Plant care
Maidenhair Spleenwort care
Asplenium trichomanes
Also called Common maidenhair spleenwort.
Watering rhythm
5-7days
When the top 1-2 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 5-7 days
Light
Bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window)
Soil
Gritty, sharply drained, slightly alkaline mix
Humidity
50-70%
Temp
10-20°C
Pet safety
Pet-safe
Mature size
Compact: fronds typically 10-20 cm long
Care at a glance
Light
Maidenhair Spleenwort is what florists mean by "bright spot, no direct sun" — close enough to a south or east window to feel the brightness, with a sheer curtain or a few feet of distance keeping the sun off the leaves. Bright indirect light or light dappled shade; it naturally grows in rock crevices with good ambient light but out of scorching sun. An east or shaded west window suits it. Too little light leaves it sparse and weak. A phone lux-meter at the leaf surface should read 1,500-3,000 lux at noon.
Watering
Water maidenhair spleenwort when the top 1-2 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 5-7 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. Keep the gritty mix lightly and evenly moist; never let it bake dry or sit sodden. As a rock-crevice plant it dislikes stagnant water around its roots. Soft or rainwater is best, though it tolerates some lime in its substrate.
Soil and pot
Maidenhair Spleenwort grows best in gritty, sharply drained, slightly alkaline mix. Use a free-draining mix of loam, leaf mould and plenty of grit or fine crushed limestone chippings. Unlike most ferns it favours neutral to slightly alkaline conditions, reflecting its wild home on mortared walls and limestone rocks. 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
Maidenhair Spleenwort sits happiest at around 50-70% humidity and 10-20°C (50-68°F). Appreciates moderate to high humidity around the foliage but, being a crevice species, copes with drier air better than tropical ferns. Good airflow prevents fungal issues. A pebble tray or a sheltered terrarium keeps the fine pinnae fresh. If you keep the room above 10 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 maidenhair spleenwort sparingly. A light feeder. Apply a balanced liquid feed at quarter to half strength once a month through the growing season only. It needs little fertiliser in its lean, gritty substrate; over-feeding causes soft, weak growth. 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 maidenhair spleenwort in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.
- Root rot from sogginess — This crevice fern hates wet feet. Use a very gritty, sharply drained mix and avoid leaving the pot standing in water.
- Drying out and shrivelling — Small rootballs dry fast. Keep lightly moist and shaded from direct sun, especially in warm rooms.
- Chlorosis on acidic mix — Pale fronds can appear if the substrate is too acidic. Add limestone grit or chippings to nudge toward its preferred neutral-to-alkaline range.
- Weak, sparse growth — Too little light or excess nitrogen. Move somewhere brighter (indirect) and feed only lightly.
Propagation
Divide established clumps in spring, separating tufts each with roots and a few fronds. It can also be raised from spores sown on moist sterile compost, and occasionally self-sows into nearby crevices and walls. 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
Maidenhair Spleenwort is pet-safe. Asplenium ferns are ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs (e.g. Mother Fern and bird's nest fern in the same genus carry no toxic principle). Considered pet-safe; ingesting large amounts of any plant may still cause mild GI 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.
Maidenhair Spleenwort care — frequently asked questions
What is Maidenhair Spleenwort?
Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) is a houseplant with a small evergreen rosette-forming fern with arching, once-divided fronds of paired round pinnae along glossy dark wiry rachises, spreading slowly into neat tufts. growth habit, reaching compact: fronds typically 10-20 cm long, forming clumps around 15-25 cm across. at maturity. Maidenhair spleenwort is a small, hardy evergreen fern with slender dark-brown to black wiry stems lined with neat, round, bright-green pinnae. Naturally a crevice dweller on rocks and old walls, it suits alpine pans, terrariums and cool, bright corners.
How much light does maidenhair spleenwort need?
Maidenhair Spleenwort grows best in bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window). Bright indirect light or light dappled shade; it naturally grows in rock crevices with good ambient light but out of scorching sun. An east or shaded west window suits it. Too little light leaves it sparse and weak.
How often should I water maidenhair spleenwort?
Water maidenhair spleenwort when the top 1-2 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 5-7 days. Keep the gritty mix lightly and evenly moist; never let it bake dry or sit sodden. As a rock-crevice plant it dislikes stagnant water around its roots. Soft or rainwater is best, though it tolerates some lime in its substrate. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.
Is maidenhair spleenwort toxic to cats and dogs?
Maidenhair Spleenwort is pet-safe. Asplenium ferns are ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs (e.g. Mother Fern and bird's nest fern in the same genus carry no toxic principle). Considered pet-safe; ingesting large amounts of any plant may still cause mild GI upset.
What USDA hardiness zone does maidenhair spleenwort grow in?
Maidenhair Spleenwort is rated for USDA zone 3-8 (hardy outdoors; grown indoors in cool rooms) and RHS hardiness H6. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.
Maidenhair Spleenwort deep-dive guides
Every aspect of maidenhair spleenwort care, each with its own calibrated guide:
- Maidenhair Spleenwort watering schedule
- Maidenhair Spleenwort light requirements
- Best soil mix for maidenhair spleenwort
- Maidenhair Spleenwort fertilizing guide
- When to repot maidenhair spleenwort
- How to propagate maidenhair spleenwort
- Maidenhair Spleenwort growth rate & size
- Maidenhair Spleenwort cold hardiness
- Maidenhair Spleenwort temperature & humidity
- Is maidenhair spleenwort toxic to cats & dogs?
- Is maidenhair spleenwort toxic to cats?
- Is maidenhair spleenwort toxic to dogs?
Featured in these plant shortlists
Maidenhair Spleenwort qualifies for 9 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 plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
- Best humidity-loving houseplants — Houseplants that thrive in a bathroom, kitchen, or by a humidifier — selected by documented humidity preference.
- Best pet-safe plants for bright light — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in a bright, sunny spot — safe plants for your best-lit windowsill.
- Best small & tabletop houseplants — Compact houseplants that stay under about 40 cm — desk, shelf and windowsill plants that never outgrow a small space.
- Best houseplants for a cool room — Houseplants that tolerate cool conditions down to about 10°C — for an unheated spare room, hallway, porch or a home kept cool.
- 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.
- Best small pet-safe plants — Compact, tabletop houseplants that are also ASPCA non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe greenery for a desk or shelf.
- Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more
Related guides
Maidenhair Spleenwort is also commonly called Common maidenhair spleenwort.