How to grow tropical selaginella at home

How many secrets the world could learn from exotic selaginella, if she had the ability to speak. This plant has seen a lot over the three hundred million years of its existence: the crowns of giant trees soaring up in the impenetrable rainforests, the appearance of ferns, powerful volcanoes and earthquakes that accompany the formation of the earth's crust, and prehistoric lizards waging a deadly struggle for survival. It knows the exact reason for the extinction of dinosaurs and the cooling on Earth. Surprisingly, the tiny sprouts proved to be much stronger than ferocious predators and were able to survive in extreme environments. And now they face a new task - to withstand the conditions of modern civilization and the spoiled ecology of big cities.

First meeting

Apparently, not wanting to reveal its secrets, the prehistoric plant hides in the lower tier of the impassable tropical forests of America or South Africa, clings to the rocky, inaccessible East Asian slopes, or hides in the intolerable conditions of the Mexican Chihuahua desert. So the exotic beauty would have remained far from human eyes, if not for the Swedish biologist Karl Linnaeus, who in the 18th century was the first to describe a hitherto unknown species.

• This perennial herb is a vivid representative of the oldest group on Earth, belongs to the Selaginella family.
• Domestic specimens do not exceed 10 centimeters in height, while in nature they can stretch up to twenty meters.
• Stems most often spread along the ground, therefore selaginella is classified as a ground cover. But there are also epiphytic representatives - those that use other, taller and thicker-stemmed plants as a physical support, thus rising to an impressive height.
• Many adventitious roots leave the stems: with their help, the perennial absorbs moisture from the air space.
• The leaves are very small and flat, soft to the touch, arranged in two rows and overlapping each other like tiles, which makes Selaginella look like a coniferous plant or fern.
• The color of the leaf plates varies from light green to dark, almost black, with a metallic sheen.
• The root system is superficial.
• Depending on the species, bulbs, tubers or thickenings are formed on the perennial shoots, which are used for vegetative propagation.
• The plant does not bloom, multiplies by spores that form in the axils of the leaves.

The molar (as selaginella is also called) grows evenly throughout the year, it has no pronounced life cycles.

Advice

Sometimes, due to increased stress or mechanical damage, the stem of the selaginella falls apart. Take your time to throw them away, but rather try to root them by putting them in water for a while.

Most popular types

Of the 700 currently known species of selaginella, differing in appearance, properties and growing conditions, only 25 got into our apartments. 19 of them are rare, and amateur flower growers are ready to give everything in the world to get them in their collections.

The following varieties are of greatest interest.

• Selaginella Martens - quite tall, up to 30 cm, the specimen surprises with the extraordinary beauty of bright green leaves, creating an intricate lace pattern. It is interesting that the stems of this species are straight and descend only as overgrown with aerial roots.
• Selaginella hooked looks like a large elegant snowflake: pubescent shoots are tightly pressed against each other, covered from above with a lacy bluish umbrella of miniature needle-like leaves.
• Selaginella legless - the shortest representative of the species. Its stem is greatly shortened, and only leaves are visible, spreading along the ground and creating a dense soft carpet. Outwardly, it looks very much like moss.
• Selaginella Swiss - serpentine twigs with perpendicularly spaced light leaves create interesting graphic patterns.

But the most unusual and strange representative of the species is Scaly-leaved Selaginella, a native of the tropical deserts of Mexico. Don't be surprised if someday you are presented with a wad of dry, intertwined stems. Submerge it in water, and you will be shocked by the ongoing metamorphosis: lifeless shoots will begin to come to life before your eyes, spinning, straightening and turning green. In just half an hour you will get a bright, exotic plant filled with strength.
Curling up into a lifeless brown ball, the plant protects itself from intolerable heat and dryness, temporarily suspending all life processes. This condition in nature is called cryptobiosis, and it is used by some species of plants and animals for self-preservation. The spawn can stay in an artificial torpor for an amazingly long time - up to 100 years, and once in favorable conditions, it will come to life, as if nothing had happened. Therefore, this plant is often called the "resurrection flower".

Advice

In dry form, Selaginella squamata repels moths and prevents the multiplication of parasites. Therefore, it is often kept in wardrobes.

Home care

This plant is not for lazy and forgetful flower growers. It requires careful and competent care. In nature, most species live in rain forests and feel great in a waterlogged tropical rainstorm environment. Approximately the same conditions must be provided for the plant and at home. And it is very difficult to do this in modern apartments with dry air and central heating.

