Soil & potting mix
Best soil for Drooping Spleenwort (Asplenium flaccidum)
Also called Drooping Spleenwort, Weeping Spleenwort.
More about drooping spleenwort
About Drooping Spleenwort
Asplenium flaccidum · also called Drooping Spleenwort, Weeping Spleenwort · houseplant
Asplenium flaccidum is a graceful, pendulous fern native to New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific, producing soft, drooping pinnate fronds that hang elegantly — ideal for hanging baskets or elevated shelves. As an epiphytic or lithophytic species it is adapted to excellent drainage and good air movement. It suits humid, cool-to-intermediate indoor spaces.
Preferred mix: Chunky, free-draining epiphytic mix
Watch for — Root rot from overwatering: The most common cause of decline. Because of its epiphytic nature, the roots need air as much as moisture. Ensure the pot has excellent drainage, use a very open mix, and allow the medium to partially dry before re-watering. Remove rotted roots and repot into fresh mix if detected.
Why drooping spleenwort needs this mix
Drooping Spleenwort drinks mostly through its central cup, not its roots — so it wants a light, open, fast-draining bark mix and only a shallow pot.
- Drooping Spleenwort is an epiphyte: its small root system mainly clings on, while the rosette "tank" does the drinking — so the mix only needs to anchor it and breathe.
- An open bark mix lets the few roots get air and dries fast, mimicking the tree-fork or rock crevice it grows in naturally.
- Because the cup feeds it, a soggy root zone gives no benefit and only invites base rot.
For the full picture on what makes up a good mix, see our guide to the main types of soil and potting media — it explains why each ingredient above behaves the way it does.
What goes wrong with the wrong mix
The wrong soil is one of the most common reasons drooping spleenwort struggles, and the damage often shows up weeks later as a watering problem. For this species specifically:
- Dense, water-holding compost rots drooping spleenwort at the base where the leaves meet the soil — the rosette can look fine while the crown is already failing.
- A deep pot full of mix stays wet in the middle long after the surface dries; bromeliad roots are too shallow to ever use it.
- Garden topsoil compacts and starves the few roots of air.
Potting drooping spleenwort deep in ordinary compost as if the roots do the feeding. Use a shallow pot of open bark mix and keep the soil only barely moist.
pH — does it matter for drooping spleenwort?
Drooping Spleenwort likes a slightly acidic mix (around pH 5.0-6.0), which a bark-based blend gives naturally. Cup-water quality matters more than soil pH — use rain or filtered water.
If you want to check or adjust it, the soil pH guide walks through testing and the safe ways to nudge a mix more acidic or more alkaline.
DIY mix vs a bagged one
A bagged epiphytic or orchid mix works well for drooping spleenwort with a little extra perlite. The DIY ratio above is easy and cheap if you already keep orchids.
Drainage and the pot
A shallow, well-drained pot is ideal — the rootball should never sit in water. Keep the central cup topped up instead; that is how the plant actually drinks.
Drooping Spleenwort rarely needs repotting — it flowers once then produces pups. Move pups to fresh bark mix; bark breakdown is slow enough that the parent rarely needs it. When the time comes, our repotting guide for drooping spleenwort covers the timing and technique step by step.
Drooping Spleenwort soil — frequently asked questions
What is the best soil mix for drooping spleenwort?
2 parts orchid bark or coarse epiphytic mix : 1 part perlite : 1 part peat-free compost. Drooping Spleenwort is an epiphyte: its small root system mainly clings on, while the rosette "tank" does the drinking — so the mix only needs to anchor it and breathe.
Can I use normal potting soil for drooping spleenwort?
Dense, water-holding compost rots drooping spleenwort at the base where the leaves meet the soil — the rosette can look fine while the crown is already failing. A bagged epiphytic or orchid mix works well for drooping spleenwort with a little extra perlite. The DIY ratio above is easy and cheap if you already keep orchids.
Does drooping spleenwort need a special pH?
Drooping Spleenwort likes a slightly acidic mix (around pH 5.0-6.0), which a bark-based blend gives naturally. Cup-water quality matters more than soil pH — use rain or filtered water.
Should I buy a bagged mix or make my own for drooping spleenwort?
A bagged epiphytic or orchid mix works well for drooping spleenwort with a little extra perlite. The DIY ratio above is easy and cheap if you already keep orchids.
How often should I refresh the soil for drooping spleenwort?
Drooping Spleenwort rarely needs repotting — it flowers once then produces pups. Move pups to fresh bark mix; bark breakdown is slow enough that the parent rarely needs it. A shallow, well-drained pot is ideal — the rootball should never sit in water. Keep the central cup topped up instead; that is how the plant actually drinks.
Keep reading
- Drooping Spleenwort care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water drooping spleenwort — the schedule the mix feeds into
- Repotting drooping spleenwort — when and how to refresh the mix
- Soil pH guide — test it and adjust it safely
- Root rot — how the wrong soil starts it, and how to save the plant
- Overwatered plant — signs and recovery
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry diagnosis
- Best soil for fairy aprons
- Best soil for lesser bladderwort
- Best soil for kidney-leaved bladderwort
- All 6887 soil and potting-mix guides in the Growli library