Selaginella and PDFs

19 years ago

At first I thought it was the perfect groundcover. Low-growing, fast-growing, easier than moss, and more quickly established into a nice carpet. But now mine is growing taller, and is more of a thick dense mat or low shrubbery than a nice low carpet. So basically I'm wondering how on earth PDFs can hop around on/in this stuff! Wouldn't their little legs get all tangled in it? So far my little selaginella shrubs are about 2" deep (tall), and they cover most of the ground surface area of my terrarium. I do really like the way it looks, so I wouldn't want to remove all of it when I eventually get PDFs, but has anyone found it to be a problem? Could I just keep it trimmed or 'mowed' shorter when the time comes? Any thoughts?

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Comments (10)

homer_zn5
19 years ago
Mine don't have any problem at all tromping all over the Selaginella kraussina 'aurea' or the Selaginella uncinata (rainbow club moss). Now, I do have some artillery plants that are now a little unruly and have become quite a barrier to travelling. However, they use that as a hiding place . . . go figure.
sahoyaref
Original Author
19 years ago
Ah, good, I was hoping that you would be the one to tell your experience! The S. kraussiana 'aurea' is exactly the one I have, and I'll be ordering some S. uncinata from Black Jungle in a couple weeks. Perfect! I keep the fittonia argyroneura nana as a hiding place for the future froggies. I figure it will make a nice shaded forest for them. =) I've also got a Pilea, but not the one you have. I can see how yours would be unruly after awhile! Mine will make another small forest, I think. Thanks!
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Thanks, Mr. B! I was wondering when you would dare to show your face here again! =) Joking aside, there are two paphs with mottled leaves in there, and neither one is new. The one in flower in the pics is the oldest, and there is also one behind it, on the higher level. That one is Paph. Dellaina, and it has not flowered yet. bada has the same one, and his hasn't flowered yet, either. You may remember us lamenting together on the orchids forum a few months ago. =) It has six leaves now, one has died in the past (lower one), and it is just now starting a new one. Very slow-growing, and I'm starting to wonder what the problem is, because it is blooming size (I would think). And it's getting enough light, because the other one is blooming just fine! That's it's third blooming, second time in the tank, and the flower is lasting a very long time this time, which makes me happy. =) To answer your other Q's, no, I didn't have a false bottom before, and I do now, which is why the waterfall works. I also put in a stronger pump for the waterfall (next size up), so that it is a stronger flow, which I wanted, and I also built it a little higher. I replaced the potting soil substrate with cedar bark mulch, which I think is working very well (though some of the selaginella had difficulty adjusting), and I built it up in the corners for a more interesting landscape. I'm going to get a crypt this Christmas when I'm down in Georgia, because they are ridiculously expensive here. Try $13. . . I think Black Jungle has them for $5, and I'll be ordering a couple other things from them too, because they don't ship to Canada. I won't be putting it by the stream though, I'll put it on the driftwood on the right side, by the T. cyanea, in between the fern and the fittonia. I took the persian shield away, remember? So now it's just all green on that side, and it needs some red or pink or purple. =) Still need to buy some driftwood for the back wall of the tank, and then I'll be able to order some mini orchids from Andy's (which I also hope to do this Christmas), and mount them back there. so it's really taking shape! I hope to get some PDFs next summer, but we'll see. I may be pregnant again by then and feeling too crappy to take care of some new pets, especially since it involves culturing the food myself. =P And yeah, I'm very pleased with the placement of the nep. I just kind of stuck it there, and then I realized, Hey, that looks really good! I love the way the pitchers can hang nicely, and of course it stays nice and moist and humid right next to the waterfall. BTW, I AM old enough to drive! You can get your licence when you're 16 here, so I could have been driving for YEARS by now. No interest in it though. My learner's expires next spring, and I don't even think I'll renew it until I actually start learning to drive. I find it far too involved. I prefer to just sit and look out the window. =) More pics will be forthcoming! I'm having my parents over this Friday, so I'll take a couple more then, showing what it looks like now (with the new plants and the bridge and all).
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mrbreeze
19 years ago
And since you've seen how fast and easily it grows in terrariums, there's not an issue with trimming it back. In fact you may have to anyway. Mine tends to creep up the sides of the tank eventualy. More often then not I just push it down w/ my fingers but you can easily cut and move it around or just prune. Fun stuff!

(wish i could help w/ your frog/mulch thread...but i don't know anything other then pure speculation)
ladybug_guam
19 years ago
For the life of me I can't make them grow in my terrarium! I bought 5 kinds of Selaginellas and slowly they all died!
the rest of the plants are doing great! The Ficus quercifolia is taking over as groundcover, the Nephrolepis
and all the others but Selaginellas die on me! :( Is there something I'm doing wrong?
Ana :)
sahoyaref
Original Author
19 years ago
I'm so jealous of your quercifolia!!!! Next summer I'm getting one. . . or two! I have no idea why your selaginellas would be dying! You have such great humidity over there naturally, and that seems to be the key issue with selaginella. That and staying moist all the time. I had a couple bits die on me when I switched to bark, but now it's all adjusted and doing great. I feel your pain. . . =(
ladybug_guam
19 years ago
sahoyaref:
I tell you what, after the Holidays, I'll be ready to prune it and I'll get you a bunch of cuttings your way, send me an e-mail with your address and they'll be on the way.
Ana :)
species_crab
19 years ago
Whoa, F. quercifolia is really cool! I like anything that looks like Oak though so...PDFs are really cool too. I wish I could take pics of the setup that East Bay Vivarium has for them. They have a tall narrow cage with a lot of plants growing on the wall on tree fern mounts. The little guys seem really happy in there. Very cool. Post pics when you get your PDFs.

Alex

Good luck, and I do not know if you have Home Depots up there but I just found S. uncinata at my local one about a month or so ago.
sahoyaref
Original Author
19 years ago
Alex: Well, if you mean me 'up here' =) we do have Home Depots, and I love them! Right now they have two varieties of selaginella in little Christmas arrangements. 'Gold Tips' and 'White Tips'. I forget the species. They were looking a little dry though, and I have enough selaginella! =) And BTW, I won't be getting PDFs for a very long time, so don't hold your breath. =)

Ana: ooooooo, I don't know. It's very tempting, but. . . illegal. You would have to not label it 'live plants' or they'd stop it at the border, and even if I got them I'd feel guilty. . . I'll just buy one (or two!) from Rob's next summer. =) Thanks for the offer though!
viv_guy
19 years ago
some selaginella will grow taller if the lighting is weak.
also for "rainbow moss" you should spend about 4.00 per plant, which is cheap, cut the root ball in half, and once it's established, you could take cuttings and let them take over too...by placing a small peice of orchid bark on the node of each section, this comresses it down. in the wild, the plant has wind to keep it low, bright light to make it spread. in a vivarium you should try to duplicate that.
erk120
19 years ago
I have to say first of all I'm not in the fourm very much at all but when I wanted to get info on my Selaginella uncinata this tread popped up. Anyways I know most of you are in to terrarium growing, but I have to tell you I have S. uncinata in a 12" bowl pot as a hanger and it is great. In the summer time it goes outside and as the amount of light it gets through the day changes the colors shift from blue/green to red/pink to green/gold. It goes back in the house in the winter and it all shifts back to blue/green. Funny thing, a set of Jersey tree frogs moved in to it last summer. Very cool plant, any tips would be cool thanks in advance.

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