Transplanting a Frosty Fern (Selaginella) - Also Care Tips 

These plants are some of the oldest still-living plants in the world. They first appeared in the fossil record about 400 million years ago. Or in other words, 200 million years before the dinosaurs. They have survived everything, except human gardeners. :)) Good luck with it!

Tip for anyone who wants to do a similar bubble terrarium: GO TO GOODWILL IF ONE IS AVAILABLE! Every single one I've been to carries a variety of sizes of glass bubbles for a few bucks at most. They often take up their own section where the glass is kept!

My morning routine is putting on coffee, starting my humidifier for the plants and also giving them a little misting with the water bottle (more because I like it than they need it), then I go back to bed with a cup of coffee. The days when I get to watch a new PlantzNThings video will drinking it in bed are my favourite mornings. Thank you, such a lovely way to start this Sunday :)

It's a club moss! They're right between mosses and ferns, being both vascular but with a mossier method of reproduction. I didn't know they sold them as houseplants, and now I've got to keep my eye out for one. Thanks Bill!

They had these at Trader Joe's last night. And I picked up one for friend and one for myself right now I'm going to learn how to take care of this little sucker. What a cute little thing. Perfect for the holidays even though it is 2020 we are still trying to have a Merry sort of a Christmas in this crazy world. So peace and blessings to all

I love that type of fern, I will keep my eyes on one in the spring, thank you for sharing!

Great idea, I think I will try to find a nice glass bowl to repot my fern. Thanks for your honesty, great ideas and thanks for sharing.

Many types of ferns that are grown indoors will gradually acclimate to lower than ideal humidity and / or light levels. When purchased, they usually have recently been removed from growing in greenhouse conditions, so they are stressed. You get it home and it begins to defoliate. The main thing the fern needs at that point is patience, your patience. It can take from 2 to 6 months for the plant to recover and begin vigorous growth of new fronds. During the recovery period all one should do is keep the soil slightly moist but not wet, no fertilizer, and don’t worry about humidity. Give it bright light and keep it away from heaters. The idea is that most, if not all of the foliage that was on the fern when purchased will die away within the first few months, just cut it off at the base, and it will be replaced with new growth that is acclimated to one’s home environment. ~ Unfortunately, many folks assume the fern is rapidly dying when it starts to defoliate and they toss it in the trash.~ I live in a semi-arid area and have a thriving “sensitive” maiden hair fern that is four feet in diameter. I give it lots of water and light feedings but it only gets the ambient humidity of my house.

The frosty fern's true name is Selaginella kraussiana, but who cares about real names. I will name my own lol. Beautiful, beautiful plant and so easy to take care of, feels pretty neat too, and looks weirdly super nice. They love low light and medium filtered light. The frosty tips are the new leaves coming in. I run a small portable humidifier for me, and my plants love it. Information below: But, in fact, it is no fern at all. It is a Selaginella, a spike moss in the lycopod group. It is also called African club moss or Krauss' spike moss, and its scientific species name is Selaginella kraussiana (family Selaginellaceae). Many club mosses belong to another lycopod family, the Lycopodiaceae. Ferns below to a different branch on the green tree of life, they are not lycopods. The two evolutionary branches are about as different as a turtle and a salamander. We easily keep salamanders (and other amphibians) apart from turtles and tortoises in our brains, but green things from many different branches on the tree of life look very similar to us. Lycopods evolved before ferns and have spores, just like ferns, but lycopods differ a lot in how their leaves are constructed. Look closely, and you can see that lycopods have branches and stems with tiny scale-like leaves. These leaves are called lycophylls. Some people mix up this plant with mosses, but real mosses are smaller and do not have roots like lycopods do. Mosses also have scale-like leaves, called microphylls, and they are very similar to lycophylls just smaller. So club mosses and spike mosses are not mosses. A branch of a Selaginella (Frosty Fern) showing many, many small scale-like leaves. Photo (cc) BotanicalAccuracy.com Ferns on the other hand have large leaves, often divided, and these leaves are called euphylls, which means 'true leaves'. Other groups with true leaves are conifers (needles!) and all flowering plants (oaks, grasses, and dandelions and such). True leaves have many veins in them (look closely), but lycophylls and microphylls have only one vein in each leaf. So, the common name of this plant is often 'frosty fern', and it is not uncommon for common names to give the wrong impression of a plant's taxonomic belonging. Just think of names such as 'lucky bamboo' (not a bamboo at all) and reindeer moss (a lichen). Common names are everyday names, often traditional, used among people so we can communicate about the plants around us. The real problem starts when we think this plant is a fern. And that happens, and then the botanical mistake is a fact induced by the not-so-great common name. Such as in this example: "Never allow the soil to dry around your frosty fern. This fern doesn't tolerate dry periods or waterlogged soil." (link to source at GardenGuides.com) Suddenly the spike moss became a fern for real in that quote. And suddenly, a botanical inaccuracy have been introduced in our way of thinking about this plant, because of its name. So therefore it is best to avoid such common names and instead use names that are more appropriate, like Krauss' spike moss.

