Description of the plant, tips for caring for selaginella, rules for watering, feeding and transplanting, recommendations for reproduction, types of poultry. Selaginella or Plaunok (Selaginella) - is the only genus of plants of herbaceous groundcover form, propagating by spores, belonging to the family Plunkovy or Selaginella (Selaginellaceae), belonging to the department Lycopodiophyta, which also includes about 700 species. The territories on which the scrotum grows are very extensive, they are all tropical and subtropical regions in both hemispheres of the Earth. The plant is considered relict and very ancient, we can say that it is a contemporary of the dinosaurs. It got its name by adding a diminutive suffix to the generic name of one of the species of lycopodium selago, which was named in the 18th century - Lycopodium selago.
In appearance, the plant is very similar to a fern or moss. The Swedish naturalist Karl von Linnaeus did not single out the moss, which the Senaginella is so similar to in a separate genus, but ranked it as a mosses. Some of the Senaginella live as epiphytes on trees (they lead an airy lifestyle - they grow on the trunks or branches of nearby large plants). But there are also lithophytes among them - living on rocky gambling rocks. However, most of the representatives of this species settle on stones around rivers and waterfalls. The sizes of the plants are very diverse, among them there are species with a height of 10 cm and a stem diameter of only 1 mm (for example, selaginella selaugoid).
Their shoots are creeping or slightly raised above the surface of the earth, from which numerous root processes originate, but there are also straight-growing ones. It measures 20-30 cm in width and height. Those pods that prefer moist soils and shady places are distinguished by a brownish shade of thin branches and green leaves, but with a black or blue-metallic tint. Senaginella species choosing dry and well-lit surfaces have coarser shoots, and their stems are cast not only in brown, but also in reddish colors, but the leaf plates can have a grayish-green tint.
The leaves are measured by half a centimeter in length and are arranged in two rows, similar to tiles, since they overlap each other when placed. Their surface can be either shiny, glossy or matte, soft to the touch. The shape of the leaves also differ from species to species. As mentioned above, the color of the leaves varies from pale light green to dark emerald, sometimes a yellow shade of patterning may be present.
At the tops of the shoots, spike-like formations appear - strobila (shoots of a modified species or part of it, on which sporangia are located). Leaf plates containing sporophilloids grow on them. These leaves sometimes differ in shape from the sterile ones. In the axils of the leaf plates, there are rounded microsporangia (they contain numerous small spores) and megasporangia (usually containing 4 megaspores). When ripe, the spores are sown independently and rudimentary sprouts grow from them. Megaspores appear from the female sporangia, and microspores from the male. Reproduction at the scrub can also be vegetative (using cuttings).
Senaginella is grown indoors due to low humidity in special greenhouses, florariums, closed flower showcases or gardens in bottles. Simple aquariums can be used. The plant grows at the same rate throughout the year, but it is quite slow. If mature growing conditions are created, it can grow for many years. But all the same, this stem is considered quite difficult to grow and a beginner grower may not be able to cope in the absence of experience.
Overview of conditions for keeping Selaginella
- Lighting. Selaginella feels good away from solar streams of light and therefore it is worth choosing semi-shaded or places with shade for her. It will be good if the pot with the plant is exposed to the north-facing window, but the east or west will also work if you cover the sun's rays. Bright illumination inhibits the growth of the lyre. The bush will feel great under artificial lighting.
- Content temperature for selaginella it is kept within room limits, that is, the thermometer should not go beyond 20-23 degrees in summer and only 18 degrees in winter. The plant can hold out for a short period and when the heat drops to 12 degrees, this will affect its growth - it will stop. Plaunok is very afraid of drafts, as it is thermophilic. If the thermometer has crossed the 25-degree mark, then the pot should be moved to a cooler place. If you ignore this condition, then the leaves begin to darken, and subsequently die off.
- Air humidity when the content of the plant should be high enough, not less than 60%. Selaginella should be sprayed 3-4 times a day with warm soft water. It is better when the plant is grown in a "bottle" garden, but if such a condition is not created, then you can place a pot with a planck in a deep and wide container filled with water and expanded clay at the bottom, it is important that the bottom of the pot does not get water.
