Rules for caring for and propagating Selaginella

Selaginella resembles moss and fern in appearance, as it is a herbaceous perennial ground cover plant. The delicate small leaves look very bright and beautiful, which is why they are loved by many gardeners. At the same time, Selaginella is capricious, and careful care is required, otherwise it is unlikely that you will be able to admire the attractive appearance of the plant.

Description

Selaginella does not belong to either ferns or deciduous plants, although it is similar to them, but belongs to the club moss family and is a herbaceous spore plant, the only one of its kind.

Terrestrial and epiphytic forms, which are found in the family with creeping or ascending shoots, have many thin root processes. The branches are branched and rather short, covered with very small leaves, only 5 mm long. Thanks to them, the plant has an openwork shape, the shoots are covered with leaves like scales.

The color of the leaves can be of various shades - from light green to dark green; species with leaves of a bluish or metallic tint are rarely found. Sometimes Selaginella branches end in small spikelets, where several large or many small spores ripen.

Selaginella does not bloom, its beauty is due to its bright greenery, but the plant has an attractive appearance only with proper care. The Selaginella family includes approximately 300 species; only 25 are bred as ornamental and indoor plants.

Indoor views

The following types of Selaginella are most widespread in potted floriculture:

• Jory. It is small in size, has erect shoots that are colored light green, with a golden edging along the edges of the leaves.

• Scaly-leaved. It has an unusual shape, resembling a large flower, due to which the species received another name - Rose of Jericho. The shoots grow on average 10-15 cm long; during the dry period they curl inward along with the leaves, thus forming a ball. On sale, Selaginella squamofolia is often displayed in the form of a ball of absolutely lifeless-looking dry grass. As soon as such a lump falls into the water, it comes to life within 24 hours, blossoms into fluffy branches, and becomes a rich green color.

• Martens. It is a low-growing bush that covers the soil with a dense carpet. They resemble moss in appearance. The stems are erect, up to 20 cm in height. The flower develops well with sufficient humidity and diffused light. Most often, the species is used to create small greenhouses.

• Legless. It has the appearance of an ornamental grass with short stems that are densely covered with very small delicate leaves. With optimal care (air humidity and watering), it forms a soft fluffy carpet on the soil surface.

Home care

A common problem when growing selaginella at home is insufficient humidity. For this reason, the plant feels most comfortable in a greenhouse.

How to care for Selaginella:

Lighting. Selaginella will grow equally well in bright natural light and artificial light.The flower is not shade-tolerant and does not feel comfortable in deep shade, but it grows excellently in both light partial shade and bright diffused light. The plant must be protected from exposure to direct sunlight. The main advantage of Selaginella is that they perfectly tolerate fluctuations in light, so there is no need for additional lighting in the winter months.

Advice
Place the flower on the windowsill of a north-facing window or in the back of the room.

Temperature. Most species of Selaginella are ideally suited to a temperature range from +15 to +21° C. A temperature that is too high for growing a flower is indicated by darkening and dying off of the leaves. In addition, Selaginella do not tolerate drafts well. Heat and too low temperatures have a bad effect on the appearance of the plant. The thermometer in the room where Selaginella is located should not fall below +12°, as the plant will die.

Advice
Do not take the plant out of the room into fresh air.

Air humidity. Under natural conditions, selaginella grow in ordinary soil, in swampy soil and with excess moisture, and can even tolerate complete immersion in water. The air humidity in the room where the flower is grown should be approximately 70-80%, minimum 60%. To maintain the optimal value, spray the plant 4-5 times during the day, place saucers with water or wet expanded clay nearby.

Advice
The magazine purity-en.htgetrid.com draws your attention: the higher the humidity in the room, the better the ventilation should be.

During the winter months, place the flowerpot with the plant at the maximum distance from heating appliances and radiators.A peculiarity of Selaginella is that when grown at home, it practically loses its ability to adapt to conditions with different humidity.

Watering. Selaginella needs generous watering, regardless of the time of year. The earthen ball should not be allowed to dry out; the soil should always be slightly moist. Water the plant with soft, settled water at room temperature through a tray. In this case, the soil will absorb as much moisture as necessary.

