Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Care for Frosty Fern Plants

The frosty fern (Selaginella krausianna variegatus) is a fast-growing and creeping plant that can be used for a ground cover or as a houseplant. The frosty fern’s stems are bright green in color and have tinges of whitish-gold that make the foliage look like it's covered with frost, hence its name. When you’re selecting a planting site for your frosty fern, ensure that it has enough room to grow. The frosty fern grows to only 12 inches tall, but its stems can spread to more than 1 foot long.

Outdoor Frosty Fern Care

Select a planting site that is in the shade and has well-draining soil. Work into the soil some rich organic compost and a handful of coarse sand when you plant the frosty fern.

Water your frosty fern once each week during the growing season or more often during dry spells. Water the fern during the fall and winter only when the soil threatens to dry out.

  • The frosty fern (Selaginella krausianna variegatus) is a fast-growing and creeping plant that can be used for a ground cover or as a houseplant.

Fertilize your frosty fern once per month during the growing season. Feed your frosty fern a high-nitrogen fertilizer according to the directions on the label.

Indoor Frosty Fern Care

Pot your frosty fern in a container with drainage holes in the bottom. Fill the planter pot with rich but well-draining potting soil.

Water your frosty fern twice per week or enough to keep the soil moist at all times. Keep the fern in a spot away from direct sunlight.

Feed your frosty fern once per week with a diluted, high-nitrogen fertilizer during the growing season.

  • Fertilize your frosty fern once per month during the growing season.
  • Water your frosty fern twice per week or enough to keep the soil moist at all times.

Keep the air around your frosty fern plant humid by placing the planter pot on top of a drainage dish filled with gravel and water. Ensure that the bottom of the plant container rests on top of the gravel and not in the water.

Tip

You can identify a high-nitrogen fertilizer by the larger first NPK (Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium) number on the package.

Control sowbugs and pillbugs infesting your frosty fern by treating the fern with diazanon granules, and control slugs or snails with baits. Treat aphid, mealybug, thrip and scale infestations using a systemic insecticide. Always follow the instructions on the label exactly.

Warning

Never allow the soil to dry around your frosty fern. This fern doesn’t tolerate dry periods or waterlogged soil.

Related Articles

How to Repot Fern Plants
How to Repot Fern Plants
How to Trim an Asparagus Fern
How to Trim an Asparagus Fern
Firecracker Fern Planting Instructions
Firecracker Fern Planting Instructions
How to Care for Fern House Plants
How to Care for Fern House Plants
How to Care for a Kangaroo Paw Fern
How to Care for a Kangaroo Paw Fern
How to Grow Wood Ferns
How to Grow Wood Ferns
How to Grow Ostrich Ferns
How to Grow Ostrich Ferns
How to Look After a Dicksonia Antarctica Tree Fern
How to Look After a Dicksonia Antarctica Tree Fern
My Fern Fronds Are Turning Brown
My Fern Fronds Are Turning Brown
How to Care for a Hanging Boston Fern
How to Care for a Hanging Boston Fern
How to Take Care of a Fern as an Indoor Plant
How to Take Care of a Fern as an Indoor Plant
How to Care for a Japanese Painted Fern
How to Care for a Japanese Painted Fern
Garden Guides
×