Maidenhair fern comparison of varieties

I grow a few different maidenhair ferns, they are lovely ferns and I really like them.  Each type that I grow are noticeably different.  

I sell a few maidenhair ferns each year, and hope they the buyer looks after them.  Sadly, most people think of maidenhair ferns (or any potted plants) like a bunch of flowers: they look great when they buy it and they expect to throw it away after a time.  I am happy to say that these ferns will live for decades if cared for.  

Maidenhair ferns are relatively simple to grow.  I don't mist them or have them under grow lights or make any attempt to control humidity or have a terrarium or anything like that.  I grow some outside under shelter, some in my unheated greenhouse, and some on the bookshelf in the house.  I wrote a previous blog post describing how I grow maidenhair ferns.  

I really like my maiden hair ferns so thought I would make a blog post showing a comparison of the different types I currently grow.  Please note I am not a fern collector, there are many more varieties (as many other species) of maidenhair that exist.  

Variegated maidenhair pinnules are each unique 

Office fern: Adiantum raddianum.  Originally from South America, these are commonly sold in garden shops.  I call it my office fern because it lived on the deak at my office for the first four years that I had it.  People often complain that they had one but killed it because they treated it like a cactus instead of a fern.  It grows long, arching, delicate looking fronds on surprisingly thin black stems.  This fern can get rather dense and vibrant if looked after.  I have had the fern below for almost eight years and it is thriving.  The largest fronds usually reach a little over 50cm long, which is about as big as this one will grow in a pot this size.  

Maidenhair fern - almost eight years old

Chunky maidenhair: probably Adiantum raddianum, but I am not certain.  I was told this is 'Lady Moxon', after growing it for a few years I am pretty sure that it is not Lady Moxon.  It is quite different to my office fern and produces chunky and compact fronds.  The fronds are slightly contorted and twisted, and the pinnules are clumped much closer together than they typical maidenhair ferns.  The stem of each frond is much thicker than normal maidenhair ferns.  I have not grown this as many years as my office fern so it is not as large, and I don't yet know how large it can become.  While it is staying comparatively compact, it seems to be getting longer and chunkier fronds each year.  When I first got this, due to its shape it almost looked similar to a bonsai tree.  

Chunky maidenhair fern

Chunky maidenhair fern

Chunky maidenhair frond

Variegated maidenhair vs chunky 

Variegated maidenhair fern: Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata'.  The elusive and rare variegated maidenhair fern.  Fronds are green splashed with white and produced on thin black stems.  I think there are a few versions of this, but on mine the fronds tend to divide towards the tips.  This is never as large as my office fern, the largest fronds reaching about 40cm long.  My photos never do justice to this incredible fern, it is a delightful and graceful and captivates with its delicate fronds and striking variegation.  

Variegated Maidenhair Fern

Variegated maidenhair frond 

Native maidenhair fern: this is one of Australia's 8 native species, most likely Adiantum aethiopicum but it could be Adiantum capillus-veneris, I really need a fern expert to positively identify it for me one day.  This species is native to Australia, and native to my location.  The pinnules are a different shape to my office fern, and the sporangium are also a different shape.  It is hardier, and survives light frosts and drying out much better than the South American A raddianum.  This sends out runners under the soil, and survives a far wider range of conditions.  This species never gets as dense and full looking as the South American species.  

Australian native maidenhair fern

This is by no means an exhaustive list of maidenhair fern varieties, it is just the varieties I am currently growing.  There are a few other varieties I would like to get some day, but that may or may not ever happen.

I do sell maidenhair ferns from time to time.  When I have a few for sale I list them on my for sale page.  That page has my contact details, so if you are after one of my ferns send me an email and I will let you know if I have any for sale.  If you have any interesting varieties of maidenhair fern let me know, I would love to learn more.  

Variegated maidenhair fern update

I wrote a post a while ago on my variegated maidenhair fern.  I mentioned how I didn't look after it properly and it died back to a single frond, and how at that stage it was starting to regain strength.  

