The dense, lush and rich green leaves of the baby tears plant look incredible when falling from a hanging basket. However, the thought of maintaining these delicate-leaved plants can be intimidating! Do they look difficult to plant and care for to you as well?
Well, you don’t have to worry about planting or taking care of these charming baby’s tear plants. They are easy to maintain and can serve as an excellent houseplant.
Scientifically, they’re known as Soleirolia soleirolii or Helxine soleirolii, baby tears is delicate looking, featuring bright yellow leaves with tiny white flowers. Outdoors, you’ll usually find them as a ground cover or in ornamental gardens.
They’re native to southern Europe, mainly Italy, Sardinia, and Corsica. These moss-looking plants are often regarded as environmental weed in Western Europe and California. If you’re looking for a plant to enhance the appeal of your home’s interior décor, Soleirolia soleirolii is a great option to choose.
Read on to learn more about how to plant dwarf baby’s tears plant and take care of them properly.
Baby’s Tears plants, also known as Soleirolia soleirolii, are delicate and beautiful plants that can add a touch of green to any indoor or outdoor space With their small, round leaves and creeping stems, they make an excellent groundcover or addition to hanging baskets and terrariums However, to get the most out of your Baby’s Tears plant and boost its yield, proper pollination is essential.
Why Pollinate Baby’s Tears?
Pollination allows the plant to produce seeds and propagate. Without pollination, the tiny white flowers of the Baby’s Tears will not be fertilized and will fail to produce the small black seeds that enable the plant to reproduce. Manually pollinating your Baby’s Tears ensures greater seed production and allows you to generate more plants from those seeds.
How to Identify Baby’s Tears Flowers
- Flowers are very small, less than 1/8 inch in diameter, and white.
- Located near the base of the plant or along trailing stems.
- Easy to miss due to their tiny size.
When to Pollinate
- Late spring to early summer when flowers are present.
- Pollinate throughout the blooming period for maximum seed production.
Step-by-Step Guide to Pollinating Baby’s Tears
Pollinating Baby’s Tears is a simple, manual process
1. Locate Male and Female Flower Parts
- Stamen – long, thin structure topped with a bulbous tip that produces pollen.
- Pistil – slender stalk topped with a sticky stigma where pollen germinates.
2. Collect Pollen
- Use a small brush, cotton swab, or fingertips to gently dab stamen and gather pollen.
3. Transfer Pollen
- Deposit the collected pollen onto the stigma of another flower.
4. Repeat
- Pollinate multiple flowers to maximize seed production.
Tips for Boosting Yields
- Provide bright, indirect light.
- Use a balanced liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks during growing season.
- Water regularly to keep soil consistently moist.
- Maintain high humidity around plants.
- Repot when root bound to encourage new growth.
- Prune back long stems to promote full, bushy growth.
- Control pests like aphids that can damage flowers and seed production.
Common Questions
Can I use my fingers to pollinate Baby’s Tears?
Yes, fingertips work well for manually transferring pollen between flowers.
How often should I pollinate my Baby’s Tears?
Pollinate flowers throughout the blooming period, repeating every few days for maximum seed production.
What are the signs my Baby’s Tears was pollinated successfully?
You’ll notice small, rounded seed pods forming where the flowers were located if pollination was successful.
Can insects like bees pollinate my indoor Baby’s Tears?
Outdoors yes, but for indoor plants, manual pollination is required since bees and other pollinators aren’t present.
Propagating from Seeds
The seeds produced from successfully pollinated Baby’s Tears flowers can be collected and used to propagate new plants!
- Allow seed pods to fully mature and dry on the plant.
- Collect seeds and store in a paper envelope in a cool, dry place.
- Sow seeds in moist potting mix, cover lightly, and maintain humidity.
- Germination occurs in 14-28 days.
Pollinating your Baby’s Tears by hand is a simple way to increase seed production and propagate new plants. Follow the techniques outlined above, and you’ll be rewarded with a lush carpet of beautiful foliage!
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Baby’s Tear Plant Look-Alikes
If you are wondering how to care for Soleirolia soleirolii (baby’s tears) plants, it is important that you delve deeper into understanding the family of Urticaceae to which it belongs.
Pilea or Pilea depressa is a native of Mexico and Brazil. It belongs to the Urticaceae family and looks largely similar to the original baby’s tears plant. Though both types are not closely related, they can be confused with each other. Pilea has leaves smaller than a fingernail and are round in shape.
If you are looking to grow baby tear plant for terrariums or container gardens, Pilea ‘Baby’s Tear’ can be the best option. With their small and delicate structure, they look beautiful hanging from the containers or draped on the wall. However, you have to make sure that this type of Soleirolia soleirolii does not dry out.
Aurea is another variety of Soleirolia soleirolii. It is commonly known as Golden Baby’s Tears plant. They are perennial plants used for groundcover. These baby’s tears plants have the ability to grow as high as two inches and as wide as 18 inches.
The growing conditions for these baby’s tears plants remain the same: they need well-draining soil with even moisture. It can grow in shady locations and places without direct light. Aurea baby tears has broad leaves and is golden in color.
All About Baby Tears Plants
Baby tears has small round leaves in lush green and yellow leaves on rather fleshy stems. They are low growing plants that give off a moss-like look. Belonging from the Urticaceae family, Soleirolia soleirolii grows vigorously and is likely to outgrow its container. It can be easily grown indoors near bright sunlight windows, patios or even in shady spots.
If you are looking for an alternative to grass, baby tears is an excellent option, especially because this is an evergreen plant. This mat-forming creeping member of the nettle family is perfect for subtropical and temperate areas. Baby’s tears originates in the Mediterranean — specifically in coastal Italy. Today, baby’s tears plants are common in many other parts of the world.
The baby tears plant is similar to other members of the nettle family, and even shares a common name with Sagina subulata, called Irish moss. However, the baby’s tears plants has a completely different botanical structure and belongs to another family.