- Watering Selaginella. It is necessary to moisten the soil in the pot to such a state and with such regularity that it is always slightly moist. You should not pour the valve, the water in the stand under the pot should not accumulate and stand there for a long time, this can lead to decay of the roots. It is recommended to use “bottom” irrigation for normal moistening, when water is poured into the stand and the plant itself absorbs the amount that it needs. After 15 minutes, the remaining water is drained. If you allow the substrate to dry out in the pot just once, then the selaginella leaf plates quickly twist and die off. As the temperature drops in the autumn-winter months, watering is also reduced. Only soft water is taken for humidification. In this case, filtration, boiling or settling of tap water for several days is carried out. It is also recommended to use rain or melted snow water, preheating it a little.
- Top dressing begin to make only six months after the transplant of Selaginella. After that, you can fertilize the stem with a regularity of once every two months with diluted dressings twice. Fertilizers are chosen for ornamental deciduous plants. This is done constantly, since the bush does not have a pronounced rest period. But it must be remembered that an excess of applied fertilizers negatively affects Selaginella, harming its delicate root system. During top dressing, it is recommended to loosen the soil in the pot. You can choose complexes of mineral fertilizers for dressing.
- Transplanting and soil selection for her. Selaginella is rarely transplanted, if the bush has grown very much, then the pot can be changed to a larger one or the plant can be divided. When choosing a new container, it is required to take a shallow and narrow container, since the root system at the stem is superficial. When transplanting, the bush should be planted to the depth at which selaginella used to grow, and for some time after changing the pot, the plant is kept under a plastic bag or film. When transplanting, the transshipment method should be used (when the earthen lump does not collapse, so as not to injure the root system). This takes place in the spring. Some growers advise changing the soil in the pot at regular intervals every two years so that Selaginella grows better. A layer of drainage material must be laid at the bottom of the pot, and there must be holes in the container itself for the drain of excess water.
To change the substrate, this requires that the soil be light, loose and moisture-consuming, with a slightly acidic reaction. You can make up a soil mixture based on the following recommendations:
- leafy soil, sod soil, peat soil, sand (can be replaced with chopped sphagnum moss), proportions are taken 1: 2: 1;
- peat, turf, chopped sphagnum, pieces of charcoal, all parts are equal.
Recommendations for the reproduction of Selaginella
You can get a new stem by dividing, carrying out a planned transplant in the spring or summer months, or by grafting. With the help of spores, selaginella is practically not reproduced independently.
Shoots of stems are cut no shorter than 3 centimeters in length. Having looked closely, it is worth choosing those branches on which small roots are already visible in the branches. They are placed in a container on the surface of the ground. Usually a sand-peat mixture is used (sand can be replaced with perlite). Sprinkle the ends of the cuttings with a little earth. The container is wrapped in a plastic bag to create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with constant warm temperatures and high humidity. Set to grow in a place with diffused light. As soon as signs of rooting and the first shoots appear, then the cutting is divided into pieces so that each has roots. Landing is carried out in separate containers. It is better when at least 5 pieces are planted in one container - this will help to get a beautiful and lush bush in further development.
When transplanting, the stem should be separated from the roots. Prepare pots filled with peat soil. Parts of the root system (rhizomes) with shoots and measuring 5 centimeters are planted in 4-5 pieces in one container. Before this, the substrate in the pot is thoroughly moistened. Plants are placed under plastic wrap and adhere to indicators of 20 degrees for the entire time until the first shoots appear. They will appear after a month. It is important that the soil in the pots is constantly moist.
Problems in the cultivation of a moss and pest control
The plant is good because harmful insects have little interest in selaginella. Only if there are low humidity levels in the room, an attack on selaginella by a spider mite can occur. This pest is not visible until its population reaches a large size. Then all the leaves are covered with a thin cobweb. It is necessary to manually remove harmful insects from the bush by wiping the leaf plates and plant stems with a cotton swab moistened with a soap, oil or alcohol solution. For a soap solution, chopped and dissolved in water laundry soap is suitable, for oil, vegetable oil dissolved in water is used, and tincture of calendula, which is purchased at a pharmacy, can act as alcohol. To consolidate the result, it is still required to treat selaginella with insecticidal preparations. These can be chemical agents from the class of acaricides - Vermitic, Aktofit or Fitoverm. It is also recommended to use the drug Apollo, which fights not only with adult pests, but also removes the laid eggs. The use of a product with the name Actellik is hampered by the fact that the drug has a rather high toxicity and should not be used indoors.
