Selaginella, also known by the name of the plug, is a ground cover spore perennial with openwork leaflets. Bright growers are very popular with flower growers, but not everyone will decide to have such a moody plant. Selaginella needs a very high humidity, because at home, in the rainforest, it can be in the water for months. And yet, it is possible to grow selaginella at home, in gratitude it will delight with unusual shoots.
Botanical Description
Selaginella belongs to a separate family of Selaginella life forms of the plun. That is, it is neither a fern nor a deciduous plant and exists on earth longer than each of them. Epiphytic and terrestrial forms occur in the genus. All of them have creeping or rising shoots with many thin root processes.
On short branched branches, tiny leaves about 5 mm long are located close to each other. They, like scales, cover the shoots and give them an openwork shape. Matte or glossy double-row leaflets have a soft base and can take various shapes. The color of the foliage varies from light green to deep dark green. Also there are varieties with bluish or metallic colors of leaves.
Some branches of selaginella end in small spikelets with sporangia of various shapes. Several large or many tiny spores of the plant ripen in them.
Types of Selaginella
The genus of selaginella is very numerous, it has more than 700 varieties. However, only some of them were able to adapt in culture. The most popular are the following:
Selaginella Martens. The plant consists of upright, highly branched shoots up to 30 cm high. In form, they are most similar to fern fronds. As the branches grow, they may drop slightly. The color of the leaves is bright green with golden sporangia.
Decorative grade Selaginella Martensi Jory or Yori has a more modest size and attracts with delicate tones. Compact bushes with upright shoots of light green color and golden bordering spread from the tropics of South America.
Selaginella is legless. This variety due to its decorativeness is in great demand among gardeners. Short creeping stems have an unusual shape and are densely covered with tiny carved leaves. In a pot, the selaginella plant forms a thick hat or a solid green carpet.
Selaginella scaly (lepidophyllum). Branched stems up to 10 cm long are short bright green leaves. Unlike the rest, this species grows in desert areas. With a lack of moisture, it dries and curls into a light ball, and in the rainy season it opens and comes to life again. For this feature, the plant was called the "resurrecting plant" or "Jericho rose."
Selaginella Swiss. Perennial consists of more loose, creeping shoots. They are covered with relatively large leaves with a glossy light green surface. On the edges of the leaves are small, frequent cilia.
Selaginella Vildenova. Branched, erect or drooping shoots cover small leaves. They have a greenish-blue color with a blue coating.
Breeding methods
Reproduction of selaginella is most often carried out by vegetative methods. To grow a plague from a spore, you need to make a lot of effort and even then the result is not guaranteed.
In spring, during a transplant, you can divide an adult bush into several parts. Usually, shoots have many small roots, so dividing is possible even into small areas. Delenki should be planted in small pots with peat soil. After transplanting, it is especially important to maintain high humidity.
You can propagate selaginella by rooting cuttings. To do this, it is enough to take a segment of the stem with a length of about 5-7 cm. Rooting is done in wet peat. It is recommended to spray the shoots more often or cover them with foil and ventilate regularly. Rooting takes 1-2 weeks, after which the plant begins to produce young shoots.
Transplant Features
Selaginella needs frequent transplants. The plant quickly fills the entire pot and requires a new space. The procedure is carried out annually or every other year. The pot should be taken shallow and wide. Drainage material must be laid out at the bottom.
The soil for the spider should be nutritious, and also have a neutral or acid reaction. It can be composed of such components:
- peat;
- coarse sand;
- sheet earth.
During transplantation, a part of the old earthen coma should be removed so that the plant receives more nutrients from the fresh substrate.
Plant Care Secrets
Selaginella flower is very difficult to care for, so many flower growers do not live long. Not everyone can provide a humid environment similar to a rainforest. If it is difficult to create favorable conditions in a room, then you can use selaginella for making a bottle composition or growing in an aquarium.
Lighting. Indoor selaginella needs dim, long-lasting lighting. It can be placed on the northern windowsill or kept in the back of the room.
Temperature. The optimum temperature in the room where the selaginella grows should be in the range + 18 ... + 20 ° C. She needs to be supported throughout the year. The plant does not need winter or night cooling. If the thermometer reads below + 12 ° C, the selaginella may die. It is advisable to take the plant out into the fresh air for the summer only if there is a cool, shady place near the reservoir. But even in this case, you need to take care of reliable protection against drafts.
Humidity air near the flower should be 70-80%. To maintain it, you should spray the crown 4-5 times a day, place pallets with water or wet expanded clay next to it and turn on the humidifier. In winter, you need to remove the pots from the battery from the plant.
Watering. Selaginella will have to be watered frequently, the soil should always be slightly moist, otherwise the leaves will turn yellow and dry. Soft water at room temperature should be well cleaned of impurities. It is recommended to pour it into the pallet so that the soil absorbs the right amount on its own.
Fertilizer. From April to September, you need to feed the plant twice a month. Use a mineral solution for deciduous indoor flowers. Half the dose indicated on the package should be used.
Difficulty in care
Selaginella is accustomed to periodic flooding of the soil, so it rarely suffers from root rot. Parasites also almost never attack a plant. The main problem is the creation of an enabling environment for the growth of a tropical beauty. With its appearance, it is able to signal improper care:
- leaves darken and wither in a room too hot;
- leaflets become light or transparent with excessive lighting;
- the stems are exposed in too dark rooms;
- the leaves at the ends of the shoots dry and fall off from too dry air;
- leaves curl and fall from drafts.