I was worried because variegated maidenhair ferns are rare and incredibly difficult to find, so if I lost mine I probably would never be able to get another one.  Variegated maiden hair ferns are really lovely, so I would hate to lose mine.

It has been almost a year since my previous post, so I thought it may be time for an update.  As you can see, my variegated maidenhair fern (top right of the following two photos below) is doing well.

Variegated maidenhair top right

Variegated maidenhair fern almost a year ago top right

On a side note, you may notice in the photos above that my tiger fern (top left) is smaller in the more recent photo.  This is because I divided it.  I am planning on keeping this little division, and growing out the other larger ones for sale.  Tiger ferns are hardy and fast growing, it should not take too long for this little one to grow back to its original size.  Enough about tiger ferns, let's talk about maidenhair ferns.

I grow my variegated maidenhair fern outside where it is under cover and slightly sheltered.  I had it inside my house for some time but there was not enough light for it, which meant it declined badly.  Outside on my verandah this plant gets hit by strong winds, over winter it gets some light frost, and it gets too hot over summer, but my maidenhair ferns perform surprisingly well out there.  

Too many people complain that they have killed a maidenhair fern, they usually blame the fern and assume they are difficult to grow.  Maidenhair ferns are not what I would consider to be very hardy, but they are simple to grow.  I wrote a blog post on how I grow maidenhair ferns.  While I am not an expert, they grow well for me, and that post explains how I grow them.  

I have grown this variegated maidenhair fern for almost six years, and I also have a green maidenhair fern (bottom right of the photos above) that I have been growing for close to eight years.  While I am not an expert in ferns, the longevity of these plants show the way I grow them works well.  

Variegation is different on each of the pinnules

Maidenhair ferns don't like to dry out, but they are not swamp plants.  I use self watering pots that have a little reservoir of water.  This ensures they have constant access to water but are not overly wet.  

I am told that maidenhair ferns do well in hanging baskets.  The ones I have seen in hanging baskets look incredible.  I don't grow these ferns, or any plants, in hanging baskets because I can't work out how to do it.  I can't work out how to water them easily, I worry that the wind will knock them down, and I don't have anywhere sensible to hang them.  If you have success growing things in hanging baskets I think a variegated maidenhair fern would look incredible growing in one.  

Any variegated plant will be weaker than an all green one, variegated maidenhair ferns are no exception to this.  Direct sunlight scorches their fronds.  They also don't cope with total darkness, less chlorophyll means they are less efficient at photosynthesis.  

Chlorophyll allows plants to photosynthesize and also acts like sunscreen.  Being variegated means they will burn easily, and be less able to cope with lack of light.  I grow them in 'bright shade' where they get an hour or so of direct light at sunrise.  Too much direct sunlight tends to burn them, but a little direct sunlight in the morning seems to be fine.  

Variegated Maidenhair Fern

I mentioned in my previous post how I would normally rotate my fern each week to ensure it grew out evenly, at that stage my fern was still weak so I was not rotating it.  This was a good idea and it worked out well.

My fern had little energy and only one frond.  It grew new fronds and orientated them to catch the light in the most efficient way possible, and it regained strength.  The fern grew a bit lop sided, but that was ok.  

Once it was a little stronger and a bit more healthy I started to rotate the pot a little bit each week.  This helped the growth to even out a bit, and my fern continued to get stronger.  It was still lo[p sided, but was less uneven and getting healthier.  

When my variegated maiden hair fern got even larger I would rotate the pot 90 degrees each week.  As you can see from the photo below, my fern now has reasonably even growth on all sides.  This is what I wanted it to do.  

Not only does it have even growth on all sides, but my fern is now reasonably large and healthy.  

Variegated maidenhair fern with even growth

If you have followed my blog you will probably have noticed that I am not a photographer.  Regular maidenhair ferns are graceful, variegated maiden hair ferns are incredibly graceful and even more elegant, my photos do not do it justice.  

I also realise that the photos I take of the entire plant don't really show the variegation.  While I don't encourage people to touch the fronds of maidenhair ferns, you can see the variegation a little more easily when I do hold my hand underneath.   

