# Ground Cover



## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Can anyone suggest a good ground cover other than moss?

And where to get it?

I had a micro sword like plant that was was growing well until a fried ballast kept the lights out for a little over a week.

Thanks!


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## Frogman8 (Sep 28, 2010)

Depends what species you have . But most def leaf litter


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

I meant alive stuff. 

I have magnolia leaves but would like something green down there


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## Jean Kaye (Aug 12, 2012)

How about Soleirolia soleirolii? Easy and a bit boring though


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## Bunsincunsin (Feb 11, 2008)

Most of the smaller leaved _Peperomia_ species work well as ground cover - such as _prostrata_, _serpens_ (the smaller leaved form from Ecuador), _emarginella_, sp. 'Banos, Ecuador', sp. 'Panama', etc. Various _Selaginella_ species would probably work as well. If you have a bright enough light you could also try _Fittonia verschaffeltii_ 'minima' which can stay fairly low and compact with a little help from trimming.


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## papafrogger (Oct 21, 2012)

I really like pelionia repens. Really nice green and dark maroon leaves. Im also pretty much addicted to selaginella, but from what i hear it can grow quite aggressively when established.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Jean Kaye said:


> How about Soleirolia soleirolii? Easy and a bit boring though


I really like this. Do you know where to get some? 

I couldn't find any on ebay or with a google search.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Bunsincunsin said:


> Most of the smaller leaved _Peperomia_ species work well as ground cover - such as _prostrata_, _serpens_ (the smaller leaved form from Ecuador), _emarginella_, sp. 'Banos, Ecuador', sp. 'Panama', etc. Various _Selaginella_ species would probably work as well. If you have a bright enough light you could also try _Fittonia verschaffeltii_ 'minima' which can stay fairly low and compact with a little help from trimming.


I will be getting some peperonia this week prolly.


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

kingfisherfleshy said:


> I really like this. Do you know where to get some?
> 
> I couldn't find any on ebay or with a google search.


Common name is baby tears, and it can go CRAZY if not kept well pruned


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Soleirolia (Helxine) is a very beautiful ground cover plants, but it is hard to find even here (place of origin). If you find it is good! Otherwise you can try Pilea depressa or P. glaucophylla. Very similar to Soleirolia are Micranthemum sp. and Hemianthus callitrichoides, plants used for fishtank and easy to find.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Its not for sale on ebay under that name, so I am going to check some green houses.

Can you use the aquarium variety if your substrate is fairly damp?


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Soleirolia is hard to find even here, although she is a mediterranean endemic plant and I live in Italy. I've tried Hydrocotyle and Pilea glauca, before putting frogs in vivs. Both are good plants! Now I am converted to the leaf litter. I use only leaves on ground of my vivs.


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## Wim van den Berg (Mar 5, 2012)

rigel10 said:


> Soleirolia (Helxine) is a very beautiful ground cover plants, but it is hard to find even here (place of origin). If you find it is good! Otherwise you can try Pilea depressa or P. glaucophylla. Very similar to Soleirolia are Micranthemum sp. and Hemianthus callitrichoides, plants used for fishtank and easy to find.


Hi Rigel

Were i live Soleirolia is also a winterhardy (-15/-17C ) gardenplant, so i don,t know if its really going well in a terrarium/vivarium climate.

I love to see a really picture of it groing in the wild if you ever could make one.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

I found this video on Youtube. In this nice viv, the plant you see in the foreground (with vittatus on her) is just Soleirolia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk5tTUxeN4M.
Soleirolia is originally from Sardinia and Corsica, but I never see this plant, at least here where I live (Puglia).


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Very interesting. Ill post back once I have some.


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## Jean Kaye (Aug 12, 2012)

rigel10 said:


> Soleirolia (Helxine) is a very beautiful ground cover plants, but it is hard to find even here (place of origin). If you find it is good!


Are you serious? There seems to be great differences between countries as in here it is one of the most common houseplants right after pothos, monstera deliciosa and chlorophytum. Although in Italy there is not so much need for houseplants which may explain it. Although I would have thought it to be a common garden plant.

I saw it growing as a common lawn weed in Chile.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Never seen Soleirolia sold in plants stores here, I come from. Not even on ebay.it. There is certainly in the shops of the larger cities, such as Naples or Milan, because a friend found it. This is - I think - because native plants have no market in place.
Pothos, clorophythum, tillandsia, begonia, columnea, marantha, ficus, etc. are very common. Where I work we have tons of pots with clorophytum or begonia (eg lubbergei) and I use pothos in most of my viv. In the wild, here, I can find hydrocotyle and small ferns, good for viv, but no Helxine.
But, as I said, I'm not interested in ground covers. I like leaf litter.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

I have leaf litter as well. Just looking for a little something around the borders and in the cracks.


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## ICS523 (Mar 10, 2012)

Epicia "Silver skies" is nice


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