Cute fern ... nice looking arrangement. Happy growing!

I must try to find one of those little ferns! Glad I saw this because I didn’t know how to take care of them.

This is such a great idea. I can't wait. Thank you thank you

Wish your video came out at Christmas when they were selling these! Bought one and it died. Now I know it was about my low humidity. Should have placed it with my orchids and the humidifier. Will know next time though!

Thanks. Love the info and editing.

Thank you for such an informative and concise explanation

Ramble on. Excellent tips and advice. Thank you. Maybe I won't kill mine I don't know. I'm in Florida. We can kill anything. Like life as we ever thought it would be. Be Safe and secure wherever you are. Peace and blessings

Thank you for this very helpful video. I received one as a gift just this month.

Love your creations always enjoyed tuning into your channel

Pretty glass pot❣️ I brought one ❣️

Thank you Bill!!

During the summer take the poinsettias outside, water them once a day, partial sun, I had one for 9 years, it had bark on some parts, of the trunk, bring inside during the winter, some light leaves will change from green to red, feed them 2x a year,

Trying this for the lst time. have transplanted to a large glass bowl that I had for a lot of years...Hope this plant lives a little longer than the other plants.

Looking forward to see how it grows.

Thanks...great video

nice job Bill

Mines are dead before i watch this. Gonna buy another one later. Good tips btw

I just got one in a Christmas arrangement. It started to crisp a little on the edge, after a week in my home. I just separated it from the arrangement and put it in a cloche. Hoping it will survive and maybe even thrive?

I have one, and it is doing great in a glass container. Can you make a video on how to propagate it ?

Does this moss do fine if I split and plan them?

Happy New Year!

Contemplating growing a White Rabbits Foot Fern in an Teak Orchid hanging basket lined with Coir Fiber. I know they can withstand drier conditions than typical ferns...

Love these ferns but have yet to get one.

In some of your earlier videos you used to put a length of string to help wick the water up. Could you use that method to use up the standing water in the bottom?

Do you create your own potting mix?

Hey Bill , I know you grew Musa Bajoo at one point, whats your feedback on it ? Would it survive winters for zone 6b, I am in Mississauga Ontario. Humber Nurseries is closing down, has some plants on sale. Thanks in advance

Hi..im having a hard time keeping this plant looking good now during winter.. is yours still alive?

Hello, I bought a frosty fern two weeks ago. I repot it in my planter and mixed in some Plant-Tone Fertilizer. Within days, it withered and died. I noticed white fuzzy mold on top of the soil, which is normal breakdown process of the Plant-Tone fertilizer, but I wonder if that killed the plant. What do you think? Would appreciate some tips!

I have kept a few poinsettias alive but find it difficult honestly.. Ps I want that fern now lol

Hello , how are you , can you make updait about medinilla plant ? That you have , we want informatio about how to take care , please answer me 🙏 and thank u for this chanel .

Where do you get the growstones?

Nice video! A little wordy in the beginning, but definitely interesting. Love your plants! I have a few of them...

What is going on with the little rooty looking things they put out?

My poinsettia from last Christmas is still alive big and beautiful but unfortunately it does not have any red brax,

I sottotitoli ?

It's the only video that I've found on RU-vid talking about Jericho's rose by someone who knows the topic. All other videos are from people who knows nothing and give wronge uninformed advices. How to know that the plant is already dead when in its dry state?

Is it the Rose of Jericho ?

But it’s a moss

a disaster. that solution did not improve one bit the humidity for the plant. you only placed it in a pot with no drain holes, promoting rot. while the leaves are in your dry air.