New fronds start out green, with lighter green where the variegation will develop.  As the frond ages the variegated parts turn white.  On each frond some pinnules will be entirely green, some might be entirely white, and most will have some amount of green and white.  My fern hasn't produces any entirely green fronds.

Variegated fern

Variegation

Maidenhair variegation

One thing I notice is that this fern grows a little differently than my other maidenhair ferns.  I was told it was Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata' but to be honest I am not certain about the species.  I grow a few different species of maidenhair ferns.  Perhaps my variegated fern is a different species to my other maidenhair ferns, or perhaps it is the same species with different growth characteristics.  

It is not quite as large as my other ferns, and I don't think it ever will be.  The fronds of my variegated maidenhair fern often reach 40cm, occasionally some of them reach 50cm.  I have a feeling that this is as large as they will ever grow.  My other maidenhair ferns have fronds that regularly exceed 50cm.  I think some of my other maidenhair ferns have potential to row quite a bit larger but are restricted due to the size of their pots.

The fronds of my variegated maiden hair fern are often divided at the tip.  You can see this in the photo below.  Not every frond does this, but it appears that most of the larger mature fronds do.   

Variegated maidenhair fronds tend to be divided at the tip

It appears that my variegated maiden hair fern is doing well.  I am tempted to try and divide it.  

Dividing my fern will set it back considerably, and will mean that its growth is no longer even.  I am not overly keen on this because my variegated maidenhair looks so large and impressive at the moment.  

Variegated maidenhair fern

Dividing it would also mean that I will have two of them, which will help to ensure that I don't lose it if the pot gets knocked over by a possum or something.  Very few places sell variegated maidenhair ferns, and the few that do seem to be sold out for most of the year.  

Variegated fronds

Variegation is different on each pinnule

My photos really don't do them justice

I like maidenhair ferns, and I really like this variegated form.  I should try to grow some from spores and see how much genetic diversity they have.  

I sell some maidenhair ferns through my for sale page, and if I ever have any variegated ones spare I will probably offer them for sale through there too.  

Unless I grow a lot from spores, or have success with growing them using tissue culture, it is unlikely that I will ever be able to offer many for sale, but it is worth keeping an eye on my for sale page if you are interested in them.  

Variegated maidenhair fern update

A few years ago I bought a variegated maidenhair fern (Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata') and wrote a blog post about it.  

My variegated maidenhair fern did poorly.  I had it in a self-watering pot that was not designed well.  I normally grow maidenhair ferns in self watering pots and they usually work well, but this one functioned more like a pot without a drainage hole.  My fern went down hill badly until I repotted it and changed some of the soil.

My fern grew ok from here, getting larger and stronger.  The fern reached a rather large size and had long graceful variegated green and white fronds.

Then I had to move it to a different spot.  Maidenhair ferns do not handle direct sunlight, it burns them.  Variegated maidenhair ferns are even less able to tolerate direct sunlight.  Maidenhair ferns don't cope with no light, variegated ones even less so.  

Variegated maidenhair ferns can be a bit precious, but they are worth the effort.  

Variegated maidenhair fern fronds

Maidenhair ferns need bright shade, they thrive with a little direct sunlight early in the morning.  Contrary to what you have been told, maidenhair ferns do not cope with low light.  If the light is too low they slowly die.  

This fern is so beautiful that I really want it growing inside the house where I can see it.  Unfortunately, my variegated maidenhair fern did not get enough light in the spot I chose for it.  It declined again.  I tried moving it a little closer to the light, where it struggled to survive.  After some time of declining it only had one single frond!

I have a sheltered spot outside where I grow some maidenhair ferns and other delicate plants.  It is perfect for them.  They get a little direct sun at sunrise, then bright shade for the rest of the day.  

I don't want my variegated maidenhair fern to die, so I moved it outside.  I won't see it as much out there, but I sit out there on warm days and drink coffee so will still get to see it.  

