What Is Selaginella?
Selaginella is a genus of bromeliad-like plants. It’s native to the tropical rain forests of Central America and Africa, but they can also be found growing in mossy rock crevices across North America, Europe, and Asia. Although it looks like an African or tropical houseplant, selaginella is actually a hardy ground cover that thrives in the shade.
Selaginella Care & Maintenance
Selaginella is an easy-to-maintain, low-maintenance houseplant. This adaptable plant grows best in bright to medium light and tolerates a wide range of indoor temperatures.
Light Requirements:
Selaginella is a shade plant. It’s happiest when it gets filtered or indirect sunlight and cannot tolerate strong direct sunlight.
It grows best in bright to medium light and tolerates low light levels, making it an excellent houseplant for shaded areas of the home.
Just be sure not to place Selaginelas too close to a sunny window as they will sunburn if exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.
Water Requirements:
Selaginella plants are drought tolerant. They do require regular watering during their first year or two, but after that, you can cut back on watering as long as your plant isn’t located near a hot source, such as a furnace vent or fireplace.
Keep your plant moist but not soggy. If the roots dry out, they can become susceptible to disease. If this is the case, increase watering frequency by adding water whenever the top inch or soil feels dry.
Fertilizer Requirements:
While Selaginella is somewhat tolerant of fertilizer burn, it does appreciate a good dose of diluted fertilizer during the spring and summer months. Use a balanced liquid fertilizer such as 20-20-20 or 30-10-10 every 2 weeks during May through July. (Taper off to once a month or less towards the end of summer.) Be sure to water your plant thoroughly before applying the fertilizer, and then use only enough so that you see a little bit coming out from the bottom of your pot after watering. This will help prevent fertilizer salt build-up in the soil.
Soil Requirements:
Selaginella prefers to grow in soil that is on the heavier side. It can be a well-draining potting mix and likes to hold moisture, so feel free to add compost or peat moss to your soil if desired.
You can propagate these plants by cutting them off and placing them into a new container with fresh potting mix. This will create more plants for you to share and enjoy!
Temperature Requirements:
While selaginellas are somewhat tolerant of varying temperatures, they do best when the temperature stays between 60 degrees F and 75 degrees F year-round.
If this area of your home doesn’t stay at these temperatures consistently, I recommend placing your plant near a heat source during those times when the furnace or other heaters are running.
Potting Requirements:
While selaginellas do fine growing in regular soil, if you are not repotting every season or so, I recommend using a well-draining potting mix that contains peat moss and/or compost to help decrease the change of root rot.
Selaginella can be left in the pot it came in for several years without any problem but should be repotted when its roots start to become larger than the pot itself. It is best to wait until spring (late April) before repotting as this will give your plant enough time to establish new roots before the beginning of its summer growing period.”
Newly potted Selaginellas might look a bit woozy for few days – but this is normal. Allow your plant to settle in before touching it or adding any fertilizer.
Pruning Requirements :
Pruning requirements will vary depending on what you want to achieve with your plant. In general, selaginellas should only be pruned if they are dead or dying.
It is possible to propagate these plants from cuttings, but the easiest way to increase your collection is by dividing (splitting) the plant into multiple smaller ones using a sharp knife in early spring. If you plan on propagating your plant this way, it is best to allow at least one bud or two mature flowers before doing so!
As mentioned previously, floating Selaginella also spread their rhizomes throughout a pot, resulting in more offspring than simply dividing them in half with a knife, as described above.
To prevent new baby plants from developing where you don’t want them, remove flowers before they bloom or pinch off the flower buds while they are still tiny in size (before they have fully unfurled.)
You can then move some of the baby plants into another pot if desired or leave them in place to continue growing with your parent plant.
The best time to prune selaginellas is during mid-summer when growth has slowed down, and their leaves are on a smaller scale.
Selaginella Propagation Requirements:
If you would like to propagate your own selaginellas, this is a relatively easy task! You can use a sharp knife and cut through the rhizome, but I have found it more effective to make two cuts instead. When you do this, the cut plant will split into 3 separate pieces. You can then place each of these in a new pot with fresh soil if desired.
Selaginella Fertilizer Requirements:
fertilize selaginellas once or twice per month while they are actively growing during summer and spring months for best results.” Selaginella care requirements – fertilizing your plants :
“Generally speaking, you do not have to fertilize selaginellas, but it is fine if they are. They generally receive ample amounts of nutrients from their host plants, including bromeliads and orchids. However, if your tank’s water contains little to no fertilizer, you may wish to add an iron-rich fertilizer (such as Kent’s iron-rich plant substrate ) during April, May, and June.
Although selaginellas should be potted with a well-draining medium, avoid using potting soil from your garden as it generally contains too much fertilizer for this species to thrive on. Plus, you risk doing more harm than good by disrupting its natural growing environment.
If in doubt whether or not you should fertilize, ask yourself if your plants have been actively growing? If the answer is yes, then they do not need additional fertilizer at that time!
Avoid using general-purpose aquarium water conditioners/water treatments that will kill all beneficial bacteria, thus preventing your valuable epiphytes from breaking down waste products into less harmful substances before they can cause problems. I
n other words, this will allow selaginellas to thrive in a healthy environment without the need for extra fertilizers.
If you are using fertilizer, make sure not to overdo it! Too much fertilizer will kill your plants.
Selaginella Problems and Symptoms:
The most common problem plaguing selaginellas is root rot. This is caused by using water with too much fertilizer and or the wrong type of fertilizer.
If you have root rot, it usually starts as yellow leaves that fall off to be replaced by more yellow leaves, which eventually become brown and/or die.
Selaginella plants with root rot generally have roots that are slimy or mushy in texture. To prevent this problem, use spring water from a hose that contains no added salts or chemicals (i.e., tap water).
The second most common issue is brown or dead branches that have turned brittle or stiff when touched or moved – improper lighting levels cause these.”
Pest:
Mealybugs, scale
Plant Symptoms: Brown spots on leaves; sticky white deposits on leaves and stems.
Affected Organs: Above-ground plant parts.
Prevention Tips:
Remove infected foliage (I recommend wearing gloves when handling) and destroy it to prevent spreading. Isolate infested plants away from healthy ones since pests can easily spread from one plant to another.
Wipe down the entire leaf surface of your plants with rubbing alcohol to remove any evidence of pests before introducing them back into your display tank. Some hobbyists choose to use a small amount of dish soap during this process as well, but I have found that it is unnecessary if you rinse all surfaces thoroughly after doing so.”
Plant Care Tips:
1. Increase watering frequency during periods when temperatures exceed 75 degrees F and decrease watering frequency when temperatures drop below 45 degrees F.
2. Check your plant for mites every 1-2 weeks during hot summer months, and be sure to destroy any that you find.
3. Deadheading or removing spent flowers as they appear will help increase the number of blooms your plant produces during each growing season!
4. Floating Selaginellas reproduce by spreading their rhizomes throughout a container (or pot) to form new plants. To prevent this, remove flowers before they bloom or pinch off the flower buds while they are still tiny in size (before they have fully unfurled.) You can then move some of the baby plants into another pot if desired or leave them in place to continue growing with your parent plant.
5. Selaginellas can be divided during early spring by cutting plants in half with a sharp knife. Be sure to use new or sterilized gardening tools as you don’t want to introduce any harmful fungus or disease onto the plant. This is a great way to propagate your favorite Selaginella!
