paw Fern (Davallia bullata) — the schedule

Also called Squirrel's Paw Fern, Ball Fern, Hare's Foot Fern.

More about squirrel's paw fern

Watering at a glance

Base rhythm	Every 5–8 days in the growing season, every 10–14 days in cooler months
Spring / summer	Spring and summer: soak or dunk the roots/mount thoroughly about once a week, then let them dry almost completely before the next soak.
Autumn	Autumn: lengthen the gap between soaks as light and growth taper off.
Winter	Winter: soak far less often — roughly every 2-3 weeks — and always let the roots dry fully in between.
Light	Bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window)

About Squirrel's Paw Fern

Davallia bullata · also called Squirrel's Paw Fern, Ball Fern · houseplant

Davallia bullata is an epiphytic fern from tropical Asia with finely divided, feathery fronds and thick, creeping rhizomes covered in brown and white scales resembling a squirrel's paw. Easy to grow as a hanging basket or mounted specimen, it tolerates average indoor conditions and brief drying out, making it one of the more beginner-friendly ferns.

Ideal humidity: 45–65%

Watch for — Frond tip browning: Most commonly caused by low humidity or fluoride sensitivity in tap water. Switch to rainwater or filtered water, raise humidity with a pebble tray, and keep away from draughts and heating vents. Trim brown tips with clean scissors if aesthetics are important.

The watering schedule, season by season

Squirrel's Paw Fern grows on bark, not in soil — it wants its roots soaked then fully dried and exposed to air, never kept damp like a potted plant. The base rhythm for squirrel's paw fern is every 5–8 days in the growing season, every 10–14 days in cooler months, but the real interval moves with the season, the light and the pot — so treat the figures below as a starting point and always confirm with the plant itself.

Spring & summer (active growth): Spring and summer: soak or dunk the roots/mount thoroughly about once a week, then let them dry almost completely before the next soak.
Autumn (slowing down): Autumn: lengthen the gap between soaks as light and growth taper off.
Winter (rest / dormancy): Winter: soak far less often — roughly every 2-3 weeks — and always let the roots dry fully in between.

Allow the top third of the growing medium to dry between waterings. Water thoroughly so moisture reaches all roots, then drain completely. Davallia bullata handles brief dry spells better than most ferns due to water stored in its rhizomes, but consistent overwatering causes root and rhizome rot.

Want this turned into a live reminder that adjusts to your home and the weather? The Growli watering calculator takes your pot size, light and season and returns a starting interval for squirrel's paw fern in seconds.

How to tell squirrel's paw fern needs water

A calendar is the worst way to water squirrel's paw fern. Check the plant and the soil instead — for this species, look for these signals in order:

Roots turn silvery-grey or chalky instead of green/plump.
The mount or bark medium is bone dry and light.
Leaves or pseudobulbs look slightly wrinkled or less rigid.

The most reliable single check is the first one on that list. When two signals agree, water; when they disagree, wait a day and look again — under-watering squirrel's paw fern for a day is almost always safer than over-watering it.

Overwatering vs underwatering squirrel's paw fern

The two failure modes can look alike at a glance, so check the soil weight and wetness before you decide. For squirrel's paw fern specifically:

Signs you are overwatering

Mushy, brown, hollow roots that have stayed wet too long.
Yellowing, soft leaves at the base.
A persistently wet, never-drying medium.

Signs you are underwatering

Leaves go limp, leathery or accordion-pleated; roots stay grey for long stretches.
Shrivelling pseudobulbs or curling leaves.

Treating squirrel's paw fern like a normal houseplant — watering little and often into bark or moss that never dries — suffocates and rots the roots. Soak hard, then let it dry out.

Water quality notes

Rainwater or filtered water is best for squirrel's paw fern; many epiphytes are sensitive to softened water and tap-water minerals.

Seasonal and environmental adjusters

Every figure above shifts with the conditions in your home. For squirrel's paw fern, the levers that matter most are:

Air movement matters as much as water — roots must dry between soaks to avoid rot.
A bark or mounted medium dries far faster than moss, so the wetter the medium, the longer you wait.
In high humidity you can soak less often; in dry heated rooms, more often but still let it dry.

Pot choice is part of this too — work out the right size with the pot size calculator, since a pot that is too big stays wet long enough to rot the roots of squirrel's paw fern.

Squirrel's Paw Fern watering — frequently asked questions

How often should I water squirrel's paw fern?

Water squirrel's paw fern every 5–8 days in the growing season, every 10–14 days in cooler months. Spring and summer: soak or dunk the roots/mount thoroughly about once a week, then let them dry almost completely before the next soak. Winter: soak far less often — roughly every 2-3 weeks — and always let the roots dry fully in between.

How do I know when squirrel's paw fern needs water?

Roots turn silvery-grey or chalky instead of green/plump. The mount or bark medium is bone dry and light. Leaves or pseudobulbs look slightly wrinkled or less rigid. The single most reliable test for squirrel's paw fern is the first signal on that list — checking the soil or the plant directly always beats watering by the calendar.

What does an overwatered squirrel's paw fern look like?

Mushy, brown, hollow roots that have stayed wet too long. Yellowing, soft leaves at the base. A persistently wet, never-drying medium. Treating squirrel's paw fern like a normal houseplant — watering little and often into bark or moss that never dries — suffocates and rots the roots. Soak hard, then let it dry out.

What are the signs of an underwatered squirrel's paw fern?

Leaves go limp, leathery or accordion-pleated; roots stay grey for long stretches. Shrivelling pseudobulbs or curling leaves.

Can I use tap water on squirrel's paw fern?