Some of my ferns

Maidenhair ferns can bounce back quickly if they have enough stored energy, but my little fern had depleted its energy over a long time inside the house where it did not get enough bright light, so I was not sure if it could survive.

The fern immediately started producing new tiny fronds.  This filled me with hope that my fern would survive.  These new fronds were almost immediately eaten by slugs or snails.  

My fern still only had the one frond, only now it had used some of its stored energy to produce more fronds that had been eaten.  To make matters worse, the remaining frond was being damaged by the wind.  

This was not good.

Variegated maidenhair fern

I don't use much snail poison, I don't tend to use it ever, but figured this was probably the one time that I should use it.  I bought one that is iron based, and put a little on the soil near my variegated maiden hair fern.  

Apparently this iron based snail bait kills slugs and snails then breaks down and does not leave toxic residues.  The ferns are up on the deck so the chances of a bluetongue lizard eating it (or a snail getting down to them after injesting it) is low.  I am still not keen on using poison, so I only used a tiny bit.

I don't like using poisons, but there is a time and a place for them.  I don't want to lose my fern.  It took years to track one down and it was not cheap.  If this one died I may never find another.

The plant is uneven for now while it builds strength

Slowly, this plant produced more fronds.  At first they were tiny.  Some were damaged by wind or heat, but none were touched by slugs and snails.  

Over time my variegated maidenhair fern produced more fronds.  At first they were very small fronds, then the next ones were slightly larger, and the next ones larger again.  This is all a good sign.

Variegated Maidenhair fern

The variegated maidenhair fern is now reasonable sized and starting to look healthy.  

The fronds are about half as long as they used to be, but they are getting larger as the plant gets stronger.  The plant also has a decent number of fronds now, and looks healthy enough to bounce back if it gets damaged.

Young fronds of maidenhair ferns are light green, and the variegation can be difficult to notice.  As the frond ages it turns darker green, and the white variegation really stands out.  

I have heard that some variegated maidenhair ferns have some non-variegated fronds, but so far mine has not done this.  All of the fronds have at least some variegation.

Normally I would rotate the pot a quarter turn each week so the growth is more even.  As my little fern had such little energy I decided not to do this yet.  I decided to let it orientate its fronds to collect as much light as they could and allow the plant to become stronger.  

Once my fern is a little stronger I will probably start to rotate it each week and slowly even out the growth.  

Variegated maidenhair fern growing stronger 

There appear to be a few plants in the pot.  In spring if things are still going well I may attempt to divide this so I have a few of them.  If it doesn't look strong enough, I will give it another year or so before trying to divide it.  

For now though I plan to allow the plant to do whatever it needs to do so it can gain back its strength.

Variegated maiden hair fern - new fronds

You probably have also noticed that I left the old dead fronds on the plant.  Normally I would try to remove them so the plant looks nicer.  

My variegated maidenhair fern was very weak, and it is growing outside where it gets hot wind in summer and cold winds over winter.  I figured the dead fronds would help to insulate it a little, slightly reduce water loss, and help to block the wind ever so slightly.  For these reasons I have left them on for now. 

I will probably leave it like this with the dead fronds until spring.  If everything is still going well in spring I will remove the dead fronds.  

Fronds divide a little at the tips

Variegated fronds

I like maidenhair ferns, and I think the variegated form is beautiful.  I am glad my maidenhair fern has survived.

Bird nest fern rejuvenation update

I have a birdsnest fern that I have been growing for over 20 years.  It was tiny, then it grew huge, then over the last few years it declined from lack of care.  Late in 2021 I decided to try and rejuvenate this fern.  

The pot it was growing in had lost most of its soil, so I topped this up with new soil and leaf litter.  I also sprinkled some used tea leaves over the new soil.  Tea leaves act as a fertiliser, it is mild enough for the fern, and it breaks down and feeds your plant over a very long time.

Birds nest fern - over 20 years old and still growing

My fern grew a new set of fronds pretty soon after being repotted.  Even though it is so old, and had quite a number of years of neglect, it has started to grow well again.