Of the difficulties of growing, it is worth noting:
- drying of the tops of the shoots occurs in very dry indoor air;
- wilting and drying accompanies the drying out of the soil in the pot, in this case selaginella cannot be saved;
- if the browning, yellowing and drying of the shoots have begun, then this means an overdose of fertilizers (you will have to use the twigs for cuttings);
- the edge of the sheet plates turned brown and deformed in too bright light, as a result of sunburn (it is necessary to remove the pot in the shade);
- the branches turn brown, rot and the growth of selaginella stops if the temperatures of the content are very low, while all problem shoots are removed, the plant is transplanted into a new pot with a substrate and placed in a warm and humid place;
- leaf plates darkened and began to die off with increased thermometer readings;
- with a lack of nutrients, very slow growth is observed;
- the shoots are strongly stretched, and the leaves turn pale if there is not enough light for the plant;
- the leaf plates have become soft and lethargic, if there is no air access to the roots, transplantation into looser soil is required.
Selaginella species
- Selaginella martensii. Mexican territories are considered the birthplace of growth. The most common of the Selaginella species. Upright shoots are measured in length of 30 cm. With age they droop in the plant, so its height rarely exceeds 10-15 cm. The leaves and stems are very much like a fern. The leaf plates grow in a fan-like manner, painted in a dark emerald hue. There is the Yori variety with whitish spots, and the Watson variety with yellow ones. There are silvered leaf tips.
- Selaginella uncinata (Selaginella uncinata). The plant is distinguished by highly branching stems. The color of the leaf blades is bluish-green. If you put the plant in the sun, the color disappears. Drooping branches and this variety can be used as an ampel crop.
- Selaginella apoda. A turf-forming plant is the buds of renewal, which are located above the ground level or directly above its surface. That is, its height is very low. The leaf plates are yellow-green in color. In winter, it is desirable to keep at a temperature of 12 degrees. Propagated only by dividing the bush.
- Selaginella kraussiana. The homeland of the growth is the South African area. Reaches 30 cm in height. The stems of this plant are creeping, the leaves are glossy, the main color is yellow-greenish, and the tops are painted in a whitish shade. Grown as an ampelous plant, the temperature of the winter content is not higher than 12 degrees.
- Selaginella scaly (Selaginella lepidophylla). This species is not at all typical of the genus. It mainly grows in desert areas. Has a second name "Jericho rose". In the rainy season, the plant dries up a lot and looks like a dry heap of matted brown stems. As soon as the rainy season comes, Selaginella gathers water and begins to actively grow and turn green.
- Selaginella northern (Selaginella borealis). The homeland of this plant is Siberia, the Far Eastern regions of Russia, the Japanese islands, the northern provinces of China. Selects places for growth on rocks that are in the shade, so that hot springs can beat nearby. In the form of a semi-shrub, it only reaches 3–7 cm in height. The leaf plates are colored in a dark green shade, turf. Stems are flattened up to 3 mm wide. The leaf plates are arranged in 4 rows, equal in size, with a wide oval shape. Measured 1 mm in length and 0.8 mm in width. Along the edges there is an uneven pubescence with cilia, there is a sharpening at the top. The strobili are 0.7–1.5 cm long and 15 mm wide, with 4 edges. The shape of the sporolistik is ovoid, they are pointed with a sharply keeled appearance with a length of 15 mm, framed along the edge by cilia.
- Selaginella denticulata (Selaginella denticulata). Shoots rise above the soil to a height of 4–10 cm. The leaf plate is divided into 2 parts, it is distinguished by an oval shape in the form of scales. The apex is pointed, and along the edge there is a light green serration, which is visible only through a magnifying glass. The microsporangia are red or orange.
See more about Selaginella in this video:
