Baby tear plant : Easy to care charming houseplants
Baby tear plants is a busy plant that can be grown both indoors and outdoors. These beautiful plants are a great addition to the garden as well as indoors. They look best in hanging baskets. They are easy to propagate, and has low care and maintenance.
Quick Details of Baby tear plant
| Other Common Names | Baby Tears, Friendship Plant, Angel’s Tears, Baby’s Tears, Mind-your-own-business |
| Type | Herbaceous perennial indoor/outdoor plant |
| Maintenance | Low-moderate |
| Flowering | May to June(Late spring to early summer) |
| Light | Partial sunlight or bright filtered light |
| Water | Regular watering |
| Temperature | Normal conditions. |
| Soil | Rich, Moist loam, well draining |
| Fertilizer | Ones every two months with any liquid fertilizer or compost |
| Habitat | Corsica, western Mediterranean |
| Toxicity | No |
| Common Diseases | Not prone to pests or pathogens. |
| Scientific name | Soleirolia soleirolii |
Baby tear plant Buying Instructions
- This is one of the best choice for hanging basket.
- Buy a bushy and healthy plant.
- Leaves should be shiny with strong stem.
Overview of Baby tear plant
Image by marijana1 from Pixabay
Soleirolia soleirolii, belongs to the Urticaceae family and grows rapidly. They are native to Islands in the western Mediterranean, primarily including Corsica and Sardinia. It was first brought into the plant trade by botanist Joseph François Soleirol. They are low-growing plants that produce a moss-like appearance. Baby’s tears have small oval leaves on very fleshy stems with lush green and yellow leaves. Miniature, creamy white flowers lack petals and ar ar (May and June)
Upward growth is just 1-2″ (sometimes up to 5″) tall, but plants extend into many-branched delicate stems that root in the ground as they go vigorously and permanently (to 3-6 ‘wide).A thick, moss-like, quick-spreading ground cover is created by vivid, rich green to lime green rounded leaves (to 1/4 “diameter).It’s an outstanding choice if you are looking for an alternative to grass. It can be conveniently cultivated indoors near bright windows of sunshine, patios or even in shady locations. It’s an outstanding choice if you are looking for an alternative to grass.
The typical green species of baby’s tears is most common. Two colour versions, including ‘Aurea’ with golden leaves, and ‘Variegata’ with white stippling, are also available. The green colour is dominant in all kinds, and any green stems in the gold and variegated forms must be pruned away in order to keep them from returning to solid green.
Usage and Advantage of Baby tear plant
- Grown as an ornamental plant.
- Best suited to grow n hanging baskets
- Also grown as a ground cover.
General Care for Baby tear plant
Soil
As a houseplant or in pots, any commercial potting soil is ideal for rising baby tears. A fertile soil modified with humus, compost, or manure will increase the nutrients available to the tears of baby plants, and will also help control the level of plant humidity. In addition to maintaining the soil properly moist, you must ensure that there is adequate air ventilation and that the container is well-drained.
Water
It’s better to keep your container or bed regularly wet for optimal growth. It should never be soggy. Give it a moist atmosphere, but the water level must not go overboard. The roots can be prone to decay by overly moist soil. Baby tear plants hunger for water, and they never like to dry out. Wilting takes place once the plants dry out. They do not require much water during winters. It’s safe to dry the surface of the soil, but the soil around the roots should feel mildly wet.
Sunlight
There’s no need for excessive, direct sunshine. Baby tears will take short bursts of strong sunshine, but in clear, filtered light they will look their best. In shady areas with marginal light, it can grow well. Brown, scorched leaves can develop on plants growing in full sun. Baby tears can flourish indoors under artificial lighting. They can be grown outdoors in reasonably sunny areas.
Temperature
They grow best at temperatures around 15-25 degree Celsius. They prefer humid conditions. The plants can also tolerate slight cold conditions.
Special Care:
The tears of baby plants grow rapidly and need to be repotted frequently. Repot the plants ones they overgrow and crowd out their existing. Pot-bound plants are more vulnerable to drying out, and in plants which need to be repotted, there is an increased incidence of wilting. They can be quite invasive, particularly when grown outdoors. Prune periodically to ensur that their jar does not overgrow or leak outward into pathways when grown as ground cover.
Fertilization:
It is important that you feed them well ones they start growing. A balanced plant fertilizer every two months in the spring and summer can keep the leaves of the tears of baby plants bright green and thick .It is safer to add liquid fertilizers. Use a nearly half diluted balanced liquid house plant fertilizer. Sufficient plant feed assures a healthy plant.
Pests and other problems for Baby tear plant
They are not prone to many pathogens or pest when provided with proper conditions. However, over watering and under watering can effect the health of the plant and can cause wilting. Excess water in the soil can lead to root rot. Excess sunlight can dry the leaves and lack of ample sunlight reduces the growth of the plant.
some of the common pests that can attack the plant are aphids, white flies and scale insects. Spray a soap solution or a mild insecticide to get rid of these pests.
Propagation of Baby tear plant
It is easy to propagate them through division. They will form roots anywhere the stems meet the soil. Plants in this fashion will spread without restriction. All you have to do is separate the root ball and the leaves. Separate a portion of stems with soil and roots with a small trowel. Replant and keep the division moist, and it will begin to expand,