It still looks a little shabby at times, and it is nowhere as big as it once was, but it is getting healthier and stringer.  I really should cut off the old fronds so this plant can look good again.  

Bird nest fern getting big

I often see birdsnest ferns being sold by florists and garden centers for cheap when they are small.  People put them on their desk or book shelf.  The ferns are cheap, so people generally they don't look after them, and a year or two later the thing is dead and gets replaced by some other ornamental trinket either living or inanimate.   

Birds nest ferns are simple to care for, they can be a long term investment and can get massive if you can be bothered to look after them.  My bird nest fern reached a point where it had fronds that were over 6 feet long.  It is far smaller now. 

If you see a cute little birds nest fern and decide to grow it, please remember that these are living things.  Just because they are cheap does not mean they are disposable.  They are only cheap because they are simple to grow.

Variegated tiger fern 6 month growth

Around six months ago I got a variegated tiger fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Tiger fern').  This is a variegated form of Boston fern.  There aren't many types of variegated fern around, but there is something about variegated ferns that I really like.  

My tiger fern was a good looking little fern, and when it arrived was in the tiniest pot ever.  I repot the thing the day that I got it and it has been in the same pot ever since.  

The picture below if of my tiger fern after it had grown and survived winter living outside in a sheltered position.  

Tiger fern after surviving winter

I repotted my little fern immediately and it has been growing in its new pot ever since.  The picture below was just after repotting, and the picture below that is far more recent.  

As you can see, my variegated tiger fern grew quite a lot in the months that I have had it.  I am happy to say that these ferns are pretty easy to grow.

Tiger fern just after being repotted

The same fern, same pot, six months later 

I particularly like the foliage of these variegated ferns.  Each frond looks different, some are dark green, others are variegated to different amounts, and others are lighter green.  They are an easy to grow fern that is quick to grow and relatively hardy.  They aren't overly fussy about soil type, are able to cope with drier soil than many ferns, and appear to tolerate a wide range of temperatures.

One fun thing about these ferns is that they divide throughout their growing season.  My original fern looked strong, then just before winter I divided it because I was not sure how well it would survive my winter and wanted to ensure that at least one would survive.  I kept the larger plant outside in a spot that was protected from frosts, and I put the baby fern in my greenhouse.  

While dividing heading into winter is not great, I figured it the outside fern died I could restart from the baby.  I also wanted to learn if they could survive outside in my climate if somewhat sheltered from the harshest of frosts.

The plant that was kept outside got some damage from the cold, but looks healthy overall.  Now that warmer weather is here it should start to grow again.  That is great to know because it means I don't have to worry too much about these things over winter.

The plant in the unheated greenhouse was not damaged by the cold.  It is still looking really nice.  This plant also didn't grow very much as it was too cold.  Now that the weather is milder it should grow fast.

Baby tiger fern in greenhouse

As you can probably see in the photos, the baby tiger fern is already a bit larger than the original fern was when I got it.  This little fern looks like it should be ready to divide once the weather warms.  I probably won't divide it yet as I would prefer that it fills out the pot I have it growing in.  

The larger fern sustained a little damage over winter as it was growing outside under shelter.  It was out of the frost, but the temperature was slightly below freezing and it was blasted with icy winds on and off throughout winter.  It is pretty hardy and should bounce back soon enough.  

I could either divide this larger tiger fern into several small ferns, or I could allow it to fill out its pot.  I'm thinking of breaking off one division, and allowing the rest to fill out its pot.  

Variegated tiger fern

These things grow pretty fast and look great when they are completely filling out their pot.  They don't look as amazing when they are a new tiny division with only a few fronds, but I think they are still pretty cute at that stage.  

Variegated Boston ferns also grow pretty fast once winter is over, so they don't stay looking tiny for too long.

Baby maidenhair ferns

As well as my tiger ferns I also grow a bunch of maiden hair ferns and a few other ferns including some baby tree ferns.  

