How to make a Selaginella bonsai? Detailed steps to get you started

Selaginella, an evergreen plant also known as "nine-death resurrection grass", has the characteristics of a small plant type, and is also drought-tolerant, shade-loving, and moisture-loving, making it very suitable as a bonsai for viewing. But many bonsai enthusiasts are worried about how to make a good pot of Selaginella bonsai, so how do you make a Selaginella bonsai? Today, the editor will share with you the method for making a Selaginella bonsai.

Many bonsai enthusiasts always feel that Selaginella is not easy to keep alive when making a Selaginella bonsai. In fact, this plant is very easy to keep alive, after all, its vitality is very tenacious. As long as we can provide it with a suitable growing environment and meet its growth needs, keeping it alive is not much of a problem. Moreover, Selaginella found in the wild generally grows on cliffs and precipices, and its growing environment is also very harsh. Since it can survive there, it shows that its vitality is unusually tenacious.

Since we are making Selaginella into a bonsai, we first need to choose a relatively rustic and rather plain and elegant flower pot. At the same time, considering that it likes moisture but is not tolerant of waterlogging, the bottom of the flower pot is also required to have a drainage hole, and a sponge pad should be laid over the hole to prevent the potting soil from leaking out with the water flow. It only needs to drain excess water out.

As for what kind of potting soil is suitable for planting a Selaginella bonsai, generally we choose ordinary sandy loam rich in humus. Because Selaginella likes a moist potting soil environment and is not particularly strict about watering requirements, as long as it is not excessive, and this kind of potting soil is both relatively fertile and relatively loose and breathable, and also has good drainage, so it is quite suitable for growing Selaginella.

Before potting the Selaginella plant, we need to properly give it a simple shape, then place the plant into the flower pot according to a certain form, and then use the prepared potting soil to fill the space in the pot and gently press it down a little. But the covering soil should generally be slightly lower than the rim of the pot, because this can avoid water overflowing when watering heavily.

Selaginella has a very strong drought tolerance. Although it curls up into a ball when suffering drought, it will unfold again when watered, which is very magical. It is also relatively shade-loving and shade-tolerant, and does not need to receive direct light. Just providing a little scattered light can meet its light needs. At the same time, it is also relatively tolerant of poor soil. After planting, it can even survive without fertilizing, and even with rough care management, it can still grow normally.

But in order to achieve the ornamental effect of a bonsai, after potting it, we also need to add some decorative items for it. You can take some fresh moss and spread it on the surface of the potting soil to make it look more natural and beautiful. And careful bonsai enthusiasts will find that its branches are often covered with moss, which shows that it relatively likes moisture. Therefore, after planting, it is necessary to frequently spray water on the potting soil and branches and leaves to keep them moist. Otherwise, when the plant suffers drought, it will curl up and go dormant, thereby reducing the ornamental value of the bonsai.