Feeding. Twice a month or once every 3 weeks from April to September, the flower must be fed. For these purposes, a complex fertilizer intended for deciduous indoor plants is quite suitable. In winter, fertilize less frequently - no more than once every 6 weeks.

Use half the dose recommended on the package, or better yet, take 3 parts of water for 1 part of fertilizer (for winter fertilizing, the proportions should be 1 to 4). Fertilizers intended for orchids are ideal for feeding selaginella.

Priming. The soil mixture in which selaginella will be grown must have a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, be quite loose and retain moisture well. Suitable soil would be one containing equal amounts of river sand, leaf soil and peat. Before mixing, place the peat and leaf soil in the freezer for several hours.

Recommended soil mixtures for growing Selaginella:

• 1 part leaf soil, 2 parts turf soil, 1 part peat soil, sand (it can be replaced with crushed sphagnum);
• in equal proportions: turf, peat, pieces of charcoal, chopped sphagnum moss.

In a pot where selaginella is grown, a layer of drainage is required, since if air does not reach the roots, the plant will develop poorly and most likely die.

Reproduction and transplantation

In their natural habitat, Selaginella reproduce by spores. At home, this method is used extremely rarely, even by professional gardeners. It is much easier to propagate a plant by conventional division of bushes, that is, vegetatively.

In spring or summer, divide a part of the rhizome, approximately 5 cm long (it doesn’t matter if there are shoots), and transplant it into flowerpots with peat, 5 in each. Until the first shoots appear, keep the pot at a constant temperature of +20° C, covered with cellophane film. The sprouts will emerge in about a month. The soil must be kept moist all the time.

Selaginella is also propagated by cuttings. Cut the shoots of the stems into pieces at least 3 cm long, these will be cuttings. You should only select branches that have small roots on the branches.

Place the cuttings in a container on the surface of a sand-peat or perlite-peat mixture and lightly sprinkle their ends with soil. Make a small greenhouse by wrapping the container with plastic film, this will ensure constant high humidity and temperature. Place the mini-greenhouse in a place with diffused lighting.

As soon as the sprouts appear, divide the cuttings (each piece should have roots) and plant 5 pieces in each in separate pots. This planting will allow you to get a voluminous, beautiful bush in the future.

Selaginella do not like transplantation, so it is not recommended to carry out the procedure more than once every 2 years. The main criterion for the need to replant a plant is the root system that has completely filled the flowerpot.The preferred time for the procedure is the summer months.

The pot for selaginella should be wide but shallow, since the root system of the plant does not penetrate deeply into the soil.

Diseases and pests

Optimal growing conditions make Selaginella virtually immune to pests and diseases. Violation of even one of the rules of care contributes to the appearance, most often, of spider mites, and, less often, of other pests that actively develop in conditions of low humidity. To kill pests, spray the plant with a soap solution.

Excess moisture leads to rot, so if the room temperature is below +19° C, watering should be moderate.

Useful tips

Recommendations from experienced gardeners will allow you to correctly identify violations of the rules of care based on the appearance of the plant and eliminate them in a timely manner:

1. The tops of Selaginella shoots become dry when there is insufficient humidity in the room.
2. Yellowed, browned and dried shoots are evidence of excess fertilizer. In this case, it is better to use the twigs for cuttings and propagate the plant in this way.
3. If the edge of the leaf blades has acquired a brown tint and is deformed, it means that the lighting for the flower is too bright. This is how sunburn appears. Just put the flowerpot in the shade. When exposed to direct sunlight, the leaves may turn pale and discolored.
4. Strongly elongated shoots and leaves that are pale in color, twisted and too sparse indicate insufficient illumination.
5. Selaginella grows very slowly when there is a lack of nutrients in the soil.
6. The leaves will be limp and very soft if there is not enough air reaching the root system. Replant the plant in loose soil.
7. The leaves become dark, blacken and die if the room temperature is very high.
8. The growth of Selaginella becomes very slow, the branches become brown in color and begin to rot at low temperatures. Remove damaged shoots, replant the flower in a new pot with a suitable soil mixture and place in a moist, warm place.
9. The leaves curl, fold or become deformed if Selaginella is exposed to a constant draft.
10. If the soil mixture is not suitable for growing the plant, it is too dense, then the leaves will become soft.