My little maidenhair ferns were spore grown, and some are native species.  I like native maidenhair ferns as they tend to grow differently to the exotic species.  Some of these little ones are spreading by rhizomes and a few are even popping out of their pot's drainage hole.  My exotic maiden hair ferns never grow like that for me.

My oldest maidenhair fern looking shabby at the end of winter

This bird nest fern is over 20 years old

Most ferns are perennial and can live for many many years if treated well.  I got my oldest maidenhair fern in 2016, and I got my oldest birds nest fern back in 2001.  While they look a little shabby at the end of winter and each have a little damage to their fronds from the cold and wind, both are still growing well and should look great in a month or two after they recover.  Ferns are a long term investment!

If you would like one of my little ferns (my older ferns are not for sale), including spore grown native maidenhair ferns, they will be listed on my for sale page.  If they are not listed there feel free to contact me as I may have some for sale but not large numbers of them.

Growing ferns from spores at home

Years ago, back when I was in high school, I used to grow ferns from spores.  I am not really sure what varieties I grew as most I collected the spores from the bush when I was out collecting fire wood and grew them in my house as houseplants. 

Back then I found growing ferns from spores easy.  They just worked.  I think I accidentally stumbled on their preferred conditions back then.  

Bird nest fern sori contains millions of spores

Since then I have tried to grow fern spores a few times with mixed results.  Mostly I ran into issues either with spores never germinating, or contaminants overgrowing and killing the prothallus.

This year I am trying to grow ferns from spores again.  I have bird nest fern, maidenhair fern, and variegated maidenhair fern spores that I have collected from my plants.  

When I get a chance I plan to collect some tree fern spores and maybe a few other types of ferns to give them a try too.  If anyone wants to send me some fern spores, particularly from a stag horn fern, I would love to try to grow them.

Variegated maidenhair fern sori containing spores

I collected my spores on different days to prevent accidental contamination with the wrong spores.  I left the spores in paper somewhere dry and safe for a week.  

During this time I got everything ready.  

I used glass jars.  Why jars you ask, it is because I have them.  Containers with larger opening would be easier to get the young ferns out of.  While glass jars are not ideal I didn't have anything else on hand.

I poured boiling water in the jars and closed the lids, then left the to cool.  The boiling water sterilised the jars, and may have been an unnecessary step.  Sterilising the jars before putting in anything else doesn't hurt, so that's what I do.

Jars with peat moss, perlite, and fern spores

 

Once cool, I tipped out the water from the jar, put in a layer of perlite, added some damp peatmoss on top, and tipped in more boiling water.  I put the lids on and left them to cool overnight.  The boiling water sterilised everything in the jars.  

The next day (or a few days) later when everything was cool I removed a lid from a jar, sprinkled fern spores over the peatmoss, and put the lid back on tightly.  Fern spores are tiny and dust like so you can't plant them like seeds, you have to sprinkle them carefully.  I did one type of spore per jar, and did different jars on different days to reduce the risk of the wrong type of spore from floating in.

Spores need light to germinate, but direct sunlight will kill them.  It also takes anywhere from a few weeks to a several months for them to germinate.  I placed the fern spore jars in my greenhouse on a low shelf where they would receive bright indirect light.  

The jars were placed in a plastic ice cream container that had a bit of water in the bottom.  This step wasn't really needed, but the temperatures in my greenhouse fluctuate too rapidly for my liking.  The jars are sealed so no water can get in or out, which means the only thing the water in the ice cream container did was to help the temperatures remain a bit more stable.  

From here it is just a waiting game.  

It can take weeks to months for fern spores to germinate, so each jar was labelled to help me remember what is in each one.  There should be enough free water in the jars for the spores to germinate and do their thing. 

I also tried growing fern spores just using damp potting mix.  That seemed to work well, but it did have a lot more issues with moss, fungi, and other contaminates as you can see below.

Fern prothallus 

Sending up the first fronds

I plan to grow them all where they are for now.  Over winter their growth will go pretty slow.  In spring I will try to divide the survivors into their own little pots.  

I want to keep some of the baby ferns, and give some as gifts, any extra ferns will be listed on my for sale page.

