Watering schedule

How often to water Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) — the schedule

Also called Licorice Fern, Licorice Root Fern.

More about licorice fern

Watering at a glance

Base rhythm	Keep evenly moist while in active growth (fall through spring); water when the surface just begins to dry
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 Licorice Fern

Polypodium glycyrrhiza · also called Licorice Fern, Licorice Root Fern · houseplant

Licorice fern is a small epiphytic Pacific Northwest native named for its sweet-tasting rhizomes. It naturally grows on mossy trunks and rocks, summer-dormant and winter-active. Indoors it wants cool, bright-indirect light, steady moisture, and high humidity. Give it a loose, bark-rich epiphytic mix and expect it to slow or drop fronds through warm, dry months.

Ideal humidity: 60-80%

Watch for — Crispy brown frond tips: Low humidity or dry air from heating. Raise humidity and keep the rhizome from drying out fully during the growing season.

The watering schedule, season by season

Licorice 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 licorice fern is keep evenly moist while in active growth (fall through spring); water when the surface just begins to dry, 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.

Never let the rhizome bake bone-dry during its growing season. Reduce sharply in summer when it goes dormant and naturally sheds fronds. Use soft, room-temperature water and ensure free drainage so the rhizome never sits in standing water.

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 licorice fern in seconds.

How to tell licorice fern needs water

A calendar is the worst way to water licorice 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 licorice fern for a day is almost always safer than over-watering it.

Overwatering vs underwatering licorice fern

The two failure modes can look alike at a glance, so check the soil weight and wetness before you decide. For licorice 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 licorice 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 licorice 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 licorice 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 licorice fern.

Licorice Fern watering — frequently asked questions

How often should I water licorice fern?

Water licorice fern keep evenly moist while in active growth (fall through spring); water when the surface just begins to dry. 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 licorice 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 licorice 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 licorice 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 licorice 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 licorice 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 licorice fern?