Selaginella apoda

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Plant_Addict_91 Mellieha, Malta Mar 26, 2010

Hi! I just joined this site, and let me just say it looks absolutely amazing. Not to mention it's so thrilling to be around so many plant enthusiasts.

Anyway, as you probably guessed from the title of this topic, I recently bought a potted Selaginella apoda, which as you know is a moss. I just wanted to take the opportunity of asking people who know more about it than I do a few questions.

Being a moss, it's accustomed to damp conditions. Does this mean that keeping it indoors is bad? Should I always keep it out of the sun, be it direct or indirect? How much water should I give it? How large am I expecting this plant to grow? Would I eventually need to change it to a much larger container?

Apart from these questions, if you know anymore about this plant, please feel free to tell me. I want to know all about it.

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jep2075 Newton, MA Mar 30, 2010

Hi,

Great plant huh? I think is so cool to look at. Any type of moss love humid moist conditions. I show case them in terrariums. If you are going to use a closed terrarium, it will create its own ecosystem and will not need much if any water or food. Just keep it out of DIRECT LIGHT. You can also keep it in a nice decorative glass container that is open at the top as well. This will keep the humidity high but you will have to mist it every so often. Use distilled water in a spray bottle, if you can get your hands on some. 1/4 or 1/2 strength equal strength or even a little higher on the phos (middle number) might bring some of that great red color brighter at the top. I would not fertilizer more than 2 X a month the water soluble fertilizer. Keep it trimmed up and neat. Remove dead or rotting material right away and keep it clean and repot it after awhile to freshen things up.

Keep out of direct light! especially if contained in glass, you will cook it. Living in Malta I would create a nice dish garden on a terracotta plate set inside a larger plate (not terracota) filled with small stones where you can keep filled with water to keep the humidity high from right underneath. since terracotta breathes the plants will be able to soak up the water it needs right from the dish below. I would put this in the shade outside only during your cooler and wetter months. When things start to dry up and get very hot you will have to bring it inside to an air conditioned room. Use it as a nice centerpiece and see if you can find some small mini orchids to sit right on top of the plate as well. Just keep the bottom plate filled with water to provide humidity constantly, the orchids need this as well. Once set up it will be a very low maintenence thing to deal with. very easy.

Good Luck!

Let me know if you have any more questions

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