How I grow maidenhair ferns

Back in early 2016 I got a little fern to keep in my office.  Maidenhair ferns don't cope with direct sunlight, they don't love extremes of temperature, and they appear to dislike change, so they are really well suited to office life.  

Over the past 5 or 6 years my little maidenhair fern has grown rather large.  To give you an idea of size of my maidenhair fern, the pot is about 20cm across.  There is a bit of variation but most of the fronds measure about 50cm long.

Maidenhair fern

One year later, same fern, lush growth

My little fern grew well.  I used to bring it home over Christmas as there was no one around to water it.  Other than that it was always in the office.  People often used to comment at how much they liked my office fern.

I had to bring my maidenhair fern home a while ago because I have not been in the office very much.  It wasn't really happy where I had it at home, it was a little too dark and I didn't rotate the pot so it only grew on one side.  I eventually worked out the problems.

Now I rotate the pot each week and my fern is picking up again and starting to fill out on all sides like it once did.  Hopefully it doesn't take too long to long good again.

Office fern front of pot

Office fern back of pot

Office fern side of pot

The same fern a year later - growing strong

Maidenhair ferns have a reputation for being finicky and difficult to grow, but they look so nice that I think the effort needed to grow them is worth while.  

By far the easiest way to grow them is to accidentally stumble on their preferred growing conditions.  Failing that I have noticed a few of their needs and listed them below.

Maidenhair ferns need constant moisture, but really don't like to sit in water.  I grow this one in a self watering pot and always keep water in the reservoir.  Other than the few times when I tipped out the water to take the fern home or take it back to the office the reservoir has never been empty, not even for a little while.  They don't like sitting in water as it will rot, so a self watering pot is perfect.  I have others growing in regular pots that I feel like I am watering all the time, but it is less work having them in self watering pots.  

Maidenhair ferns need bright indirect light.  From what I have seen, direct sunlight burns them and kills them pretty quick.  While I never let direct sun hit mine, if it is too dark he plant suffers and slowly declines.  Office lighting was good for this as it had many hours of low level light every single day.  At home I have it on a book shelf not too far from a glass door, it is a little dark for it there but not too bad.

Maidenhair ferns don't like being touched by people.  I am told the acid on your hands burns their fronds.  If you have to touch them please wash your hands first.  Kids shooting nerf darts or throwing paper planes also seem to do some damage to their fronds (don't ask how I know).  I don't have cats but assume that a cat rubbing against them is not great either.  If you can put them somewhere that they are not being touched they will reward you with nicer looking growth.

Maiden hair ferns don't love draughts or being blasted with an air conditioner.  That being said I have seen them in some extremely windy positions in nature and have a few growing outside under cover where they get lots of wind.  Perhaps they can survive strong wind if they have some sort of protection, being in a pot on your shelf they have no protection so it is best to protect them from wind if you can.

Ferns don't love regular fertiliser, it is usually too strong for them and burns their new growth.  I was told many years ago to tear open used tea bags and sprinkle the leaves on their soil to fertilise ferns.  I can't remember the last time I did that with my fern, but it always grew well afterwards.  It also seemed to encourage some kind of fungus, so I haven't done that in a while.  I am also told that banana peels are good for ferns.  Spreading banana peel on the soil causes insects to be an issue.  Cutting up the banana peels and drying them before mixing in the top of the soil seems to prevent insects from being a problem.

Maidenhair ferns don't love change.  When you bring your fern home, or repot them into a larger pot, or move them from one shelf to another some of the new growth will likely burn off and you should expect them to look bad for a little while.  I am not sure what the deal is with this, maybe it is because I have touched their fronds with my hands or maybe it is some other reason.  It isn't too big an issue as they seem to recover pretty fast.  Do rotate the pot each week to ensure they grow evenly on all sides, other than that try not to change too much too often.

I do sell maidenhair ferns, as well as a few other plants, through my for sale blog page.  If you are interested you should have a look.  From time to time I may have variegated ferns for sale.