Spike Moss (Meadow Spikemoss) care

Light

If you have a corner where every other plant turned leggy and died, try spike moss. Grows well in low to medium indirect light, making it ideal for north-facing windowsills or the shaded floor of a terrarium. Avoid direct sun, which quickly bleaches and desiccates the foliage. The catch: when a low-light plant does fail, it's almost always because someone watered it on the same schedule as their brighter plants. Less light = less water, every time.

Watering

Watering spike moss: keep the soil consistently moist; water every 3-5 days or whenever the surface begins to dry. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Selaginella apoda is drought-intolerant and requires reliably moist conditions. Bottom-watering works well to maintain even soil moisture without wetting the foliage, which can cause rot.

Soil and pot

Spike Moss grows best in moist, fine-textured peat-free mix with high organic content. A mix of coir, fine bark, and perlite at roughly 2:1:1 provides the moist, slightly acidic substrate this species requires. Avoid sandy or fast-draining mixes. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Spike Moss sits happiest at around 70-90% humidity and 15-24°C (59-75°F). Extremely high humidity is needed. Best grown in a closed or semi-closed terrarium. In open conditions, mist twice daily or keep on a pebble tray with water to maintain humid air. If you keep the room above 15 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed spike moss sparingly. Apply a very dilute balanced liquid fertiliser (quarter strength) once a month during spring and summer. Selaginella has low nutrient requirements and is sensitive to over-fertilisation. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on spike moss in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Desiccation and browning — The most common problem — even brief drying causes rapid browning. Maintain consistent moisture at all times.
• Fungal rot — In overly wet, stagnant conditions rot can set in. Ensure air circulation and avoid standing water around the root zone.
• Pale or yellowing growth — Usually caused by excessive light or low nutrients. Move to a shadier spot and apply a dilute feed.
• Fungus gnats — Common in consistently moist soil. Allow a thin surface layer to dry slightly between waterings and use yellow sticky traps.

Companion plants

Spike Moss pairs well with Fittonia, Hypoestes, Mini ferns, and Peperomia caperata. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Divide clumps at any time of year and replant sections in moist substrate; they establish readily. Stem cuttings can also be pressed onto moist coir and will root quickly in a humid environment. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Spike Moss is pet-safe. Selaginella apoda is not individually listed by the ASPCA as toxic to cats or dogs. The genus Selaginella is not associated with known toxic compounds and is generally regarded as safe for pets. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Spike Moss deep-dive guides

Every aspect of spike moss care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Common spike moss problems & fixes
• Spike Moss watering schedule
• Spike Moss light requirements
• Best soil mix for spike moss
• Spike Moss fertilizing guide
• When to repot spike moss
• How to propagate spike moss
• How to prune spike moss
• What's eating my spike moss?
• Spike Moss growth rate & size
• Spike Moss cold hardiness
• Spike Moss temperature & humidity
• Is spike moss toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is spike moss toxic to cats?
• Is spike moss toxic to dogs?
• All 11 Selaginella varieties

Featured in these plant shortlists

Spike Moss qualifies for 14 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
• Best pet-safe low-light plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs AND happy with no direct sun — the two hardest constraints to satisfy at once.
• Best drought-tolerant houseplants — Houseplants that prefer to dry out — forgiving of forgotten watering and ideal for travel or busy weeks.
• Best houseplants for beginners — Forgiving of irregular light and watering — the houseplants least likely to die in a new plant parent’s first season.
• Best humidity-loving houseplants — Houseplants that thrive in a bathroom, kitchen, or by a humidifier — selected by documented humidity preference.
• Best bathroom plants — Humidity-loving houseplants that also cope with lower light — suited to the steamy, often-dim conditions of a typical bathroom.
• Best pet-safe low-maintenance plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and forgiving of forgotten watering — the easiest safe choices for a busy pet household.
• Best pet-safe bathroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in the humid, lower-light conditions of a bathroom — safe greenery for the smallest room.
• Best small & tabletop houseplants — Compact houseplants that stay under about 40 cm — desk, shelf and windowsill plants that never outgrow a small space.
• Best pet-safe bedroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in lower light — calming greenery for a bedroom where a pet often sleeps too.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Best small pet-safe plants — Compact, tabletop houseplants that are also ASPCA non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe greenery for a desk or shelf.
• Browse all 30 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Spike Moss is also commonly called Meadow Spikemoss or Creeping Selaginella.

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