How to care for an exotic perennial and what to pay special attention to to ensure its normal life?

• Provide systematic watering. Make sure that the middle layer of the potting medium does not dry out.
• Constantly loosen the soil, making it permeable to air, moisture and nutrients.
• Spray the plant often to provide comfortable air humidity for it - from 80%.
• It is good to use automatic humidifiers or line the pot with damp moss, expanded clay, or pebbles.
• Use water for irrigation and spraying only warm, soft, settled for several days.
• Maintain the room temperature at 23-25⁰C. Although tropical plants are accustomed to heat, the heat does not have the best effect on the condition and color of the leaves.
• Accustomed to living under the protection of tall trees, this exotic beauty cannot stand drafts at all, so it is better to put the pot in a shelter.

Although selaginella does not have pronounced periods of dormancy and vegetation, perennials are more willing to grow new foliage in the warm season. It is then that it is worth feeding the plant to maintain its vitality. This should be done no more than once every two weeks. It is best to choose ready-to-use nutritional mixes for decorative leafy crops with a high nitrogen content.

Advice

When using ready-made fertilizers, the dose recommended by the manufacturers in the instructions for the plate should be halved.

Accustomed to the semi-darkness of the lower tier, the tropican can live in low light conditions and cannot stand direct sunlight. Therefore, the pot is recommended to be placed in the back of the room in a slightly shaded place or on the western windowsill, making a sun shade.

How to propagate a plant?

In nature, the scrotum reproduces mainly with the help of spores. When ripe, they shoot from sporangia, like from a catapult, are easily carried by the wind and sown into the soil. But it is quite difficult to collect and germinate spores at home, additional processing is required, so even experienced specialists prefer to propagate perennials in other ways.

• By dividing the bush. Divide the old bush into 2-3 pieces and plant them in separate pots. It is good if the separated part is sufficiently voluminous, but even the smallest segment will take root.
• Cuttings. To do this, cut off a part of the stem about 3 cm long and germinate it in a glass of water or on a moistened surface of a mixture of peat and sand. Arrange the cuttings so that they do not touch each other, lightly sprinkle the cut ends with soil, cover with foil and place in a warm, shaded place. As soon as the roots appear, plant them in the ground.

Advice

You need to plant at least 5 rooted cuttings in one pot, then the bush will turn out to be lush and beautiful.

Transfer

How do you know when it's time to transplant your tropical pet? The main symptom is roots that have completely filled the pot. Sometimes they even come to the surface of the soil or grow through drainage holes at the bottom of the container.

But before you move Selaginella, do two things.

1. Find a suitable pot - it should be shallow, but wide enough, because the roots of the plant grow horizontally.
2. Prepare the soil - it is best to buy a special mixture with neutral acidity. If you decide to make the substrate yourself, mix leafy soil, river sand and peat in equal parts, adding a little chopped moss.

Advice

The purchased soil must be spilled with hot boiled water before use in order to destroy possible microorganisms. And when preparing melange on your own, it is recommended to pre-hold the soil and peat for several hours in the freezer.

Now you can start the transplant.

1. Fill 1/3 of the pot height with drainage.
2. Pour some soil on top.
3. Remove the plant from the old container.
4. Carefully remove the substrate layer from the roots, being careful not to damage them.
5. If necessary, divide the bush into parts.
6. Place selaginella in a new pot and sprinkle with a layer of soil without tamping it.
7. Water the transplanted bush and place in a shaded area.

Advice

To get the plant better, transplant in late winter or spring.

Possible problems

Over the centuries-old history of its existence, this tropical plant has learned to adapt to adverse environmental conditions and has developed a stable immunity to many diseases. Therefore, with proper care, it can be practically invulnerable.

Still, some problems can spoil the mood of Selaginella breeders.

• Curled and dried leaves indicate dry air, uncomfortable temperatures, or draft.
• Excessively elongated stems are the result of a lack of sunlight.
• Faded paints indicate that the water used for irrigation was too hard.
• Slowing down and stopping growth is a signal for an emergency replacement of soil and pot.
• Sluggish and soft leaves are a reason to think about the state of the root system and air access to it.

Advice

Even the pests of the tropical guest are too tough. The only danger is the possibility of a spider mite infection. If you notice cobwebs hanging from the leaves, treat the plant with warm soapy water.

Over the centuries-old history of its existence, Selaginella has absorbed the strongest energy of nature, a part of which it gives us, becoming an indisputable symbol of perseverance, fortitude and love of life.